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 Taken
from The Sunday Times
Life & Style
Original
story by Zoe Dare Hall
The Algarve may be popular among the “gin and Jag set” for its plush white villas on manicured golf courses – including the 640-acre, 400-property Amendoeira Golf Resort, which is now taking shape. Myers, 58, however, has found a slice of alternative Algarve, tucked away among orange and olive groves in the countryside around Silves, 35 minutes from Faro airport.
“My previous life in London was all very cut-and-thrust, and I spent most of my time in the dark,” says Myers, who penned the Nolan Sisters hit I’m in the Mood for Dancing, which is still earning him royalties more than 25 years on. “Here, it’s all about the light. It’s a great place for musicians to disappear in the middle of nowhere and be anonymous.”
Myers lives with his girlfriend, Marion Buz, 55, a German lawyer, in a converted three-bedroom quinta. Next door is his recording studio, where he is embarking on a project to nurture young local musicians, with the help of one of the Algarve’s most famous residents, Cliff Richard.
“We don’t go to the coast often – towns such as Vilamoura aren’t really Portugal,” he says. “We love being in Silves, which has a great history, culture and energy. There are lots of artists and musicians here, and it is a truly international community with great tolerance and no egos.”
Copyright 2009 Times Newspapers Ltd.
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