Portugal offers a whole host of attractions to holiday home owners. It is less than three hours' flight from the UK, the popular Algarve region has more than 300 days of sunshine per year and property is excellent value, particularly given the current exchange rate.

It also offers a wide range of choice to second home owners, from modern, new build apartments and villas to vast, cut price plots of land covered with orange and olive trees and tumbledown cottages just crying out for sympathetic renovation.

But what is it that today's second home purchasers are looking for? Has the restoration dream given way to the convenience of new build luxury?

If you’re looking for a traditional Algarvean home or your very own rural tourism project, Meravista’s property of the week is a must view. Set in the countryside close to São Brás de Alportel, it has bags of potential as a small business or as an impressive private residence.

At a bargain price of only €565,000 (£426,000) for a 6-bed house plus a 2-bed cottage on a huge plot with massive potential for all types of uses, this is a truly unique opportunity.

Dreams of a rural tourism project have been shattered by the economic downturn and the small group of houses tucked away in the Monchique hills is back on the market.

 To rebuild, refurbish and bring the buildings of Aldeia do Barbelote up to scratch would cost north of €1 million so the project has been halted and the ‘for sale’ sign has gone up.

Estate agency Fine & Country’s new Carvoeiro office is just a few doors along from its former location.

The move has enabled the business to own its premises as it consolidates its position to cater for a large upswing in enquiries and in buyers visiting Carvoeiro which remains as popular as ever as a real estate hotspot - Carvoeiro is booming!

Clandestine accommodation for tourists has been upsetting tourist boards and political parties for ages.

In 2002, Algarve tourist chief Paul Neves wrote “the tourist sector makes up 8% of the country’s GNP" and of the 500,000 Algarve beds he estimated that about 40% are illegal.

With the euro at an eight-year low against the pound, can we expect Brits to rush out and grab that bargain second home in the sun that they have dreamed of for so long, or have we become more cautious of the market's fluctuations since the crash of 2008?

Foreign demand is rising for Portuguese property, as affordable prices, increasing confidence and residency permits attract overseas investors.

Portugal's property prices fell by 0.9 per cent in Q3 2014 from the previous quarter, according to Eurostat's latest figures, Prices were 4.9 per cent higher though, compared to the same three months in the previous year.

From glossy interiors spreads in Hello! to full-on home invasions from MTV Cribs, it seems we're obsessed with knowing how the other half live. TV stars, politicians, royalty, musicians and sportsmen - all have, at some point, allowed the public through the keyhole for a tantalising glimpse of their homes.

But what about those who want to go one step further? Now, boutique real estate agency Ideal Homes Portugal has the ultimate in celebrity lifestyle offerings, with families able to book to stay in the newly acquired Portuguese home of former Dragons' Den star Duncan Bannatyne.