It's official 2018 is here! Whoop whoop! Next big holiday will be summer vacation - how amazing is that?! In the Algarve the summer feeling starts early, by April locals are usually heading to the beach so summer is really just around the corner. A tough life here in the south, we know, but don't be like that because you too can be an Algarve local in no time!

How do you get in on the sun fuelled, well fed, chilled southern Portuguese lifestyle when you live abroad? Easy, get in on our 2018 Smart Start - Reductions Week!

Winter has truly set in, and with some parts of the world already dealing with their first snows of the season, we felt it'd be a great time to let you know how things work in sunnier climes! Many people will associate the Algarve with the long summer days and temperatures sitting around 30°C, and quite rightly so. However, the winter climate here also has its charms, especially around the holiday season. During the day you can still stroll along the beaches and promenades under a warm winter sun, and enjoy eating lunch on the terrace.

If you are a keen golf player looking for a second home. or your home to retire in the sunny Algarve this is the house for you!

With 2 bedrooms + 1 (ideal for storage or a small office), a fully equipped kitchen, 2 bathrooms (1 en suite) and a spacious living room with a gas operated fireplace, this property is ideal for golf lovers that want a home on one of the oldest and most prestigious golf courses in the Algarve.

This majestic Country Estate is peacefully nestled amidst rolling countryside between busy Silves (the ancient Moorish capital of the Algarve) and the market town of Messines.

A house of substantial proportions, it is surrounded by magical landscaped gardens with mature, majestic trees, exotic flowering shrubs and extensive, manicured lawns, with an approach via a long calçada driveway winding through the grounds past the orchard and tennis court to the wrought iron gates of the courtyard entrance.

December properties for sale from award winning real estate agency Exclusive Algarve Villas.

Currently designed as five bedrooms, but also featuring a study / atelier, library and an additional apartment, this property offers complete flexibility as a stunning executive home, home and office or exclusive home and income.

With large, double glazed windows throughout opening to lovely green views, the modern design is exemplified by a unique master bedroom suite of 40m2, walk in wardrobe, stunning bathrooms and an amazing room with a starlight window; offering nighttime views to the constellations above.

This is a newly built villa which offers the potential to create a spacious and beautifully appointed permanent residence or family holiday home.

Close to the beaches, shops and restaurants and in a prime location for great views and peace and quiet, this accessible, single storey V2+1 house is spacious and well designed with large, bright principal rooms and a useful underground games room or annexe.

For many years, Offshore Property Companies have been a popular solution, although sometimes practices could be a bit “grey” in nature. Due to repeated problems with tax evasion, Portuguese legislation eventually changed, penalising these structures, writes Dennis Swing Greene.

Offshore Companies began to suffer an array of punitive measures that turned them untenable. Other than direct ownership, property buyers are faced with a choice between Non-Resident Companies, registered in a foreign jurisdiction not on Portugal’s “black-list”, or Resident Companies, domiciled in Portugal.