You just KNOW, when the travel blurbs wax lyrical about golden sands, low-key atmosphere, calmness and the perfect destination to chill and rejuvenate, that there isn’t a lot on offer!!!
But sometimes, that’s OK.
So why did we go to Boa Vista….
I love ending a vacation at a beach resort with nothing left to do – seriously! I don’t mind the 6.00am start ups and 25,000 steps as long as I know I can chill for the last few days – read a whodunit per day under an umbrella, sip a few drinks, drag myself off for the odd swim – and then face home. Better still if it’s all inclusive ( is it totally uncool to admit that!!!). To many of you, that reads as a total waste of time – especially when one travels a distance – and I get that – but it’s only 3/4 nights and just how many days do you think I can read my book outdoors in Dublin!!!
Boa Vista does it’s best to offer its visitors a range of activities – but I’ve seen desert, I’ve seen turtles (and whales!), I’m not interested in caves, I’m not going kiteboarding, no beach buggy touring thank you, definitely not fishing – doing nothing wins out!
We’d booked 4 nights at VOI Praia de Chaves Resort but, as mentioned in the previous blog, our schedule was changed so we found ourselves on Boa Vista a day early. Rather than an extra night at the AI (3 more buffets was too much to face, even for me!), we opted for a night in the nearby village of Sal Rei, reckoning that we’d probably visit it at some stage anyway.
I try to avoid the word charming but it fits Sal Rei! Named after the nearby salt flats that once provided such a valuable commodity to Europe and the colonies, it strikes me as a nice place in which to spend a few days. It has a fine beach, some good restaurants as well as a market and several souvenir shops to while away an hour or two.
Praça de Santa Isabel, with its cobbled pavement and lovely church, is undergoing a complete revamp (it’s been going on for years apparently). A lot of the restructuring seems complete but there’s no sign as yet of the promised al fresco cafes which would be a huge addition.
There’s a short, but nice, sea front walk….
By now, we’re well used to the sight of fishermen landing their catch on the small piers – we know we’ll eat well tonight!
And we do – the BEST tuna I’ve ever tasted!
Close to the pier, the streets offer up traditional fishermen’s cottages – many still occupied by fishermen of course but several have been renovated into holiday accommodation.
Mercado Municipal is where you pick up some fresh fruit but also your fridge magnet or your NO STRESS t-shirt!
Estoril Beach, with lumps of coral washed up on the gorgeous sand, looks like a place one could happily while away a day or two. The beach bars offer lunch, cocktails and sunbeds.
Where we stayed
The best thing about Ouril Agueda Hotel was the location, very close to that lovely stretch of beach. After that – well – I was glad it was just for the one night. The room was basic but clean – that was ok. Breakfast wasn’t great (although they did fry eggs, to be fair). They have a rooftop jacuzzi and bar which is nice in the evenings. But someone needs to take the place in hand. Reception staff didn’t impress but we can put some of that down to a language barrier. We were pleased to find a kettle in our room – don’t know why it was there because there wasn’t even a cup with it. We had to go looking for bottled water because there was none in the room (the only place this happened). Then we had to go back to the desk because we’d no loo paper. Later we discovered towels for only one..etc… just a litany of little things but a pity because the place has the potential to do well.
Despite the disappointment with our digs, we’d a lovely afternoon and evening – beach walk and lunch at one of the beach bars, a walk about town and finishing up with that delicious tuna dinner al fresco on one of the side streets. The following morning we’d a quick visit to the market before heading to our resort hotel
Most visitors from our part of the world seem to head for one of the RUI Resorts on the island. When booking, we’d intended maybe going in to Sal Rei some morning so decided to stay relatively close. We opted for VOI Praia de Chaves Resort Hotel which is about 12kms by road from town (but just 4kms from the airport).
The hotel sits on a low cliff overlooking a fabulous stretch of beach. In early November, the place was busy but, being still pre high season, it wasn’t jammed. The 276 rooms are spread out across several buildings in a lovely garden setting. There were plenty of beds around the pool and on the beach below. We don’t come to these places with high expectations re food but we actually thought that the standard of buffet was good for a change! We don’t come for the animation either but we did partake in the aqua aerobics and enjoyed the singer on the terrace every evening. I’m sure they organise all sorts of excursions and activities but, having already explored Sal Rei, I never ventured near reception between arrival and departure! We arrived pre check in time but were able to avail of lunch and also had lunch after check out so they were generously flexible with that.
