client testimonials

Our comunity and friends.

community

It truly is all about our guests

Hey there! At Portugal The Place, we're all about supporting you and helping you build your new life in beautiful Portugal. We don't just help you move - we're all about building strong communities connecting both expats and locals across the country. We're here to connect with you, encourage you, and offer our unwavering support every step of the way. We can't wait for the day when you officially transition from guest to full-time resident and start living your best life in Portugal!

Colleen & Clyde

“We feel extremely humbled and proud that we have been able to assist over 700 guests and counting in discovering and relocating to the beautiful country of Portugal. Our commitment to providing top-notch service and support to our clients has been our driving force, and we are grateful for the trust they have placed in us. If you are also planning to relocate to Portugal, we would be honored to assist you and ensure a smooth and hassle-free process.”

testimonials

  • Sandie

    Wow! I could not have done it without them! I wanted to move to Portugal, but was overwhelmed with the numerous options of where to live. Based on the advice from so many people on Facebook, I booked a free phone call with them. I spoke with Clyde and discussed my desires and health issues, which limited where I could live. He helped me decide the silver coast was the best option for me. I was so impressed with how genuine, professional and caring he was, that I hired their service. They helped me accomplish in 2 1/2 weeks, what would’ve taken me years on my own and a lot more money. During my scouting trip, I decided that Alcobaca was the town for me. There were many close seconds, but I chose this town because of the instant community. Being single, the community and support meant a lot for me. Portugal The Place helped me through the whole visa process, moving, getting settled in my new home, hooked up my utilities for me, walked me to the local bank to set up my account, and so much more! They instantly introduced me to a number of ex-pats in my community, and I had instant friends. Just during the first week, I was invited to three parties, and two get-togethers. I always feel supported. Just the other day, I needed help at my house, but I needed to leave. It was last minute and I called Portugal The Place. They came over to my house, stayed here while I left and took care of meeting a contractor for me. Their team is amazing! So much so, I invite them over for lunch. They are always there to help me, whether I need something translated or my printer is broken and I need something printed. They check up on me to make sure I’m doing OK and if there’s anything I need. I have never met a nicer and more dedicated team than the one at Portugal The Place! Oh, and they are fabulous with helping you find contractors, lawyers, where to buy a car, medical management, which grocery stores offer what, etc. And there’s a Facebook group of PTP expats where we all reach out to each other whenever we have a little questions, or need advice on where to find our favorite food item. We even help each other unload our pallets when they arrive. When I moved here, one of them reached out to me and told me, “you have community“. She told me to reach out to the group whenever my pallet arrived so I didn’t have to unload it myself. I did that and within 15 minutes six people showed up at my house and everything was upstairs in 30 minutes. I wouldn’t have had any of this if I had not reached out to Portugal The Place!

  • Chrishan

    "My experience with Portugal the Place has been nothing short of exceptional! From the moment I decided to relocate to Portugal with my beloved Cavachon puppy Bailey, their team made every step of the journey seamless and stress-free.

    Colleen, Fiona, and Alex were absolute gems in helping me find the perfect home that not only met my needs but also catered to Bailey's comfort and happiness. Their dedication and attention to detail truly made all the difference.

    And when I finally arrived in Portugal, José was there with a warm welcome, instantly putting me and Bailey at ease. His kindness and hospitality made the transition smoother than I could have ever imagined.

    I cannot thank Portugal the Place enough for their outstanding service, invaluable counsel, and expertise throughout the entire relocation process. Thanks to them, I am now settled in my dream home in this beautiful country.

    If you're considering relocating to Portugal, look no further than Portugal the Place. With their expertise, you'll be able to rest easy knowing you're in the best hands. I wholeheartedly recommend their services to anyone embarking on a similar journey."

  • Yvett & Gary

    “A Blessing” is exactly what Portugal The Place is to our family. After making our decision to begin the process of moving to Portugal. Our plane tickets were booked for our real estate scouting trip & with so many factors involved we were lost and didn’t know where to begin. Luckily 2 weeks before our trip we came across Facebook mentions along with many positive feedback about Portugal The Place!! We took a leap of faith and made the investment and when I tell youuu…. We do not regret our decision one bit!! After 3 zoom calls and several text messages they laid out our itinerary from AM-PM for several days! And we are very grateful that they made things happen so quickly with just a week until our arrival. During our first in person meeting with Colleen & Alex we were given the rundown of what to expect and how to begin. We began our scouting, they drove us to homes that we were interested in seeing & some recommended by them, showing us the beauty & explaining the history of the cities and towns in central Portugal. It was an experience we will never forget. They helped us find our forever home in Luso and helped us make the connections necessary to make that happen (Realtor, Mortgage Broker, Attorney, Notary, Bank Rep to open checking account, etc....) All of the stress from our shoulders were relieved. We had an amazing journey with Colleen, Alex, Ana & the rest of the staff! We laughed so hard we cried while Colleen & Alex had the experience to watch me eat oysters for the first time 🤣... If you're like me who needs an honest & non-biast opinion; you will get it.. So if you are considering a move to Portugal they have various plans to offer.. and for the SKEPTICS who need to see the "PRICE TAG" than 45 minutes of your life on a zoom call is not a waste of time.. Does anyone purchase or rent a home just because of it's price tag?? No you wouldn't, so 45 minutes of your life answering a few questions & listening to the various services they offer will allow you to make the informed decision. I HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND PORTUGAL THE PLACE! 🤩

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  • Tina & Tom

    "We highly and strongly recommend the wonderful team at Portugal the Place and enthusiastically give them this 5-Star Review.

