A Place in the Sun Live

Property in Cape Verde

Pristine white beaches, a warm turquoise sea, year-round sunshine, lively street carnivals ... No, we’re not talking about the Caribbean, Hawaii or Brazil, but Cape Verde.

It wasn’t so long ago that this archipelago off West Africa was virtually unheard of in the UK. But since word got out that a ‘Caribbean’ lifestyle is waiting for you just five-and-a-half hours away by plane and without the hassle of a hurricane season, interest in this former Portuguese colony has mushroomed.

Over the past four years the number of tourists entering Cape Verde has grown an average 25 per cent a year. In 2000 67,000 visitors touched down there, by 2005 that number had grown to 240,000.

“We have created an environment to have foreign investment and we welcome foreigners to integrate in Cape Verde,” said government minister Jose Brito at a recent event. “We are a small country and we encourage high-value tourism”.

Often called ‘the new Caribbean’, many visitors say volcanic Cape Verde is more like its northerly neighbour, the Canary Islands, but with better weather. Like the Canaries, each of the 10 islands that make up Cape Verde has its own distinct landscape and character.
Sal and Santiago are the most developed as tourist hubs and attract the most number of foreigners. The first is the main point of arrival in Cape Verde, thanks to its direct flights from the UK. Its selling points include golden beaches, including surfers’ and windsurfers’ mecca Ponta Preta, and the vibrant resort of Santa Maria. Sal’s port and marina are being enlarged and modernised to accommodate its growing tourism business.
Santiago, home to Cape Verde’s capital, Praia, is the commercial centre and most populated island in the archipelago. Unlike Sal, it has a green tropical interior, a landscape that lends itself to the landmark eco-friendly Sambala Development. Direct flights to Santiago are due to start from the UK in late 2007.

Sao Vicente is the cultural hub of Cape Verde, and each February hosts a famous carnival – Rio on a small scale. Development here is not far behind Sal and Santiago: in Sao Vicente an estimated 40,000 new high spec residential units will become available in coming years. Six golf courses are also planned, including a championship one designed by South African Ernie Els within the Baia das Gatas resort, built by Cape Verde Development.
Sparsely populated, Boa Vista’s new international airport becomes operational in July. Covered with sand dunes, it is home to arguably Cape Verde’s most beautiful beach, Santa Monica. Similarly, Maio island to the south is encircled with unspoilt white beaches. 
The other islands are Fogo, Santo Antao, Sao Nicolau, Brava and lastly the largely uninhabited Santa Luzia.

Aside from new airports, Cape Verde is having a purge to improve its infrastructure. This includes opening up its telecoms market, improving roads, restructuring its state electricity company, upgrading waste treatment facilities, and even opening a new brewery. Due to demand for inter-island transport, private airline Halcyon Airways has started daily flights from Sal to Santiago, Sao Vicente and Boa Vista, and less frequently to Fogo. This complements the services of the state-run airline TACV.