Emigrate to Portugal

Ever since we met in 1992, we both longed to move to a warm country. With her tourism education stemming from this desire, Sabine initially worked in the Netherlands for many years in this industry, from flight attendant to years of independent travel consulting, organizing sports trips (such as mountain bike tours, yoga trips, and Formula 1 and football trips), to becoming park manager of two holiday parks in North Holland.
Meanwhile, we had three sons who were enjoying a wonderful life in the picturesque North Holland village of Warmenhuizen, which led to them studying at Amsterdam universities. Busy with friends, studying, football, going out, and other hobbies, they didn't consider emigrating with us. So we decided to stay a little longer... Still, we were in the right mood, and we increasingly actively sought beautiful country estates in Portugal. Why Portugal? We'd both been hooked for years. With acquaintances and friends already living in the Algarve, the decision was quickly made: the Algarve had to be it!


 

 

 

When doubts arise, because we were leaving three sons behind if we continued this way, sometimes things come your way that you can't and shouldn't ignore. Bryan had worked as Chief of Finance at various companies for years. However, at 36, he was diagnosed with a rare eye disease, which made working with numbers and the associated need for full-focus concentration more difficult. After years of eye injections, laser treatments, and surgeries, by mid-2024, his vision was simply too bad to spend full weeks working behind a screen. His ophthalmologist recommended retraining, or at least work that would significantly reduce screen time. Since gardening had always been Bryan's hobby, he could easily picture himself riding a large lawnmower at his own resort in Portugal.
When both our mindsets shifted to an even more active search for our dream spot in the Algarve, we found this place in December 2024:

Vivenda Santiago > now Connosco!

We fell in love with it immediately, as it offers the opportunity to start renting out the property immediately and also apply for an additional tourist permit for the estate itself, allowing us to develop it. In addition to the three apartments (which we've been renting out since May 2025), we plan to expand this estate with glamping accommodations (safari tents), including options for campers to stay with us over the winter.

 

 

Saying goodbye to our three wonderful children is hard. At the same time, they are so proud of us for pursuing our dreams, and of course, they can often visit us at this beautiful spot in the sun. We were even allowed to name the three apartments after them. So, if you're our guests, you can't help but feel the hospitality and love we as a family have for each other and for others, and that's exactly the feeling we want to share with you! The homely, accessible atmosphere, nestled in the tranquil Albufeira countryside, yet only 20 km from this vibrant seaside resort.

Feel welcome,
Connosco!

Love, Bryan & Sabine

(Ricardo, Romenco & Jarno)