Owners of second homes on the Algarve who live in the south-east of England will welcome a new option for reaching their Portuguese properties: from April next year Easyjet will operate a route to Faro from the new terminal at London Southend airport.

London Southend airport will make getting to Portugal especially convenient for Londoners too, as it is connected with London’s Liverpool Street train station.

Faro is in the central Algarve and the principal entry point by air for Portugal’s famous stretch of coastline. If you’re looking to buy there, now could be a good time, as the market has a range of distressed properties for sale. For example, agent Cerro Novo is advertising apartments and villas reduced by 20%.

While the central and western Algarve have historically attracted most second homeowners, more British buyers are considering homes in the eastern Algarve, especially around the pretty town of Tavira, close to the Spanish border.

To understand the full step-by-step process to buying a property in Portugal, collect The Overseas Guides Company’s ‘Portugal Property Buying Guide’