THE ONLY THING….. and nothing to do with the hotel which we really liked ……. it’s owned? /run? by an Italian company so – yep – great if you speak Italian!!! I’d say over 85% of the guests were Italian, a few Portuguese, very few English speaking. It made NO difference – in fact it worked to our advantage because the animation team, working SO hard to sign everyone up for activities, generally just smiled and kept going when they saw us!!!
The garden landscape….
The shops were actually ok – I even bought a few bits here..
The pool is close to all amenities including bars and main restaurant…
So, let’s stand over at the edge of the terrace…
To the left of us, the long stretch of Chaves Beach – isn’t it something!
Below us is our part of the beach – we spent the morning by the pool and we went down in the afternoons… The waves were a bit too rough for swimming while we were there – but great for jumping!
The beach continues on to the right – you can make out one more hotel section further up – not exactly overcrowded is it! That would be Sal Rei away in the distance
Paying homage to the setting sun – no I’m not there! – just took the photo on the way up to the terrace for my cocktail (I’m sure it was all in Italian anyway!!)!
So what did we think….
We loved our few days at the resort and enjoyed our unplanned stayover in Sal Rei. The beaches are stunning (there are 55kms of beach on this island!!) and I’m sure there are enjoyable activities for the adventurous among you. With direct flights from Europe, you can see the appeal of the island. But I, for one, would go nuts if there for a week (to be fair, we’d rarely stay anywhere for a week).
In Conclusion…
So, there you have it – our 2 week/ 4 island trip. We’d a great time – loved the people, the food, the scenery, the urban centres and the beaches. Even putting this series of posts together, I can see how we’d return sometime and explore further….
But to those of you just looking for a sun holiday – as I’ve already said somewhere along the way – it’s a longgg way to go just to sit by a pool or on a beach.
Before you go…
Have a look at these in case you missed anything along the way…..
We actually stayed in one of the fishermen’s cottages, right down at the far end of town. Such a cool place to stay. The desert-like section in the middle of the island is unreal, the huge dunes sweeping down to the sea are just spectacular.
Gosh you’d a far more interesting trip than us!!! It’s good to know there’s something to see elsewhere on the island but we never intended doing any touring here at all. The little town is nice isn’t it – for a day or two anyway….
I am with you, dear Marie – I love nothing more than chilling for the last few days of vacation, as it is a great idea to decompress, savour the remaining time, and ease the transition back to reality. I could easily spend a day at Estoril Beach just relaxing and recharging, and building sandcastles with the girls. Thanks so much for the tour, and have a lovely Christmas Eve. Take care 🙂 Aiva x
Thank you Aiva – I’m sure Santa made his way to the girls there in Sligo!
He did indeed 🎅🎄
Fun location.
It is – and we actually had a lovely few days there..
Thanks for the concluding posts on Cape Verde. Sounds like you had a fun last few days at the all-inclusive even though your initial hotel had some definite drawbacks!
It was gorgeous Annie! And we didn’t even have to go back in to town to have a look around! Perfect lazy days! I love them!
Low-key and calmness sounds lovely these days. It’s too bad your accommodations were a bit disappointing. I couldn’t help but laugh at how poorly stocked your room was at that first place. Beautiful captures, especially the last one of the stunning sunset.
It was exactly (almost!) the ending I’d wished for so overall I have to be happy!!
I see Cape Verde as a destination to escape the European winter with a bit of sunshine and a different environment. I know that the islands are different from each other, so it’s a good idea to visit several of them, as you did.
That’s exactly what it will promote – winter sun. With the budget airlines flying there now, it will make it more accessible. Sun seekers will definitely head to Sal or Boa Vista – there’s a lot of work to be done in attracting the masses beyond those… But I’m not sure that sun worshippers will become repeat visitors so the islanders will have to think beyond that.