Ever since getting into the travel industry, I’ve had my eye on Cape Verde. It’s the ultimate destination for relaxing, and whilst I love an adventure holiday or a fun-filled city break, sometimes all you need is a week away from it all to switch off and chill out. When a great deal cropped up to the RIU Touareg in Boa Vista, I couldn’t resist. I booked up for myself and my mum and we didn’t have long to wait before we were off on our travels!
Getting There
We flew to Boa Vista from Birmingham airport early on a Sunday morning. We used Holiday Extras to book a hotel for the Saturday night (we stayed at the Arden Hotel) with parking for whilst we were away. We ended up getting a really good deal for this, and it made for a much nicer experience than driving two and a half hours to the airport through the night.
The process of checking in when we got to Birmingham Airport was really easy. We used the self-service bag drop and then headed for security. There was a bit of a queue, but nothing too bad! Everything from here on out was great. The flight went really smoothly and the staff were fabulous. Even though it was just under a six hour flight, we seemed to be there before we knew it.
The Hotel
The RIU Touareg is one of Holiday Hypermarket’s best sellers, so I had a good feeling about the hotel before we even arrived. My first impression – it was huge! And such a beautiful place. Each of the blocks looked like giant sandcastles, surrounded by well-kept gardens and emerald green palms. We had a short wait for our room, so we grabbed a beer and made ourselves comfortable in the sunshine.
Our Room
We got to our room in block 9 and found it was spacious, modern and beautifully air conditioned – a pleasant feeling after first experiencing the African heat! The beds were huge and very comfortable, and we had a lovely terrace overlooking the area where the infinity pool was. We each had a sink and plenty of space for our cosmetics, and the shower was really powerful – all in all, a great place to rest your head.
The Pools
There are several pools scattered around this complex. Our favourite was the main pool, which circled around a palm-fringed island and had a spacious swim-up bar. There were plenty of sunbeds, wooden walkways splitting the pools and little stairways leading up to a jacuzzi in the middle. One of the main things I’d say about this pool is that the atmosphere was great. The reps had something going on all day and loved getting guests involved.
The other pool we often visited was the one closest to our room – the infinity pool. It was a little more peaceful than the main pool and had amazing views over the stunning, unspoiled beach. I had plenty of swims here, and we enjoyed a drink or two in the seating area most evenings, sometimes accompanied by a live singer – a lovely touch!
We didn’t visit them, but the hotel also has a kids’ pool and a pool strictly for guests who were staying in the hotel’s adult-only area.
The Beach
I can’t even find the words to describe how incredible the beach was – it was easily one of the best I’ve ever seen. The vanilla-coloured sands were so soft, the colour of the sea a brilliant turquoise. I could have sat there for days just watching the waves! We spent quite a lot of time on the sand, whether we were looking out for camouflaged crabs or simply kicking back and reading our books in the best possible surroundings.
One thing to note about this beautiful beach is that there is always a red flag flying. The waves really are huge, so it’s not safe to swim in the ocean. I paddled as deep as my knees and that felt fine, but I made sure to never go too far in.
The Food
As you would expect at a hotel of this size, there’s something to satisfy all appetites. There are two main buffets which offer everything from freshly made pizza to roast beef and Yorkshires, as well as other speciality restaurants which you need to book using the RIU app. We visited the Da Marcello Italian restaurant and the Kabuki Asian restaurant, and both were totally delicious. There was a Cape Verdean restaurant too, but we heard from other guests that it served mainly fish so we gave it a miss as we’re not big on seafood.
The Entertainment
The entertainment starts early and goes on into the night at the RIU Touareg, and it’s got something for all ages. I found myself doing everything from pool volleyball and aqua aerobics to even winning a game of bingo during the day. The entertainment team, or ‘animation team’ as they’re referred to, work immensely hard and are so enthusiastic. They really do inject some fun into your holiday!
Each evening, they put on a show at the main auditorium. One night, they danced and lip-synced their way through a performance of Grease and the next they put on a quiz and had a celebration of music through the decades. We watched these and then headed over to the Mali Bar, which hosted karaoke every night. If that’s your cup of tea, you’ll love it! We had such a laugh, and even one night ventured over to the Pacha nightclub they have on-site (although don’t expect the Pacha you may have heard about in Ibiza – it’s not quite on that scale!).
The Staff
I don’t think I could give a full insight into this hotel without mentioning the wonderful staff. Everyone from the housekeeping team to the barmaids and waiters were just exceptional. Our room was kept clean and tidy, with little animals made of our towels, and every drink was handed over with a smile. Their thoughtfulness and helpfulness made a real difference to our holiday.
Seeing More Of Cape Verde
Turtle Tour
Whilst we thoroughly enjoyed just kicking back and relaxing in the hotel, we wanted to get out and see a bit more of Boa Vista. We booked two excursions during our trip, the first being a Turtle Tour through Giggling Geckos. We were picked up around 7pm and taken off into the desert on an open-top jeep, which was quite an experience in the dark! The sky was incredible – we could even see the milky way.
