The project is transforming an existing estate into a community for retirees from around the world
LifePlan Resorts, a retirement development project located in Herdade da Vargem Fresca, in Samora Correia (Benavente), held the official inauguration of its sales office last Thursday, March 21, with a lavish opening event attracting guests from Lisbon, the Algarve and elsewhere.
The project, which is transforming an existing estate with two golf courses into a community for retirees from around the world, is located just 30 minutes from Lisbon.
Once complete, it will feature 1,400 residential units, along with a vast array of leisure and healthcare facilities. There will also be 260 beds for healthcare or continuous care, such as in cases of rehabilitation, assisted living, long-term care, and memory care.
Plans are also in place to build a 60-bed hotel so that family members can visit residents.
The project, nestled within the Tagus Estuary Nature Reserve, fronts a large lake offering residents boating and fishing as added attractions amongst over 100 daily activities.
LifePlan Resorts is the brainchild of South African entrepreneur Jack Shevel who has set out to create “the world’s most comprehensive retirement resort for healthy ageing”.
Shevel, who lives in San Diego, California, spoke at the event of his love for Portugal, having first come into contact with Portugal more than 20 years ago but never visited the country.
At the time, he was a General Practitioner for a health company in South Africa and was looking to buy a hospital group here. In 2017, he travelled to the Algarve and visited Vila Real de Santo António and having fallen in love with the serenity, weather, food, people and safety of the country, he wondered: “Why not build a retirement village in a great country with so much to offer?”
The first phase of the project is scheduled to open in October 2025.
