Cape Verde Holiday Reviews

What a resort, what an island, unspoilt beaches and unspoilt land, go now before all the hotels are built and see the island in its natural state. If you are looking for a clubbing holiday this is not for you but if your looking to relax and wind down in the most lovely place on earth then this is for you.

Boa Vista is newly opened to tourism during the last few months it is a serious get away from it all resort. Totally unspoilt at present and lacking in any commercial development except the Riu Karamboa, I am sure that serious development will come quickly. See it now before the inevitable happens.

If you are looking for a relaxing holiday this is the place.  The beaches are wonderful. We have just returned after a week and have a tan, there is a breeze that hides the full strength of the sun, so it is advisable to be careful.  This could be a great family holiday suiting both beach and pool lovers. All inclusive is the best option as there is not really anywhere else to eat or buy food.  The hotel stands on its own beach.

Santa Maria is up and coming with lots of building work still happening, but don't let that put you off if you want a week in the tropics to either relax or be sporty and adventurous (if you have the money to afford it!) For me, meeting the ex-pats was priceless as they advised the best places to eat and drink and were really friendly. I enjoyed beers at the Odjo d Agua at lunchtime, walking along the miles of sandy beaches, Blu bar, Turtle Shack, Surf and Snack Shack for wraps and smoothies to die for, and Papaya's for dinner and drinks with the ex-pat 'locals'. The Italian restarant along the road from the Pontao served great pizza and pasta. We ate at the Bombay Brasserie on my birthday. The food was nice and they suprised us after our meal with a carrot and coconut birthday cake, with a candle for me to blow out!

There are lots of things to see and do - if you have the money! We took a trip on the King Boa powerboat with Bob and Jaqui and saw humpback whales, flying fish and snorkled and fished moored up near Lion mountain. A fantastic trip and well worth doing - it made our holiday. The resort is windy so great for those who like windsurfing/kitesurfing, and you can also go deep sea fishing and diving. The jet skis are extortionately priced at 35Euros for 15 minutes!

Lots of the locals selling their wares are actually Senegalese and you can get hassled. We found a local shop (around the corner from the Pontao, next to the bank and Indian restaurant, the Bombay Brasserie) which was nice and friendly and the owner/salesman, Bebe, remembered our names and chatted to us on several days without us having bought anything. The prices quoted are not ridiculous compared to other shops where the norm is to haggle to get the price of goods down significantly.

Overall the town is about 5 years under-developed at the moment for most people (like my husband :-)) and I hope time will not tarnish its charm but give the town a more 'complete' feel as a holiday resort.

We didnt leave the hotel so i cant comemt

As we didnt particpate in any of the trips, we only stayed in and around the hotel, as it is fair to say we didnt see much of the island. However it is a beutiful island and the beaches are fantastic and clean!

overall a beautiful resort that is still to be developed,tourism is still a mystery to the locals but they are very willing and courteous and want you to love their island as they do.Endless long unspoilt beaches that will sadly change in time .Safety could be an issue but if you take local advice and reps advice you should be ok.winds are high Dec to feb so be aware.G;lad to have been there before it becomes too popular.The beauty of this location is that it is only 5+hrs from UK and 1 hour time difference so no jet lag when you return home !!

At the moment the resort is little developed but you can see that it may become too touristy in the future. If you are women only travelling be careful in the town as you may be harassed by shop keepers.

Youneed to go all inclusive,as there really is nothing else. Saying that,you must walk to santa maria and the harbour,and have a trip round the island.It will open your eyes.

You can walk into the centre of Santa Maria in about 45minutes, where the centre of attraction is the jetty and the highlight watching the small fishing boats bringing in their daily catches and gutting them on the jetty’s wooden planking. There is a little pestering from, I suspect Senegalese (rather than the locals), and in our case they strung along with us for a while, but if you ignored them they eventually disappeared.

Prices in the bars, shops and restaurants are prohibitively expensive, but local handicrafts can be picked up reasonably after a little haggling (e.g. a couple of necklaces priced at Euros 35, were finally purchased for Euro 10, and I’m pretty sure we could have pushed a little harder and got 3 for Euro 10, but my wife stopped me!!) so my advice would to be to go all inclusive to avoid having to by food and drink outside the hotel.

Otherwise the town is a mixture old fairly run-down buildings, and new apartments, in various stages of development. Various people have said that Cape Verde will be the new Canaries in a few years time, but I do not really think so, as nothing seems to get built, finished off or maintained properly, and there are even numerous signs of this in the Riu Garopa complex.

The resort was unbvelievable. I loved every minutye of being there. They cater for all needs andevery single member of staff was amazing. Would love to go back very very soon.

You can't compare this island to those which have been open to tourists for years - that's not the case here (though will be in the not too distant future). It is, however, a very close, no jet lag island with great beaches and water sports - unspoilt by commercialisation. You can come here any time of year and get guaranteed sunshine all within 6 hours of the UK - Only Dubai and the Canaries can offer that. Also, the Cape Verde islands are all very different and unique, and it is possible to travel to some of the other islands from Sal like Fogo (volcanic island) or Sao Vicente - the beautiful cultural centre with a wonderful Creole feel. On Sal itself, the one place poeple should visit is Pedra de la Lume - essentially within the crater of an old volcano. It was used as salt flats when salt was of value and exported, but now allows you to float unaided (like in the Dead Sea) right in the centre of the Volcano. As tourism has not yet strangled this island, my family have been to Pedra de la Lume and floated in the crater with no-one else around - absolutely amazing! Yes - there are not any boutiques and the usual touristy tat, but for those who like to travel and see new places, it is definitely worth a visit as are the other islands of Cape verde, especially the mountainous peaks and lush valleys of Santo Antao.

If you like wind surfing, kite surfing - then this is the place for you - otherwise don't bother and waste your money.

The island was like a moonscape and the resort would not suit those who enjoy sightseeing outside the hotel.

Santa Maria, bars welcoming, locals friendly and plenty of taxis drivers to ferry you around and take you out to show you around their country.