Shona and Andy first travelled with us to the Azores in 2018. In 2019, they asked us to arrange another holiday to Cape Verde and 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 after a wonderful trip.
Many thanks for organising our holiday, which was so interesting, beautiful, fun and different. Please will you pass our thanks on to our four 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 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 island’s four generators were out of action, so dinner and bed by candlelight were the order of the day!
Being on Fogo for their annual festival celebration was a privilege, and one we would gladly experience again. Music in every bar and square meant we really felt part of the atmosphere, and we went to watch the third- and fourth-place match in the football tournament, where we were definitely objects of curiosity!
The horse event outside the hotel isn’t actually a race but rather a display of horsemanship by the race winners. It was all great fun and, with most of the town and island in attendance, a real spectacle.
The main event was a gig that took place in the square by the Casa de Bandeiras every evening, starting at about 11 pm and continuing until 6 am – hence the earplugs! It wasn’t so much the music but the people coming home afterwards that made for some early starts, which was fine for us. The rest of the hotel guests were young American Cape Verdeans who were performing at the concerts, which made for some quiet afternoons while they caught up on their sleep.
All in all, it was a real “once-in-a-lifetime experience” that we wouldn’t hesitate to do again.
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 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
