In the Algarve it is all about location. You usually would like to be close to:

• major attractions
• a variety of shopping options from groceries to electronics
• health services of all kinds
• a variety of dining options
• a more traditional Portugal
• a sunset at the beach
• a train station or an International Airport

Monte da Palhagueira ticks all the boxes. It is an English Retirement Village with a perfect location. You are living in peace and tranquility but are close to everything you may need and may like. Loule and Santa Barbara de Nexe are just minutes away. So is the MAR shopping centre, the largest one in the Algarve. It is 20 KM to the nearest beach with plenty of dining and sitting options. If you need more than the market hall in Loule, try the famous market hall in Olhao with its fresh fish directly from the fishing boats. You can combine that with a coffee directly at the water front or a boat tour. If you prefer the offerings of a larger city including a large hospital, go to Faro (15 KM). If you are into Golf, go to Almancil (12 KM). Monte da Palhagueira offers the perfect location for your retirement.

This traditional Portuguese town with Moorish heritage lies 9km west of Monte da Palhagueira and is famous for its lively Saturday morning gypsy and farmers markets. You will get the best fish with a wide selection of very fresh fish in the market hall every Saturday morning. Featuring shady tree-lined plazas and a labyrinth of charming cobbled alleyways, Loule is a pretty medieval town with a castle that is one of the best-preserved in the Algarve. There are plenty of options for a day out with a variety of dining options, from traditional Portuguese (try Restaurant Bocage) to all sorts of more International variations. You will get the best coffee at Bean17 in the market hall (Mercado de Loule).

Four kilometres from Monte da Palhagueira, the charming village of Santa Barbara de Nexe with its 400-year-old white walled church is built on the site of a Bronze Age hill fort, which has spectacular views of the countryside rolling away to the coast. In the evening it offers a great selections of Restaurants for dining out.

Monte da Palhagueira takes inspiration from the enchanting, flower-laden village of Alte. This lovely village of whitewashed houses with colourful windows and terracotta tiled roofs lining a maze of pretty cobbled streets is hidden away in the foothills of the Serra do Caldeirão and is one of the most typical and unspoilt villages in the Algarve. The village has a beautiful church dating from the 16^th century, which contains elaborate chapels and rare 16th-century azulejo tiling from Seville, and two freshwater springs.

Along with the traditional Portuguese town of Almancil, Vale do Lobo and Quinta do Lago form the Algarve region unofficially known as the Golden Triangle – the ‘Beverly Hills’ of southern Portugal. Vale do Lobo and Quinta do Lago are known for their magnificent mansions, luxury resorts, hotels and shopping, and championship golf courses.

Running 60km along the coast to the west and east of Faro, the Ria Formosa Natural Park has recently been elected one of the seven natural wonders of Portugal. This maze of canals, islands, marshes and barrier islands has a thriving ecosystem, unspoilt beaches and rich fishing heritage.