Herdade de Aroeira

A quiet, safe, comfortable and green place : this is the description of those who currently reside at Herdade da Aroeira. 25 kilometers from the center of Lisbon, nestled in a vast pine forest overlooking the white sands of the beaches of Fonte da Telha, in Costa de Caparica, this is the largest residential and golf complex in the region. There are close to 900 lots of houses and more than 700 apartments – is fenced and entrance is through a gatehouse with security guards and gates. Around 1600 families live here, totaling more than 4000 people.

“Right now, it’s one of the favorite places to live on the Margem Sul”, says João Carreira, vice-president of APRHA – Association of Owners and Residents at Herdade da Aroeira. «We have many foreigners living here and there has been a lot of demand because it is a project with some quality, it is relatively close to Lisbon, we have the beaches also close and, because of that, it is a very comfortable and pleasant space».

The project for this luxury complex on this property in Charneca da Caparica was conceived in the 70s by Grupo Sousa Machado, founded by João de Sousa Machado in 1923, and currently better known as Grupo SOMA.

At the time, there was the Clube de Campo da Aroeira, which was only frequented by a wealthy social class, including the most prominent figures in the Estado Novo, such as Marcello Caetano or Moreira Baptista.
Until the 25th of April, the club’s property was owned by the Sousa Machado family and was divided up for sale.

it was only in the 1990s that the estate found a new owner. Joaquim Silveira bought the extensive land and it was from there that the project began to be promoted as one of the most luxurious residential developments in the country.

Later, Silaroeira – Tourism Development Society, founded by Joaquim Silveira, transferred its promoter position to another company, Silcoge, of the SIL Group, linked to the same family, whose administrator is Pedro Silveira. However, Grupo SIL withdrew from the project and the lots were sold to private individuals.

Now, the responsibility for maintaining green spaces, normal hygiene and urban cleaning tasks, conserving streets, infrastructure, organizing traffic circulation and civil protection for residents is under the responsibility of the Almada City Council, with the support of APRha.

“As an association of owners and residents, we have a good partnership with the Municipality of Almada, in order to improve the entire estate, namely with regard to the comfort and safety of residents”, explains the vice president of APRHA.

Since several personalities from the football world reside in this complex, namely some Benfica players, such as Adel Taarabt or Jan Vertonghen, there is also a partnership with PM – World Protection, Paulo Magalhães’ company specialized in private security systems and services, which works with its own security body.

Despite being a residential area, the main attraction of those 3.6 square kilometers of land are the two golf courses with 18 holes. What Herdade da Aroeira promotes with the ‘microclimate’ ideal for golfing all year round.

Inaugurated in 1973, the 6044 meter long Aroeira Pines Classic championship course was designed by architect Frank Pennick and is considered one of the best courses in Europe, appearing on the list of the ‘100 best European courses’ by Golf World magazine.

This field even hosted the Portuguese Open in 1996 and 1997, in addition to several Ladies Open, the Amateur Champioship Gentleman & Ladies and the European Men Clubs Trophy 2013.

The Aroeira Challenge, inaugurated in April 2000 by former President Jorge Sampaio, was designed by architect Donald Steel, measuring 6.367 meters in length and 18 long ‘greens’ — grass mats where the holes are located — that surround five large lakes, having already hosted for several years the Qualifying School of Ladies European Tour and several editions of the Portuguese Ladies Opens.

In addition to the two golf courses, which were owned by Banco Espírito Santo (BES) and which have since been transferred to the Arrábida Fund, which belongs to Novo Banco, Herdade da Aroeira also includes a hotel, a swimming pool, four tennis courts and a commercial area, with a series of support services, such as a doctor’s office, a parapharmacy, a supermarket, a stationery store, an art gallery, among others.

There are those who stop by to enjoy a quieter meal at the Golf D’água restaurant, to take a dip in the pool in the summer, or even to play some golf. And whoever likes to know where ball players live, asking for a guided tour from those who know Aroeira well.

At 10 minutes by walk from our LadyBugsHouse, there is a central Shopping Area inside the Herdade with premium facilities and a so-called "Tagus south bank way of life"! Free of crowds and traffic congestion immersed in a natural environment.