“So, why Portugal?”

“Did you have Portugal in mind for awhile?” “How did you choose the area you’re in?” Questions we’re often asked and we answer with a laugh.

We were given 3 months notice to move out of our house in France in April, 2021, by text message…both of us read the text and independently felt it was a sign that it was time to make a big move and to go towards our dream.

We wanted to move somewhere that was much more affordable (we were both working for ourselves in Geneva, Switzerland, while building our family without family help and with lockdowns not allowing us to work much…so, barely making ends meet or saving much).

We wanted to own land, make a house our own, grow our food, be more self-sufficient and be farther from a city. We wanted enough land that we could start a long-standing dream of our own wellness and nature bed and breakfast. Portugal was actually feasible to do that in due to the significantly lower prices of properties.

We had never been to Portugal 😂 Yep, you read that right. We had only heard great things and seen beautiful photos. The simplicity, the landscapes, the food, the lifestyle, the safety, the people, the price of land…all sounded and felt like a great fit for us! We drove out to Portugal in August, 2021; our car full of the 5 of us and our essentials. We rented a studio apartment for a few months, and then a one bedroom apartment. During that time we travelled around to discover the different areas of Portugal, to view properties and to see where we felt a pull. Oh the number of places we visited- all with two youngsters and our dog in tow 😅 More on that process another time. We decided on our area after a couple trips out to view different properties. We fell in love with the region due to the landscape, the potential it had to build what we wanted, and the good feeling we had:)

So here we are! A bit less than one year after venturing out, hopeful and starry-eyed, we have set roots in beautiful Alentejo 🤯🥰