    We moved to Portugal about two months ago and the level of service we’ve received from our first decision of “ok we’re really doing this?” to the following year when it was finally “I can’t believe we actually live here!” has been exemplary, each and every step of the way.

    The team of local professionals Colleen and Clyde have assembled have been instrumental in making the transition to a new life, in a new country, incredibly smooth and comfortable.

    We have utilized so many of their services available. So I can tell you from personal experience, for our peace of mind, working with them has been worth every penny.

    Colleen found the perfect place for us that checked all of our must-haves; she then performed a walk-thru providing us detailed and valuable insight that most certainly would not have been shared by those with a vested interest in simply selling the property.

    They helped us with establishing our utilities, accepted packages on our behalf, helped us purchase and arrange for the installation of all new appliances before we even moved.

    Now that we live here, they have helped assist us with difficulties with our cell phone provider, a plumber, an electrician, (obviously I’m not as handy as I think I am) you name it, they have the answers.

    And on top of all this, each team member personifies the warmth and friendliness of the Portuguese people. We are so very grateful for every single team member that has helped us make Portugal our home."

  • Mary

    Portugal The Place made my move to Portugal extremely easy. Their team is super helpful, friendly, proactive and very thorough. They assisted with finding house, making my lease, transferring money/opening bank account, turning on utilities- and getting documents for visa such as NIF. They are the best One-Stop-Shop to assist in moving to Portugal. They also introduce you to the community. They are the BEST!!!!

  • Karen & Jim

    We've spent 2 days with the team. I cannot convey how pleased we are. They really listened to us. and worked hard to find a great fit in locations. The advice we were given was invaluable. They were very easygoing and I felt zero pressure. Where we thought we wanted versus where we lined was very different. Easily the best purchase that we've made. Great way to avoid costly errors.

  • Cris & Juliana

    “The entire PTP (Portugal The Place) team is incredible! They went above and beyond our expectations, and we had an amazing scouting trip! The heart, passion, and integrity of PTP make them stand out above the rest, and it shows in everything they do! We look forward to continuing working with them! Thank you, PTP team!”

  • Amy & Lynnette

    Absolutely priceless support and service. Portugal the Place has completely set us up for success in our new adventures in Portugal, from guidance on a region to live in that would fit our needs, to a beautiful rental that we can't wait to move into, to taking care of all of our utilities and setup and answering any questions we have as we prepare for our move. Through PTP we also met new friends while on our scouting trip, allaying some of our anxiety about building community in our new location. We can't recommend them enough.

  • Tim & Mary

    Portugal the Place was fantastic to work with! They helped us find an apartment to buy in our preferred location. We were hesitant at first to hire someone, but so glad we did. They were there every step of the way. They have an incredible support staff and professionals of every kind to meet every one of your needs. I can't recommend them highly enough, you won't be sorry!

  • Janet

    "This is the best company, best service and best people I have ever worked with.

    When you are moving to a new country and area, what you need to know and don’t even know to ask is critical. Colleen Showalter and her staff are the answer.

    They helped us find where we are going to live, which is not where we thought we would when we went on our scouting trip with them. She listened to what we wanted and what our needs were and helped guide us. She arranged a real estate agent, and we found our dream property with a 180-degree sea view in Nazare. She and her staff continue to support us as we move. This is the best investment we made for creating a life in Portugal."

  • John & Durnay

    We absolutely loved our trip to Portugal. We could not have done it without Colleen, Clyde and their phenomenal team. If you are truly passionate about moving to Portugal, temporarily or permanently, Portugal The Place offers customized guided tours of the cities that best meet your needs and/or peak your interest amongst many other services. We could not have asked for a better experience. Clyde is a gem and truly made this the best time possible not only for us, but also for our 4 year old daughter. We were able to get our NIF paperwork taken care of thanks to Antonio, Ana and the rest of the team. What a relief it was to have a team of people help us through these processes. Everything was so easy. We are truly thankful and so appreciative of their services. We highly recommend

  • Emily & Patrick

    Everyone at PTP has been amazing. They go above and beyond to minimize any hardships that moving abroad can present. We’ve used their scouting service and real estate service and I have no doubt we will sign up for ajuda as well. Honestly, I don’t even want to imagine what this moving abroad process may have looked like without the assistance of PTP. If I can recruit some of my USA friends to make the move to Portugal (because you know I’m trying :-)), I’ll make sure they are using PTP as well.

