We are Astrid and Serge. Born and raised in the Netherlands, living in Portugal since April 2021. We created our little paradise Celebra a Vida Resort in Fuseta and opened our doors for guests in July 2025. Our Portugal adventure began in May 2017.
For years, we dreamed of starting a small-scale holiday spot in Southern Europe. As true lovers of the good life, we wanted to create a space where guests could take a breath, soak up the sunshine and celebrate life on holiday. In 2017, we finally took the plunge: let’s go for it!
After some earlier love affairs with Italy and a little flirtation with Spain, beautiful Portugal came into view. A well-timed recommendation from a good friend nudged us towards the Eastern Algarve.
During a month-long trip through the region in 2017, we were immediately struck by the beauty of the landscape, the laid-back lifestyle and the charm of its small towns.
But when we wandered into Fuseta for the first time it all clicked. With its narrow streets, cosy squares, restauarants, a working harbour and a beach just a short walk away: we fell in love with the village on sight.
And so it all began…During our very first search in January 2018 we found our land in Fuseta.
Was it too good to be true? Were we even allowed to build on it? After careful research by the lawyer and architect, all lights turned green! Just a few months later, we signed the preliminary contract and in August 2018 we became the proud owners of our land.
What followed was a six-and-a-half year journey filled with all the grit and grace you might expect from such a big project. We sumbitted our first project plan in November 2018. It would take 3 years to receive the building license, followed by another 3 years of construction and 6 more months for the final permits to rent en reside. We thicked all the boxes: bureaucratic delays, missing documents, supply chain issues, absentee workers and contracter difficulites. The building phase, expected to take 1,5 year, stretched to 3 years.
Patience, letting go and embrace the uncertainty of if it all, is what we learned during this adventure. We also discovered our resillience, vulnerability and the power of supporting each other. It makes us very proud!
Today the result of Celebra a Vida Resort is exactly how we pictured it.
A place to celebrate life!
Curious about our adventures? In our Dutch blog, we take you along on our journey. We’ve filled a blog full with stories about our search, buying and building, opening the resort an emigrating to an living in Portugal.
