A Cape Verde Holiday, visiting the islands of Santiago, Fogo and Brava.
Shona and Andy first travelled with us to the Azores in 2018. They had a great time, which we always love to hear. For 2019, they asked us to arrange another holiday for them, this time to Cape Verde.
They chose to visit the three islands of Santiago, Fogo, and Brava. Because they were visiting in April, it meant that they were on Fogo at the time of the Sao Filipe Festival.
Here’s what they had to say after returning from their Cape Verde holiday:
“Dear Max,
Well, here we are safe and sound back home and feeling a little bit down after a wonderful trip. Many thanks for organising our holiday which was so interesting, beautiful, fun and different. Please will you pass our thanks to our 4 guides and all the drivers, especially the guy on Brava who was really special and made a unique island come alive for us.
The Hotels
The hotels were all different and lovely in their own way. The Funkas at Casa Marisa was a very unusual place to spend the night and the night sky was magical from the rooftop. The Cruz Grande on Brava was friendly and we felt very welcome. The first night on Brava was spent without power as three of the islands four generators were out of action – so dinner and bed by candlelight was the order of the day! The Savanna on Fogo was really special but if anyone stays there during the Festival – take earplugs!
Music in every bar
Being on Fogo for their annual celabration was a privilege and one we would do again. Music in every bar and square meant we really felt part of the atmosphere and we went and watched the 3rd and 4th place match in the football tournament where we were definitely objects of curiosity!
A display of horsemanship
The horse event outside the hotel isn’t a race but rather a display of horsemanship by the race winners. All great fun and with most of the town and island in attendance, was a real spectacle.
Music through the night in the main square
The main event was a gig taking place down on the square by the Casa de Bandieros every evening, starting about 11pm and went on until 6am – hence the earplugs! It wasn’t so much the music but the people coming home that made for some early starts which was fine for us. The rest of the hotel guests were young american Cape Verdeans who were playing at the concerts which made for some quiet afternoons when they all caught up on their sleep. All in all, a real “once in a lifetime experience” that we wouldn’t hesitate to do again.
Visiting Cape Verde during low season
The Cape Verdeans are special people who really welcome tourists. We were surprised at how few of us there were but I guess it is low season right now. We only saw a couple of British people on Santiago, after that we were on our own which was just how we like it!
We are determined to go back after the rains sometime and see Cape Verde as it should be – green rather than brown! We both hope that they can continue to put appropriate infrastructure in place to attract more visitors but without spoiling such a magical destination.
All in all, a fantastic holiday and thanks again for the great organisation.
Kind regards,
Shona and Andy”
