June 16th, 2009
Cape Verde Islands: Honeymoon Holiday
OK, so we got married in October 2008, but a five-day city break in Amsterdam does not a relaxing honeymoon make…
Once we were over the ‘I thought we were going to Cuba, now we’re going to the Cape Verde Islands’ shock, we got rather excited about the super-exotic paradise awaiting us. We weren’t disappointed. Departing Manchester at 9am on the Monday morning, the flight lasted a mediocre six hours. Darren was well equipped to cope however, with his Wide-Screen-Eye-Wear ‘cinema-goggles’ which allow you to watch films as if on a 52-inch screen, connected to his iPhone. I just had simple book, ‘The Secret Life of Bees’, which though good, didn’t hold my attention for the entire flight.
Cape Verde is a former Portuguese colony, gaining independence in 1975. It is an archipelago comprising ten islands - some mountainous, some flat and sandy - in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. They are the next group of Islands below the Canary Islands, off the West Coast of Africa. They enjoy a calming breeze off the Atlantic and experience around 30 days of rain a year, if they are lucky! We chose ‘Boa Vista’, which means ‘Beautiful View’. The two main languages on the island are Portuguese and Cape Verde Creole.
As we came into land, the hotel loomed large beneath us; a sprawling sand-castle in the desert. The airport was little more than a ruined fortress, completely open to the skies. There was a fair breeze, but the heat was a balmy 27C. Our passports were stamped, our cases were almost first off the conveyor, and an air-conditioned coach was ready to take us the five minute journey to our resort.
Desperate to get changed into our swimming gear, and out by the pool, we arrived at the ClubHotel Riu Karamboa to smiling greeters who were ready with ice cold drinks and our all-inclusive wristbands (quite a dashing peppermint shade, which I was mentally calculating would go nicely with a pair of heels I’d brought and various other pieces of jewellery). Our cases were stickered with our room number, and lean locals buggied them to our room about half a mile away so we could simply float along with our drinks in hand. We were also given a fantastic upgrade to a junior suite, with it being our honeymoon, and a bottle of champers was sent to our room the following day.
That first day was slightly lost in a muddle of pina coladas at the pool bar + stronger measures than we were used to + minor jet-lag. Our first morning therefore started early, with breakfast cravings the size of two hungry hippos! We’d completely missed lunch and dinner the day before, so I delighted in the feast that was laid on. Every conceivable manner in which to cook eggs was available: scrambled, fried, boiled, omelette’s, plus all the usual favourites such as fresh fruits, dry fruits, herbal teas, loose teas with strainers, cereals galore, yoghurts, ham, cheeses, rolls, croissants, toast, waffles, pancakes with large bowls of treacle sauce, chocolate sauce, raspberry sauce…wow!
There were three thematic restaurants:
- Cape Verdian cuisine specialising in locally caught fish, paella, octopus stew, salads
- Asian cuisine offering sushi, miso soup, curry dishes
- African grill (only on once per week) with lots of meat - pork, chicken, beef on skewers with plenty of salads, potatoes and more delicious octopus with spicy sauces
We lounged by the pool, read our books in the relaxing shade of the reception area, strolled along the beach, had a few tough games of tennis…generally did our best to soak up the stress-free atmosphere of being in beautiful, unspoilt surroundings with everything taken care of by someone else. There were some enticing trips to get out and about and see the island, and we chose a 4×4 island trek and a death-defying sand-buggy experience.
On the 4×4 trek we boarded the jeep and were taken to the little town of Sal Rei, about five minutes from the hotel. The roads are bumpy, fuel is expensive and the locals are very poor. Boa Vista doesn’t even have its own hospital; the nearest being on the island of Santiago where Praia, the largest city sits to the southwest and is the capital of the Islands. All the water has to be desalinated, which makes it a precious commodity for all.
We drank their local drink ‘grogue’ which is like a shot of sambuca! The shopkeepers were desperate to get us into their shops, but no-one likes buying under pressure. In all the little towns we saw, the women were washing clothes, selling vegetables, gutting fish and looking after the children while the men lay around playing on their guitars and bongo drums, drinking and singing.
The turtle is their national ‘emblem’, and we saw little clay turtles being made in a tiny pottery mill in the hills of Rabil. The clay is cultivated from the rich soil on the island, and we were delighted to buy a few as souvenirs. The infamous ’shipwreck’ beach of Santa Monica is also a hugely important breeding ground for the turtles, and also where they instinctively go to die. When you walk down to the beach you can spot numerous discarded turtle shells which struck me as rather sad.
In sand-buggies we hurtled up sand-dunes at high speed, blistering our palms in an effort to hold on and stay alive. We also tried our hand at sand-boardingdown huge slopes, and exhuasted ourselves running up and down them. A great trip, but remember to take a scarf to cover your nose, mouth and hair!
It got dark around 7pm each night, and it did get pretty chilly with one side of the hotel completely open to the breeze sweeping up from the sea. Our balcony looked out into the desert, and at night we often heard donkeys braying so loudly it felt like they were in the room with us!
I would recommend Cape Verde to anyone as a luxurious and relaxing holiday destination. Watch out for the fire-ants at the airport though - they got my left foot on the way home and I was scratching for a week!
