Welcome to Cape Verde!

Cape Verde is a collection of islands 350 miles off the coast of Western Africa where tourism is increasing, particularly from Europeans who are looking for Winter sun.  Formerly part of Portugal, it gained independence in 1975 and it has been a stable democracy in recent decades.  The people have a shared culture with African Brazilians and this gives the islands a feel more like Brazil than either Portugal or Western Africa.  A number of large resorts have sprung up on the islands and after being recommended this type of holiday with a toddler, we decided to give a Winter resort trip a go.

The towns in Boa Vista felt Brazilian, both the colourful houses and also the people living there.

DID YOU KNOW?  One of the greatest female vocalists – the Barefoot Diva, Cesaria Evora – came from Cape Verde, getting her nickname from performing concerts barefoot.  From humble beginnings and not famous outside Cape Verde until later in life, she eventually became world renowned for her ‘morna’ singing in Creole. She gave back to her islands by sponsoring educational programmes that helped thousands of Cape Verdeans to read and write.

Our previous holidays with our toddler H included a train trip around Italian cities and road trips around Iceland and Montenegro.  These were all great holidays but friends with children of H’s age were recommending resorts due to their kids’ clubs and having everything easily accessible. We tried it…. but decided resort holidays aren’t really for us…  To be honest, we got bored of the resort after a couple of days and couldn’t wait to escape – which we managed to do for a couple of day-trips around Boa Vista, the island we visited.

There was luckily enough vegetation amongst the sand dunes to keep these goats happy.

Some Great Family Cape Verde Highlights

Cape Verde Highlights #1: Escaping the resort! The day-trips we took around Boa Vista allowed us to meet locals and learn more about the culture and way-of-life on the island.

The vibe amongst the local fishermen seemed very chilled but in reality the life must be quite hard.

Cape Verde Highlights #2: Whilst a bit barren in places, the landscape was an unusual mix of sand dunes plus lunar type rocks.

Cape Verde Highlights #3: The beaches on Boa Vista were incredible. Outside the resort, we had them all to ourselves.

Outside the resort, we had the beaches to ourselves.

Our Cape Verde (Boa Vista) Family Travel Tips

• Plan your trips out of the resort ahead.  The seasoned resort goers had arranged their day-trips out in advance, meaning that there were no spaces for us until the end of our holiday.
• Cape Verde is in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and gets battered by the winds.  If this is a concern (e.g. it meant Rhino couldn’t go scuba diving) then think about going at a different time of the year.

The wind lashing Boa Vista produced waves that meant it was too rough to swim in the sea.

• I found out that I was pregnant with Zizi around a month ahead of our holiday, curtailing my enjoyment of the all-inclusive drinks at the resort’s bars.  Not sure if you can avoid this, but something to take into account…
• Check whether your resort has a heated pool. Ours didn’t and H found it pretty cold, spoiling the main attraction for him.
• I booked an L-shaped studio, which we were able to partition into a separate bedroom for H. Be imaginative to see how you can turn your room into a 2 (or 3!) bed apartment. Otherwise, the nights may be long with a baby/toddler…

Finding this interesting? Need a guidebook? We used this guidebook throughout our Cape Verde holiday, which included the Cape Verde highlights above.  If you are thinking about a Cape Verde holiday then CLICK THROUGH to purchase (note – I am an Amazon affiliate member and will receive a small commission if you do buy, but it won’t cost you any extra. Thanks!)

Our day by day Cape Verde (Boa Vista) itinerary

Accommodation Type/s: For our 7 days in Cape Verde, we stayed at one of the large resorts. It had a selection of restaurants and bars, plus evening entertainment. However, the swimming pool was cold (we were there in February) and the children’s playground limited so check these before you go.

Our day by day Cape Verde itinerary included the Cape Verde highlights described above and was all spent on the island of Boa Vista.

Transport used: The transport to and from the resort was included in the all-inclusive price (perhaps the clue’s in the name!). The two day-trips we did were relatively expensive but we were lucky enough to get a private driver when they were supposed to be shared tours.

We went for a walk along the beach most days, which was usually a pretty windy affair!

Days 1 to 4: These were spent around the resort – walking along the beach, reading during H’s naps, splashing in the pool, sampling different restaurants at night and Rhino enjoying a few beers. I managed to book a relaxing massage (so good!), but the windy weather prevented Rhino from going scuba diving.

The interior of Boa Vista contained was pretty barren, but gave some interesting views of sand dunes.

Days 5 to 6: We managed to escape! And it was needed! These days were fantastic, walking over sand dunes, playing on some of the best beaches I’ve ever set foot upon, having a beer in Sal Rei’s central square and people watching, H playing with some local kids in the tour guide’s village, seeing a rusting shipwreck on a deserted beach and wandering around Boa Vista’s small towns sampling the noises, smells and ambience.  Basically, the kind of experiences we always enjoy during our holidays.

H was immediately adopted by the children in this village and they all had a great play together.

Welcome to the World for a Girl community. Please share your own ideas and thoughts about Cape Verde family travel. Do you agree with our Cape Verde highlights or do you have others to add? Did you do a similar Cape Verde itinerary or could you recommend an alternative one? What tips do you have for Cape Verde family travel?