Seeking a stress-free holiday after a busy few months of job changes and exams, we decided to look for a holiday destination where we could just sit back and relax in a beautiful environment for once, rather than a busy week of hopping on trains and clocking up thousands of steps round city streets. I have been to beaches in recent years, of course, but I had not had this sort of all-inclusive holiday for a decade.

Where is Cape Verde and what is its history?

The ten Cape Verde volcanic islands form an archipelago in Western Africa and its official country name is the Republic of Cabo Verde. ‘Cabo’ means the end of something and ‘Verde’ means green, so these islands are named after the green ending/edge.

Praia on the island of Santiago is the capital city and the two most touristic islands are Boa Vista and Sal. Cesária Évora, the celebrated Morna singer, was from São Vicente island, and 93% of the country’s population live on Mindelo island.

Fogo is the only island that produces its own wine, with grapes grown on the Pico do Fogo active volcano. I bought a bottle from the hotel shop and brought it back to share with my cousin in the northeast of England and it was delightful; a rich smoky red.

Cape Verde was colonised by the Portuguese in the 1400s; the islands had been uninhabited until Portuguese people started to settle in 1462. Cape Verde gained independence in 1975.

The archipelago’s location in the Atlantic Ocean meant that it was used as a strategic point in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and was the first place Charles Darwin stopped on his HMS Beagle voyage.

The flight from Manchester to Boa Vista is a mid-haul flight that took around 5 hours 40 minutes which flew over (awful pun not actually intended) after sleeping for the first two hours.

Boa Vista airport is unique, like a beach hut with a bar, but the carousel was revolving for an hour before our suitcases emerged. (You know that feeling of worry that creeps in when dozens of suitcases are revolving around and you cannot see yours almost an hour in..)

Suitcases acquired at last, we were then boarded onto a TUI coach and the drive to our hotel took around 20 minutes.

Check-in at the hotel also took over an hour in a sweltering hotel lobby which was slightly annoying as we queued for half an hour, next ones to be checked in, before someone came over and told us to move to another queue which resulted in a further half-hour wait.

By this point, sweat rolling off me in the humidity, it was high time for a cocktail.

Afterward, we went up to our room for the week where we were greeted with the lovely view of the red, arid, Mars-like terrain, the sun setting over the horizon in an orangey-pink haze, and the rolling waves crashing to the shore on our hotel’s beach, Praia Lacacão.

Not much vegetation grows on the land, and if I looked for long enough, I could spot wild goats and donkeys playing chase amongst the scrub set to the soundtrack of cicadas clicking in the early evening heat. Now it felt like we were finally on holiday.

The hotel unofficially hosts feral cats who kept themselves to themselves taking care of any bugs that may have found their way into rooms if the cats weren’t there. The cats were safe and did not scratch, accustomed to being around humans. I quite liked their presence and thought they looked cute, stretching out sunbathing or chilling under the shade of a palm tree. Sometimes, when it was raining, we would see a couple of cats cuddled up on a towel in one of the hallways or corridors which was sweet.

Thankfully, I did not see any cockroaches or spiders in Boa Vista but mosquitoes are a pain so spray up! I bought myself a lovely pair of Havaiana flip-flops at the hotel shop then ruined them by getting the spray on them, melting part of the surface’s colours (still wearable but unsightly when visible whilst not being worn)- don’t repeat my mistake!

We went for a wander around the hotel then on to the beach, Praia Lacacão. The sand was powdery dark gold, contrasting against the foamy white waves and sapphire sea. All the colours of nature in Boa Vista are dramatic and vibrant yet the sounds were soothing and soft. I was looking forward to a week of peace just to sunbathe, swim* and read.

(*I’m not a strong swimmer so I mainly tread water and stay jumping along and catching the remnants of waves where it is shallow.)

The hotel gardens were lined with lofty coconut trees, banana trees, and coral-red hibiscus flowers with butterflies and bees floating between the flora. I never tired of these sights but often wondered if a falling coconut would hit one of us as we sometimes saw them fall and crash down onto the ground.

The mid-August weather was very warm, no doubt about that, but it was comfortably offset by a balmy sea breeze and occasional clouding. The climate is hot and humid, so bear that in mind when packing your holiday clothes- go for cool and breathable materials and wear long hair up as much as possible.

Occasionally, the skies would open up under the pressure of the heat and humidity and a torrential rain would bounce down and off the ground which was quite impressive to watch, and you would just have to sit under shelter in case of lightning and wait for it to pass. You can feel the slight pressure in your temples and smell it in the air first which gives you a chance to head indoors in good time or watch the spectacle from under a shelter.

On the third morning, we embarked upon a half-day boat trip around the perimeter of Boa Vista. A dinghy took us to the yacht where we climbed up to the top deck and were given a welcome drink before setting off into the ocean.

After an hour, the boat anchored and we were allowed some time in the water. I am not a strong swimmer and can’t really get saltwater into my eyes due to contact lenses so I could not dive bomb in like others but I tentatively clambered down the ladder and clung onto one of those foam noodles to stay above sea level. I tried wearing goggles but found they make things worse, clouding up with condensation and making it hard to breathe through your nose. Nevertheless, it was a refreshing experience with a beautiful backdrop and I am glad I braved my apprehensions rather than remaining high and dry on the top deck.

