Have you always wanted to quit everything, open a hotel on a beach in Europe, and live your best life sipping wine, munching on cheese, and watching the sunset? Well, you could turn this dream into reality very soon.
The Portuguese government just announced it is expanding its list of monuments and historic sites up for investment with 15 more properties that include palaces, fortresses, convents, and schools, with some dating back to the middle ages.
And while these “high-value public properties,” as the state calls them, are located all around Portugal’s countryside and towns, there are a few that come with the most stunning ocean views, if that’s what you’re after.
Take the Forte de São Teodósio da Cadaveira, for example. If real estate’s number one rule is location, location, location, then this 17th-century fortress has it all. It is perched above one of the most popular beaches outside of Lisbon in São João do Estoril, just minutes away from the popular resort town of Cascais, and it is comprised of a terrace and three sentry houses in three of its angles.
Another gorgeous property with a superb location (really, it doesn’t get better than that) is the Pombalino Building on Prata Street in the heart of Lisbon, just steps away from the city's main square Praça do Comércio. The gorgeous building painted in yellow and finished with French windows and iron railings also sports arches on the ground floor, which houses Lisbon’s oldest cafe, the Café Martinho da Arcada. The building is across the street from Pestana CR7 hotel, a chain of luxury lifestyle hotels by soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and Pestana Hotel Group.
The initiative is part of the state’s Revive Program which aims to rehabilitate and restore heritage properties and make them available for private developers to turn into hotels, restaurants, and other types of hospitality and entertainment businesses. The catch is that you won’t really be owning the property per se—this is essentially a concession deal that could last up to 50 years. The first hotel in such property has already opened—Vila Galé Collection Elvas Historic Hotel is situated in a former convent dating back to the 18th century.
For a complete list of properties, click here.