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  • Mallory & Matt

    We used the services of Portugal The Place in April 2022 to scout the silver coast of Portugal as we thought it may be somewhere we may be interested in moving to and raising our family. We spent 5 days with them and accomplished so much. We would never have been able to learn what we did in such a short amount of time without them. They helped us find our apartment and we made our move to Portugal in November 2022. Would highly recommend their scouting services!

  • Devon & Rob

    Fantastic Company! They sent us a list of properties, went and viewed (and send video walkthroughs) of them, initiated the purchase process on our house, found us a short term rental, and helped us with numerous other questions and concerns. Bernardo was our contact in Porto and he went above and beyond while we were there furnishing our rental. We plan to use their assistance when we buy a car as well. Can't recommend highly enough!

  • Lisa & Kirk

    We had planned our scouting trip on our own and then learned about Portugal The Place. After meeting with Colleen, we hired them and the results of our scouting trip were much better than they would have been. Colleen and Clyde gave us a real feel for what living in Portugal is like! I would give them 10 stars if I could!

  • Carol & David

    If you are considering a move to Portugal, run, don’t walk to Portugal the Place! Colleen and Clyde and crew will take excellent care of you. They are professional, knowledgeable, thorough and extremely helpful. My husband and I moved to Nazare about 7 months ago and couldn’t be be happier! Portugal the Place took care of us every step of the way - from getting a bank account … to helping us with all the required paperwork … to finding our lovely home … to setting up all our accounts and on and on! There are so many unknowns in this whole process, and with Portugal the Place, we were confident that we could navigate the complexities of such a move. We can’t say enough good things about them!

  • Tancha

    My recent Portugal scouting trip was a total success and it is all due to "Portugal the Place", a destination management company for the Silver Coast & Central Portugal. Colleen Showalter and Clyde Showalter are a total delight to work with. They work really well together as a team to provide the best possible experience. They are detailed, thorough, professional and friendly. Colleen helped me and my husband clarify what it was we were really looking for before I left the USA and the areas in which we wanted me to look. (I did the trip alone, husband stayed home this time) Colleen then came up with a very detailed itinerary. As the days progressed Colleen listened very carefully to me with curiosity and without judgement. We altered my itinerary based on how I was feeling about what I was seeing. Colleen and Clyde are a wealth of information about Portugal, they share their enthusiasm for their new home in a really infectious way. I now have such a wonderful, in depth perspective on Portugal. Portugal now lives in my experience in living color, so rich and so real. I, also, had days on my own in which to really experience what it is like to live there. All in all a totally successful trip and I am deeply grateful to Colleen and Clyde from "Portugal the Place". Just a very few of my pictures. I was taking them with an eye to share with my husband so the perspective is that.

  • Kim & David

    Blessings… Covid delayed our scouting trip to Portugal by 3 years and it turned out to be great blessing… Three years ago, we were coming by ourselves, on a scouting trip knowing only we wanted to be on the Silver Coast. What was I thinking?!

    Earlier this year, I read a review on Portugal the Place and set up a meeting with Colleen. It made all the difference. Instead of running around blindly, Colleen had us fill out a form of what was important to us, so she had an idea of what we were wanting. She was able to focus on areas that met our needs without wasting time on area we weren’t interested in. Nailed it!

    We found our dream home, but that is not where Portugal the Place services end. We are purchasing a new build and Colleen and her team will be our eyes on the ground since we are back to the states. She also put us in touch with a mortgage broker, banks, attorney, and an accountant, people she works with and knows. As our house is closer to completion she will as work with the landscapers make the outside as beautiful as the inside. Once the purchase is complete Portugal the Place will also manage it as a rental until we can move.

    We are so thankful for connecting with Portugal the Place.

    Again Blessings

  • Joel & Raymond

    We are very thankful for the services provided by Colleen, Clyde, and all of the wonderful team at Portugal the Place! The area scouting trip was extremely helpful in choosing a location and ultimately in finding the perfect home for us. They were crucial in our (remote) home purchase process and even arranged to have our utilities set up prior to our arrival. We immediately recognized the value in the service they offer and have continued by subscribing to their Ajuda package. They have assisted us in the purchase of our vehicle, translation services, contractor connections, and introduced us to a community of friends. I can't recommend their services highly enough if you are considering a move to Portugal.

  • Lee

    I cannot say enough about Portugal the Place. It is hard to imagine how we could have found the ideal location in Portugal (in Nazare) without Colleen and Clyde and the whole PTP team. But they are so much more than just scouting for a home. They connected us with a whole new community of folks, including experts in legal and tax matters, skilled construction folks for some remodeling, support in areas of translation, etc.; in short, they created a "soft landing" for us in an area with which we were mostly unfamiliar. Highly recommend this team!