Cape Verde Holiday Appartments
The following is a suggested first day to get your bearings and a feel for the island. It is a decent distance for a walk and will be completely worth the effort when you walk into Santa Maria Harbour.
From the Villa Verde complex Pronta Preta Beach is a 10 minute walk from the rear entrance. You will need to walk through the complex and head towards the beach. You will then pass the Tortoga Beach resort and head left. After about 5 minutes you will see a dirt track with a sign Pronta Preta bar and beach. Head across the track and you will soon come across the bar. This is a great spot to stop off for coffee, breakfast or a beer.
Once refreshed you can then head down to the ocean which is a five minute walk. Then simply head to your left. You will soon see a giant sand dune in the distance with a large moorish style hotel behind it. Here you have a choice on distance of walk. You will be able to see from the map on page "things to do" that the coastline juts out onto the sea. By following the coastline you will find completely deserted white sands and crystal clear waters (watch out for the waves!) beacause of the shape of the coastline this will be a couple of hours walk into Santa Maria, so take plenty of water if choosing this option.
The quicker route into Santa Maria will take you past the rear entrance to the large hotel (Tui) then you simply follow the path. This will take you past the mainly new hotels and you will soon see Santa Maria in the distance. You will then come across the many bars and restaurants along the way.
This is when you get to choose your favorite. If you can resist stopping off for a while you will come across the Sal Beach Club in front of the Hotel Morcheeba (great for cocktails and watching the sun go down in the roof top bar). The Sal Beach Club is a smart timber and glass building right on the beach and serves great food all day. You can also get a beer and use the sun loungers all day if you wish. You are now pretty much in the centre of Santa Maria seafront and if you continue walking you will see the wooden pier. Here you can buy fresh fish for cooking later, chat to the locals, buy souvenirs or take an excursion.
Continue along the coast and you will come to one of the most beautiful spots on the island - the Oja d'agua. This is a must for all visitors and is a restaurant, bar and hotel and is built on a rocky outcrop right on the ocean. This can get quite busy at times, so best to book if you have a particular table in mind. This place also has a swimming pool, beach bar, private beach and once or twice a week will have a bonfire and live music just feet away from the sea. Also once a week classic movies are shown on the beach (Saturdays at 9.30).
Further along the coastline (just keep following the sea) and at the end of Santa Maria there is the Angulo Surf Bar. This bar is owned by Josh Angulo who is a world champion surfer and has a real laid back vibe. The place is great for a cheap lunch; serving local food with free wifi. There is also surfing equipment for hire and lessons available or you can just chill out and watch the professionals.
If you head inland from the coast you will be in Santa Maria Old Town. This is also full of bars and restaurants, with small shops selling local items and surf wear. This is pretty much a grid system so virtually impossible to get lost. There is a central square with the Blue Bar having local live music most evenings. If you have a yearing for home there is an Irish Bar Tam Tams showing all of the football and rugby, again with free wifi. The owners have been on the island for over 10 years so are great for friendly advice.
For a different feel Kite Beach is on the opposite coast from Santa Maria and is opposite the front entrance to Villa Verde. As the name suggests this is a favourite haunt for kite surfing and competitions are held regularly. As the Island is only a couple of miles across this is only a five minute taxi ride or a forty minute walk. Once there you can get involved or just relax in the bar on the beach and watch the many kites fill the skyline.
For a more peaceful and relaxing day you can simply stay on the complex and read a novel by the pool. You will probably have the pool to yourselves depending on the time of year. Then in the evening you can cook a fish, sit on the balcony or watch a film (there is a library of films or take your own favourites) or just play music.
After dark Santa Maria really comes alive and places that you didn't really notice during the day open the shutters and become bars and restaurants. Just wander around either on the seafront or through the old town and explore!
Enjoy and please add your own recommendations and experiences to the visitors book.
