The Silver Coast, a stretch of spectacular coastline that runs for approximately 150km north of Lisbon up towards the fishing town of Nazare, is now a popular second home destination for buyers in search of ‘the real Portugal’, since this area offers exceptional value in terms of property prices, a low cost of living and a thriving expatriate community.

John Norton, of Portugal Friends, the area’s best known networking group, says “We now have more than 500 people in our network, with a new group opening in Caldas da Rainha this summer. Our members are well informed people living locally who provide support in the early stages of buying a new home or building a new life.”

What’s on offer?
The best known resorts on the Silver Coast lie on the southern shores of the Obidos lagoon, like the well established Praia D’El Rey Golf & Beach Resort which attracts over 250,000 visitors a year to its golf course and five-star Marriott hotel.

Other resorts are nearby, like the Bom Sucesso Design Resort, where an acclaimed new 18-hole golf course is now open, and the equestrian retreat of Quintas de Obidos Country Club, where Captain Mark Phillips, father of recent Royal bride Zara, has a luxurious home overlooking the resort’s beautiful freshwater lakes.

Less obvious are the well priced properties to be found on the northern shores of the Obidos lagoon, where Caldas da Rainha and the nearby beach towns of Salir do Porto and Foz do Arelho offer spectacular views across the lagoon and out across the Atlantic.

So what can you buy in the area? If you want to be in the centre of things, in Caldas town itself, there are a range of newly built and older apartments for sale, starting from €100,000 for a two-bedroom apartment.

If it’s countryside views you want, and more rural peace and quiet, then you can buy a ruin for restoration for as little as €35,000, although you may need to spend the same again on making it habitable. And if it’s world class views you’re after, then properties on the hills overlooking the Obidos lagoon and Foz do Arelho are well worth exploring. Plots with 180-degree lagoon views and planning approval for a five-bedroom villa with infinity pool can be bought for €200,000 – while completed lake side homes with every luxury built-in cost from €1m upwards.

How to get there
British Airways, TAP and easyJet fly into Lisbon from London and Bristol all year round, and then it’s an easy 50 minute drive up the A8 motorway to the Obidos lagoon and Caldas da Rainha.

Or you could fly with Ryanair into Porto airport and drive south, which will take you around 90 minutes.

Case study: Liz and Martin King
Liz King, 38, and her husband Martin, 47, bought a house in the village of Chao da Parada, six kilometres northwest of Caldas da Rainha, in 2007. “We both had busy careers in the UK but we had always discussed the idea of living abroad for a few years”, says Martin. “So when Liz was offered a job in the Algarve back in 2002 we decided to try it for a year”.

Portugal obviously suited them. Nine years and two children later, Martin – an F.A-qualified football coach – and Liz have now relocated to the Caldas area, which they much prefer to the Algarve. “It’s not so hot, we’re much closer to Lisbon, the beaches are safe, we have all the big stores in Caldas da Rainha and this area has real character,” says Liz, who now works in the property industry.

“Our two children Samuel, five, and Isabella, six, are at Portuguese school nearby and we’ve met lots of new friends through the international clubs in Caldas, like Portugal Friends. Plus, you get much more property for your money round here, compared to the prices on the south side of the lagoon. We’ve got four bedrooms, three bathrooms and a large eat-in kitchen, and lots of space for our families to come and stay. And this village is very safe and secure”.

Liz and Martin found their house in Chao da Parada when it was still being built, renting nearby while they waited for it to be finished. So what do they do in their spare time? “We love family walks in the pine forests or taking the children out in the boating lake in the park in Caldas”, says Martin. “Plus, there are always invitations to village festivals or barbeques”.