Alice Meireles & Pieter van Nuenen, founding-directors of The Portugal Company
About Us – Our Story
Once upon a time (actually in 2000) I was a Dutch businessman living and working in Portugal when I met a Portuguesa who happened to have been raised in France. At first, we communicated in English, then we fell in love and became business and life partners.
Although our international careers led us to the Netherlands, we always kept returning home to Portugal to visit family and friends in every corner of the country and to enjoy Portugal’s amazing culture, nature and food. Since our heart was never far from Portugal, in 2005 we purchased what would become the first of an expanding Portuguese real estate portfolio. We bought a lovely pied a terre with amazing views in a bairro (neighborhood) tucked behind Lisbon’s Castelo. We loved waking up to the sound of the peacocks guarding the castle and spent countless hours interacting with the friendly locals and entertaining friends and family in our cozy nest.
In 2006 we married in Lisbon and began to further realize our Portuguese dream even as we continued to pursue multi-national careers. Since we were always exploring new opportunities for returning to the Portuguese countryside, in 2014 we leapt at the opportunity to acquire a quinta in the lush green hills of central Portugal. Little did we know that what started out as the dream of running a B and B and small farm would burgeon into the successful relocation company that we run today.
As we expanded our real estate holdings in Portugal, friends and family abroad began reaching out to us more and more for support and advice when it came to relocating to Portugal and buying property. And as our satisfaction with corporate life began to wane due to corporate restructurings and personal life choices, we decided to turn our expertise into a professional pursuit. Following our love for Portugal, its people, culture, nature and architecture, and our passion for beautiful houses, we founded Enjoy-Portugal – an enterprise which would eventually evolve into The Portugal Company.
Over the years, we have grown from offering real estate support to also offering tax and fiscal advice to relocating expats. If you have decided to relocate to Portugal and would like local experts to help guide you through the resettlement process, contact us. We promise that we will always give you candid advice and welcome you with genuine Portuguese hospitality.
Bem vindo!
Alice & Pieter, founding directors The Portugal Company
“Following our love for Portugal, its people, culture, nature and architecture, and our passion for beautiful houses, we founded The Portugal Company“
We bring 20+ years of experience in the Portuguese real estate market, both as investors and as administrators of several successful projects. We specialize in expat relocations and orienting newcomers to the Portuguese real estate market. We offer a wide spectrum of services to help everyone wherever they are on the continuum of making a move to Portugal. Whether you have decided to relocate but would like guidance in determining what part of Portugal (or even what neighborhood in a given city!) might best suit your family’s needs or whether you need expert guidance from a local to navigate the Portuguese real estate market, or if you’ve identified a property and would like someone to represent you in negotiations, we can help.
With our fluency in 6 languages (English, French, Dutch, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese), you can feel comfortable that the staff of The Portugal Company will understand your needs and be able to communicate your expectations in all negotations. Relocating to a foreign country can be daunting. We help take the fear of the unknown out of the equation by ensuring transparency throughout the process.