The breezy life
If you want an exotic break minus the Caribbean price tag, Cape Verde delivers all year round
It was less Finding Nemo, more discovering nausea. Speeding through Cape Verde’s crystal clear waters with flying fish to one side and giant turtles to the other, I should have been in heaven.
But rather than the tuna, wahoo and blue marlin that we were hunting in our fishing trip, I was concentrating on holding on to my breakfast.
Not that the crew took much notice of my greenish gills as they crashed the boat through the waves, hanging out fishing lines. But later, safely back on dry land, I realised that it’s precisely this laid-back, unpolished approach to tourism that adds to Cape Verde’s considerable charm.
Sited 350 miles off the west coast of Africa, the islands are sunny all year round with a welcome breeze that makes you forget it’s actually sweltering. Cape Verde consists of 10
islands and they are so different in look, feel and even climate that travelling around them could feel like 10 different holidays. We stayed on Sal – or ‘salt’ in Portuguese – which is close enough to be accessible (around a 5.5hr flight) and far away enough to offer roughround-the-edges easy charm (as in the fishing trip).
And for me, that’s one of the real selling points of Cape Verde. It’s often described as the “new Caribbean” but, although the five-star option is there for those who want it, it’s not quite that slick. The locals are not jaded by
tourism like many more established destinations and they’re actually pleased to sit down and chat.
“No stress,” is something you’ll hear a lot here, and they’re a friendly bunch who are happy to see you and mingle on the pristine beaches or in soulful music bars after dark.
That said, the luxury hotel complexes that have sprung up in the old Portuguese colony – discovered in 1456 but largely uninhabited, unless it was being sacked by Sir Francis Drake – are everything you’d expect from more developed destinations.
On the south tip of the island – near the historic and beautiful port town of Santa Maria – is the Melia group of hotels. One is adults-only and ideal for the romantic getaway or honeymoon, the other is family-friendly with water parks and a kids’ amphitheatre.
We were staying at the all-inclusive Melia Llana, the adults-only option,