Hi all. I have fallen in love with Carvoeiro over the last number of years but after a lot of soul searching I realise I cannot fulfil my dream of owning a holiday property in the Algarve, as good property in the area does not come cheap. I have now set my sights on purchasing in central Portugal around the Tomar area and I was looking for opinions from those who know the area or have visited. Property is a lot cheaper in this area of the country. Can anyone tell me what the pro's and con's would be. What is the weather like in winter ?? I would particularly like to hear from anyone who has also looked at the idea. I understand that Tomar is just over 1 hour from Lisbon and is a beautiful region of the country. Any info would be appreciated. I am back in heaven from 15th October and was thinking of taking a drive to the area (3 hours away) Thanks
Robbie

Well I live in Tomar,
It is a great place to live very beautiful scenery, mountains, lakes, rivers, forest etc. lovely unspoilt countryside. many historic towns and villages, Tomar alone has several notable historic monuments including the world hertige site of the Convent de Cristo. museums, galleries,theatres etc, Excellent shopping at Lisbon and Coimbra
we spent a long time touring Portugal to find the perfect place to live including our 6 months on the Algarve and for us Central Portugal has everything, Lisbon, major city and airport less than one hour away, great transport links to the whole country. a great pace of life, friendly locals, very low crime rate, lower cost of living than the Algarve and very good value for money when buying property. You can buy a brand new 6 bed villa with pool here for the same money as a townhouse in the Algarve.
Can you tell I love the place?

Omostra06, I think it tends to be hotter in the summer but what about the winter?

Omostra06,
I can feel a trip to my bank manager coming on fast !!!!! And also a meeting with our company director who is a tough talker and believes I am trying to live a "dream" rather than get in touch with reality. Yes you guessed it "my wife". However my answer to that is "you are better dreaming in this world where you can do something about it than in the next when you can't How long would it take me to travel from Carvoeiro to Tomar. I took a look at AA roadwatch and it tells me 4 1/2 hours !!!! It is only just over 2 hours to Lisbon and another hour to Tomar so I was working it out as 3 ? Another quick question. Is it a lot more expensive (%) to purchase a property within walking distance of Castelo Do Bote lake. This would obviously open a few doors to letting potential etc. And lastly what level of english exists in the area. Will I need a crash course in Portuguese. Sounds like a beautiful part of Portugal.
Thanks
Robbie

Hi laserblazer,
summer weather can be hotter than on the coast as we dont tend to get the cooling breeze that you get along the coast. The winter although slightly cooler than the Algarve is still quiet nice, sunny days and mostly dry, Around Tomar where we live is milder than if you start to go slightly further north into the higher mountains, there you can get colder winters and frost overnight. iam not keen on the cold so we like it here and wouldnt move further north. we do get rain in November which does keep things nice and green, we also get to see a change in seasons which is nice, as some places just seem to be dryed out and sunburnt all year round

Hi Robbie,
It should only take about 3 1/2 hours from Carvoeiro to Tomar.
It is more expensive the closer you get to the Castello do Bode lake as some areas / villages around the lake are a bit exclusive, with waters edge villas going for several million euros, high prices but some of the best views in portugal from your livingroom window looking out over the lake and its islands. and lovely clear water for swimming at the bottom of your garden. must be nice. The more expensive areas are near the southern part of the lake as this is within easy reach of Lisbon, wealthy Lisbonites tend to have weekend homes around there.
As the lake is over 40 miles long there are plenty of places that you can buy little stone cottages and farmhouses near the lake with lake views for under 100k some are around 2 minutes walk to the water. There is a healthy rental market for properties in the area between Tomar and the Lake (tomar to the lake is about 10klm) as lots of people from Lisbon spend the weekends here, and nice rental cottages and houses are always in demand.
As for the language its 'real' Portugal here so most people speak Portuguese however in the Towns most people also speak English and French and it doesnt seem to create any problems for english people who move here, they soon pick up the basics of the language and the friendly locals are always happy to help out. but even if you dont speak any Portuguese you will still manage as a lot of people who work in the banks, shops, camara etc speak English, there are even English menus available in some of the resturants.

p.s. anyone interested in this area drop me a pm for info, happy to help