Quintas de Óbidos, Portugal

Top ranked Olympic show jumper and Irish television personality Jessica Kuerten (nee Chesney) announced this week that pre-construction has begun on her new equestrian centre in the Quintas de Obidos Country Club in Portugal’s Silver Coast.

“It’s rare to find a project that offers so much”, says world number three Jessica, 38, who is also reigning British Open champion after her recent victory at the British Open in Birmingham on her horse Galopin de Bioley.

“This equestrian centre bears my signature and I’m really excited about it. Plus the site itself will offer a truly luxurious and exclusive atmosphere and its location in the Silver Coast, one of Portugal’s most beautiful and unspoilt regions, is wonderful.”

Jessica Kuerten can also clearly see the area appealing to well-heeled buyers in search of the perfect sunshine weekend retreat.

“Quintas de Óbidos is a unique place where privacy and exclusivity are assured by generous plots of land framed by fantastic fresh water lakes”, she says. “The villas are simply amazing”.

Jessica’s involvement in the equestrian centre at Quintas de Obidos began 18 months ago after she met the resort’s Portuguese owner, Miguel Pereira de Abreu. His vision for the estate is clear - to create Portugal’s most exclusive and private country club, where just 79 large lakeside homes will surround Jessica’s equestrian centre, a private helipad and a country club and spa.

“I realised that several top international show jumpers were already bringing their horses to the Silver Coast for several months a year”, says Miguel. “The weather here is warmer and the livery costs are lower than in the rest of Europe.

“Jessica has been closely involved in the design and detail of her equestrian centre since day one. This week we started the infrastructure and landscaping, and by September next year the centre will be nearing completion.

“But the Obidos area is also perfect for golfers – we have the top ranked course of Praia D’El Rey just next door. And in three to four years time Quintas de Obidos will have no less than four top golf courses on its doorstep – apart from the new course next door at Bom Sucesso which opens later this year, top golf course designers Seve Ballesteros and Pete Dye are also working on two new courses nearby at Royal Obidos and Falesia D’El Rey.

“We also offer the largest land plots in the region, with each house set amidst an eco-landscape of olive trees and natural biological lakes, plus we are only 60 minutes from the centre of Lisbon, with all its restaurants, shops and museums.”

So far buyers at Quintas de Óbidos include wealthy British, Irish, Spanish and Portuguese families who value the privacy, security and luxury that the resort will provide. Less than 50 minutes from Lisbon’s international airport, the resort also offers sailing and waterskiing on Obidos lagoon and surfing on the nearby beaches at Baleal.

At Quintas de Óbidos, 60-plus 1.3 acre/5,200m2 plots are still for sale, starting from Euros 520,000. Prices for a complete property (4,500 sq.ft/425 m2) which includes the land, a luxurious five bedroom villa, an outdoor pool and all landscaping, range from Euros 1.4 to 1.8 million. The sales office is now open on site.

For further information, visit quintasdeobidos.pt.