I noticed that one of the sailors had rescued two starfish and laid them out on the deck for a few minutes before returning them gently to the sea. I am not sure why as they didn’t take them from the water just to show people, they seemed to be looking after them and ensuring their limbs did not curl up. I am drawn to magical-looking and even mythical creatures of the sea such as mermaids, dolphins, sea horses and starfish, so I was mesmerised.

Back on dry land, it is quite endearing that Boa Vista is not (yet) a built-up island, so there wasn’t much to do in the way of tourism outside of the hotel resort. It is lovely that most of the island has been kept natural for now, but it is worth bearing in mind that you can’t really just go out and wander around, hoping to find nightlife or activities.

We booked three excursions across the week to ensure that we had other things to do other than hang around the hotel, pool, or beach. You could viably do those things and have a very enjoyable week but we wanted to see and experience a bit more of the regular island life and see beyond the hotel confines.

On our fourth night, we went to Morabeza Beach Club for a sunset dinner. Morabeza is a Cape Verdean Creole term referring to their hospitality and warmth. I had been following their Instagram page for months so was pleasantly surprised when the coach pulled up outside Morabeza.

Morabeza is housed in a beach hut with a sand-covered floor and fringed by palm trees sweeping over in the beachy breeze. There is a wooden swing on ropes suspended from the ceiling with pink and red flowers twirling around vines around the walls and straw canopies you can perch on while listening to a singer and the crashing waves on the sand.

We were given a welcome drink of the local spirit called Grogue, a kind of cane juice rum produced in Cape Verde mixed with honey. It was an unusual flavour but a small amount was fine and I always try to taste the food and drinks of the places I visit.

After the sun went down, a fire pit was lit and we were invited to sit round when the heavy thundering of drums commenced and dancers entered the circle, mesmerising as they stomped into the sand and moved their limbs so quickly, whirling and arching their bodies around.

They must perform this fairly often but you could see the delight in their faces and admiration for one another’s performances and afterwards; they sang Happy Birthday to a friend then sat down together near the fire and sang, strummed a guitar, and enjoyed a beer.

This show was my favourite part of the trip as I believe you cannot beat live music and dance; it was also the setting and atmosphere, sat around a fire in warm air under a sky full of stars with the sounds of the rolling waves just metres away.

The next day we visited the Viana Desert- an extension of the Sahara Desert in mainland Africa from sand that blows across to the Atlantic on the ocean winds, forming sand dunes. Boa Vista is the Cape Verdean island closest to the mainland countries in Africa, namely Senegal. This is why this island receives the most sand blowing over on the winds.

Beautifully soft sand ripples across the landscape as can be seen in the photo and the desert itself is small and peaceful with no vehicles allowed (other than quad bikes but there were none while we were there) and no buildings other than one bar where we had a Cape Verdean beer called Strela.

We all had the chance to sandboard down a dune and have a brief walk around before boarding the bus. I would have liked to have stayed longer but it was hot and we had to move on to the next step of the day trip.

Sal Rei is the capital of Boa Vista where most people live but we didn’t get to go far when we arrived there due to more rain but it was great to see a residential area with some shops, stalls, kiosks, banks, and bars. People jumped into the water in the rain and swam with a dog who had gone for a paddle while I purchased my mandatory fridge magnets for our house and for family (I can relax once these are acquired, such is our fervour for magnets).

Later that afternoon, we were taken to a small village (I don’t remember the name, unfortunately). We bought some more souvenirs and stopped off for a quick drink. There were a few street dogs and even a rooster just trotting around in the brief time we were there.

Later on, we arrived at the Praia da Atalanta in the north of the island to see the shipwrecked MS Cabo Santa Maria. This cargo ship set sail from South America to head home to Spain in 1968, laden with food and luxuries for the dictator Francisco Franco and his men. The crew had miscalculated how to navigate the shallow waters just off these shores and it sank but all of the crew were rescued.

In the fifty-five years since, the framework has rusted and eroded away to just its bare bones which stand out jarringly against the otherwise idyllic coast.

Anaïs Nin wrote, “We write to taste life twice: in the moment, and in retrospect.” and writing this two months after the day we went to Cape Verde, it brings back the sensations and reminds me of what I experienced.

I recall a fierce sun tempered by sudden, passionate downpours, skin tingling with sun rays then tingling with warm rain; scents of coconut in the afternoons then the burning embers of a fire on the beach at night; golden sunrises, scarlet sunsets, and silver stars studding an inky black night sky.

I recall the seaspray as we glided across the Atlantic on a boat named São Vicente, similar to my nephew; beautiful accents; the smoke of a barbecue; donkeys and goats playing freely on the red soil outside our room; reading books about women and the sea as the sea crashed near my feet.

The world can be bad and frightening but the world is also astounding and beautiful. I want to go anywhere and everywhere, wherever the wind takes me, like sands from the Sahara sweeping over the seas, eventually settling safely on dry land.