Once at the beach around 25 minutes away from the hotel, we sat down in our small group and the driver told us all about the loggerhead turtles who nest there, and what the team does to help conserve them. It was really interesting to hear, and exciting to think we were (hopefully!) going to see one in its natural habitat soon. When a turtle was located, we were called over to see her in the process of laying her eggs before she covered her nest with her flippers and started to make her way back to the ocean. A truly amazing thing to experience!
Southern Boa Vista Tour
The second excursion we went on was TUI’s Southern Boa Vista 4×4 Tour. Our guide, Paulo, was a fun character from the get-go and so knowledgeable about the island. We first went to the Viana Desert, where we had a little go at sandboarding and stopped for a breakfast of cachupa, Cape Verde’s local dish, with some hibiscus iced tea.
Next, we went to the second largest town on the island, Rabil, and visited the local church before going to a family-run pottery and a gift shop. After browsing the shelves, we bought a few little trinkets hand-made by the family. They were beautiful and so reasonably priced – especially compared to the hotel or airport gift shops.
After our short stop at Rabil, we headed over to round off the trip at the breathtaking shores of Santa Monica. This beach was paradise – the water was clear yet vibrant and the sands were super soft and absolutely perfect. It was safe to swim here, so we took a little dip before going over to the beach bar and getting ourselves a Tequila Sunrise to enjoy in the sun. Total bliss!
Handy Holiday Tips
Mosquito Repellent Is Essential
This has to be my first tip – bring plenty of insect repellent! We took a couple of bottles of Jungle Formula and we also had a packet of citronella wristbands to wear, and we somehow still got a few bites from time to time. We did, however, see people in the hotel with plenty, so it’s advisable to keep stocked up and use your repellent generously. We even heard some people say they had plug-in repellent for their rooms!
Whilst not quite the same, there were some areas of the hotel where the flies were a little annoying. We kind of just got used to them, but some people were putting drops of citronella oil onto their towels to try to deter them, which could be worth a try!
Bring A Water Bottle or Reusable Cup
There were a lot of people at the hotel asking the bar team to make their drinks in their own reusable cups or water bottles. We didn’t do this, and whilst we were chilling by the pool we didn’t really see the need to. However, there is no bar down at the beach, so it would have been handy to have a larger cup to take down there on the days we wanted to sunbathe on the sand. In our case, we just got two at a time instead! A sangria in one hand and a G+T in the other – anything goes when you’re on holiday, right?
Pack Some Towel Clips
The islands of Cape Verde can typically be quite windy, although we didn’t find the wind to be too bad when we were there. Either way, you can never go wrong with towel clips to be safe. We forgot to get these in advance, so it was a last minute run to B&M for me the day before we flew and I found a pack of six general household clips for £2 – they worked a treat!
Another thing to mention on towels is that the hotel supplies you fresh pool towels each day. We packed a lightweight towel to take to the beach, but you needn’t waste too much packing space on towels as you’re provided with plenty by the hotel.
Download Your Apps
I’d recommend you download the RIU app and the TUI app ahead of your holiday. Once you arrive, you’ll be able to use the RIU app to book into the speciality restaurants. The spaces get filled up pretty quickly, so I would do this sooner rather than later. As I mentioned earlier, we thoroughly enjoyed the Asian and Italian restaurants in particular!
The TUI app makes it super easy for you to browse excursions and book up. We weren’t sure which excursions to go on, and after reading the descriptions and working out what to expect of each trip, we went with the Southern Boa Vista 4×4 Tour. We really enjoyed this trip and found the process of booking nice and simple.
Pack Plenty Of Sun Cream
This one might seem obvious, but the UV is so high in Cape Verde that I must stress you’ll need a hell of a lot of sun cream! I had a bottle of 50, a bottle of 30, lip balm with sun protection and also some protective spray for my scalp. Even when it’s a little cloudier or the wind is picking up so the heat doesn’t feel quite as intense, you’ll be getting hit by those rays. I topped up regularly and managed to avoid getting burnt, but we saw plenty of people in the pool with sunburns I really did not envy!
Tipping The Staff
It can sometimes be hard to know when to tip hotel staff, but we made sure to do so throughout our trip. The staff work so hard, and especially in countries like Cape Verde that are less wealthy than our own, I feel tips are thoroughly deserved. We tended to give tips of about €5 to our room cleaners when we saw them and to some of the restaurant or bar staff who looked after us, and then we left a tip in our room for the housekeepers at the end of our stay with a thank you note. They really did clean our room to such a high standard every day.
Bring A Little Something Extra
This is by no means essential, but we saw plenty of people with little ways and means of entertaining themselves on the hotel resort. For example, there were people with frisbees and beach balls in the pool as well as different pool floats, and many guests sat in the bar having a few games of cards in the evenings. We brought a travel version of the card game Dobble and it became our evening ritual to get one last drink to take back to the room and sip on whilst having a game before we went to sleep.
Start Planning Your Own Holiday To Cape Verde…
If you want a week in paradise to switch off, chill out and indulge in some you-time, I couldn’t recommend Cape Verde more! Check out some of our latest deals and prepare for sun, sea and sand like you’ve never seen before.
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