Frequently-asked-questions

Please use the form in the contact tab to send us your request or else make your request by WhatsApp or email. You can book and pay on the day, please note that booking a trip you agree with our travel policy.

We recommend that you bring Euros. Both the euro and the local currency (escudos) will be accepted in stores, but remember that you cannot withdraw euros in the country. There is an ATM in each hotel and in various parts of the city, which will allow you to withdraw money in escudos.

If you use the currency to pay for excursions, hotels, or other activities you can pay with the euro. But if you are going to use the currency to eat in a restaurant, buy in stores, I advise you to withdraw money through the ATM and use escudos.

How about dollars
dollars are not well accepted in stores, attractions or hotels, they must be changed first, the hotels usually do the currency exchange service but you will lose a lot in this exchange. The best way is to exchange them at banks or exchange offices, but most have restricted operation hours, usually from 8 am to 3 pm, Monday to Friday, and the waiting time for banks is usually very long. Always prefer to bring euros and an international card that allows you to withdraw money or pay here.

Wifi in Hotels and resorts

Most of the large hotels and resors have free wifi with good quality in rooms and common areas, some hotels have only in common areas and you can ask for the room, for a fee (normally 25 euros/week . click on the useful information section to find out which hotels have free wifi.

Restaurants and bars
There are a number of restaurants / cafes and bars that offer free Wi-Fi. You are generally expected to buy a regular drink while you are in the restaurant or bar. You will need to request a code to access the Internet. Access can be restricted to one hour, but you can always request another code.

Internet providers
If your phone is 'unlocked', you can buy SIM cards for your phone with credit for around 7.5 euros for phone use and internet.

T + (Unitel) and CVTelecom are the two providers of telephone and Internet services in Cape Verde.

Public Hospital: There is 1 big hospital and 1 health center (for vaccination and family planning) in Espargos and a very small hospital next to the Santa Maria police station.

Private: There are some clinics and surgeries in Espargos and Santa Maria .

Clinics: 'Clinitur' is located along the Avenida de Hoteis in Santa Maria, in front of the Hilton Hotel.
'MedLab' is close to 'Cazu' (supermarket).
Clínica de Santa Maria' (near to Hotel Da Luz).

Clinitur have beds for overnight stays which you have to pay for privately and supply your travel insurance information.

There is a hotel doctor based in Villa 1, Melia Dunas, and is available 24 hours a day. Note: Make sure you have your insurance with you, as he will be able to cover this service. The cost of the service is about € 130 plus medicines. If you can, bring a first aid kit with all the basic items! Medicines for headaches, stomach pains, nausea, chronic illnesses, because some medicines is difficult to find.

Any hotel you stay please contact the hotel rececption and they will call you a doctor.
Some medicines may need you to obtain a prescription, that’s ok, just take it to the Doctors to a clinic or the hospital where there is a Doctor.

There is less when the climate is drier, but when there are plants that need to be watered and they using recycled water or stagnant water around, there may be more mosquitos. Most of the large hotels / resorts have problems with mosquitos because they have a lot of vegetation.

On Sal island we have no records of cases of dengue, malaria, zika or any other disease transmitted by moses. If you are concerned about a virus, check the government information sites for updated information.

We advise you to bring mosquito repellent, you can find it in some stores, but as always, it is better to bring yours, as it can be more expensive (like lotions and sun sprays) and not always available.

Others may want to bring some plug-in mosquito tablets/liquids for the apartment/hotel room. You can also buy a pack of mosquito coils from local shops, once lit they burn slowly, one will last for about 6hrs, but they do give off a strong smell if used in small enclosed areas with no ventillation.

Bringing pets to Cape Verde :
There are many things to consider if wanting to bring pets into Cape Verde. The proper licence must be obtained, that all injections have been given prior to entering CV, also whether food and medication for certain animals is readily available before bringing the animals over.
Certain animals may find it hard to get accustomed to the climate.

There is 2 in Sal Island:

1. Name: Fatima Santos - Santa Maria city
Email: fatyma.santos@hotmail.com
Phone: +238 997 94 61

2. Albertina - espargos city
Phone: +238 994 99 64

Associations - Cats and Dogs
Ospa Cats and Dogs

Neutering campaigns
Neutering campaigns are carried out by organisations who send Vets in from other countries. Cape Verde relies on these organisations to help deal with birth control. These organisations rely to a great extent on donations, so please help if you can by donating. However if you just want information on bringing animals into or taking them out of Cape Verde they would love to hear from you.

Yes, you will be asked to pay the following charges at check-in or check-out. EUR 2.00 per person, per night, with a limit of 10 days. This tax does not apply to children under 16 years old.

Before booking an apartment
If you want to rent an apartment for your stay on the island of Sal, check the items in the apartment before booking. Also check location, security, distance from main areas, lighting, roads, number of keys, key collection / deposit times, power cuts (bring torches).

Furniture and kitchen
The rental agency must be able to provide sheets, tea towels, etc. on behalf of the owner. Some agencies offer a list of what you can expect from your apartment, such as TV, microwave, toaster, etc. Other owners and agencies will have carried out an inventory and will know exactly what will be provided and what is and is not working. in any case always ask!

If you are a keen cook and want to use the kitchen facilities in your rental apartment, check what the apartment contains before booking. Some apartments are usually rented with basic equipment, such as a sofa bed and some kitchen utensils.

Also note that supermarket prices are much higher than in Europe, it can cost you much less, in cost-benefit terms, to eat out. There are very low prices compared to Europe in most local restaurants.

You cannot get an oven, just a plate and no grill. It really depends on what the owner has installed and whether the equipment is replaced when damaged. Do not automatically think that you will have a variety of kitchen utensils, pots and pans, or even a kettle, toaster or iron in all rental properties.

If you are renting an apartment and booking the transfer with us, contact us and we will take the key to deliver to you on arrival. avoid delays and relax on your holidays.

Please see our detailed post about each hotel and choose based on which one suits you best.

Most tourists stay in the south of the island, in Santa Maria, the most touristic city in Cape Verde, with a variety of options from large hotels / resorts, luxury hotels to the most economical ones.

Most of the hotels in Santa Maria are located on the avenue of the hotels, with the hotels Morabeza, Oasis Group, Hilton, Robinson Club, Farol, Dunas de Sal, Halos and Aparthotel Tropical. In front of the hotel Morabeza has the hotel Pontão, the Aquamarine suites and nearby Pensão Nha Terra, Ouril Hotel Julia, Sakaroule, Hotel odjo d'agua and many others.

A little further away from the center, we have the hotels of the RIU group, the Meliã Group, Vila Verde and Paradise Beach hotels.

There is some apartments, B&B and hostels is espargos city and Palmeira city, most of them more cheaper but also far away from Santa Maria beach. I

Please read the other FAQ's and Useful Information section and Announcements (BLOG) on this web page. You will find a lot of information about 'Sal experiences '. If you cannot find an answer to your questions we can provide detailed answers, contact us using the form on the contact tab or via whatsapp or email, we will be happy to help..