The resort, owned by Life Plan Resorts, will involve an investment of over 1 billion and aims to create more than 2,000 jobs, and is located in the Tagus River Nature Reserve, 30 minutes from Lisbon, along a 2.8 km riverfront.
Built on an estate in Benavente, with approximately 509 hectares, Life Plan Resorts will offer an integrated, comprehensive and holistic solution for the 55+ target group.
According to the company: ”It is entirely designed to promote healthy aging based on the fundamental pillars of brain health: friendship, fun, freedom in an active lifestyle community, a wide choice of amenities, financial security, a focus on health and well-being, diet and nutrition with access to ongoing quality healthcare.
“The focus and strategic planning of the entire resort is based on recent insights and research, published by recognized scientific sources”.
Independent living
Life Plan Resorts will open its doors in phases from 2025 and will include 1,400 accommodations, divided between studios, apartments, villas and semi-detached houses, to promote an independent life for its residents.
The resort aims to promote community life, as well as the active lifestyle of its residents, with several outdoor spaces and more than 100 daily activities. It will have a hotel to accommodate the families of senior residents, seven restaurants, a cultural and learning centre, cinemas, a fitness area and indoor swimming pool, a diverse shopping area, organic gardens, a market, a hairdressing and manicure salon, post office, bank, travel agency, hotel and pet spa.
Additionally, it will also include a wide range of integrated healthcare services, on-site medical offices, personalised concierge medicine, telemetry, home care, rehabilitation, assisted living and 260 long-term care beds.
Two golf courses will complete the resort: a main 18-hole course and a 9-hole executive course, both complemented by a clubhouse, a golf academy, a sports-style restaurant with a bowling alley and an illuminated driving range.
The construction of the resort is the result of investment in Portugal by Shevel Family Office LLC in San Diego, led by Dr. Jack Shevel, a medical entrepreneur who worked in the health sector on three continents (America, Africa and Europe), and with personalities from international relevance such as Nelson Mandela, Tony Blair and The Gates Foundation.
Jack was the founder and CEO of www.netcare.co.za and is currently President Emeritus of www.carerx.ca, which provides multi-dose packages to 94,000 residents in 1,500 senior housing communities in Canada.
“The space aims to provide the best years of life for residents, through a holistic and medical approach to active aging. The objective is to provide, in one place, the antidote to accelerated aging. We want this resort to be a celebration of life, with friendships, fun, multiple choices and access to quality healthcare.” explains Jack Shevel, Founder and Chairman of Life Plan Resorts.
“Florida of Europe”
Jack Shevel saw the potential in Portugal to become the “Florida of Europe” for retirees. The climate, quality of life, safety, low cost of living and gastronomy and a good healthcare system, combined with the fact that more than 500,000 foreigners from all over the world reside in the country, were determining factors in the decision to invest in Portugal.