Martin and Gillian Digan, United Kingdom

On our first visit to Central Portugal we fell in love with the place and decided to look at rentals, consequently we met Nicky and Derek of Chavetejo. They advised us very strongly to think hard before renting a property isolated in the countryside as there would be no easy access to large towns or the city of Tomar .Also there would be fewer Expats to become friends with or ask for support or assistance. Unfortunately we did not listen to their advice and went ahead anyway.

We found that we were isolated and there was no easy access to supermarkets, towns etc as the bus service to outlying villages seems to have a mind of its own and in some cases by passes the villages making a car essential.

Also when we encountered problems with the rental property there was very little help locally and we relied heavily on Chavetejo even though the responsibility for the rental was not theirs. Consequently we found this experience was putting us off moving to Portugal on a more permanent basis.

Fortunately Nicky and Derek became aware of this and arranged a short rental for us closer to Tomar. After 12 months renting in isolation we had a fantastic time in the new rental and we would like to thank Nicky and Derek for sorting this out for us and we are again looking to buy a property in Portugal but not in the rural parts. These are the places to have a day out to not to live.

Our advice to anybody new to renting or buying in Portugal is listen to Nicky and Derek, they know what they are talking about. Thank you once again.

Martin and Gillian Digan, United Kingdom, August 2009