Well firstly, for those of you who do not know anything about Cape Verde it’s situated off the northwest coast of Africa, floating 500 kilometres off the coast of Senegal. The Atlantic isles (there are 10 of them) are known as the African Caribbean.

My experience of Cape Verde in September this year was that the beaches are out-of this world. Waves can be heard crashing on the beach all the time. We visited the island of ‘Boa Vista’, which means ‘beautiful view’. The golden sandy beaches hold the coastline for some 55 kilometres, and in my eyes the beaches easily rival those of the Caribbean.

When I mentioned going to Cape Verde to my son I got a blank response. He rang me to say he had found it, but then asked “Which island?” There are several of them. Boa Vista is the eastern most island of Cape Verde. We were going for an All Inclusive chill out time, and that’s just what we got. There is not much to see on Boa Vista, but it’s known for its marine turtles and traditional music.

Cape Verde is an up and coming destination, and I didn’t know what to expect. I had read lots of reports on the internet before booking with Arke (now TUI). Firstly, I must say we had a fantastic, relaxing holiday. When we arrived at the airport, however, I didn’t know what to expect. It was very basic, and the bus ride to the hotel did not fill me with confidence. Until we got nearer to the complex. There we saw tarmac roads, and a view of our complex that was spectacular. It looked like sand castles and, of course, that gorgeous beach.

Boa Vista has a very warm and consistent climate nearly all year round. The staff at the RIU Touareg (Hotel) were very welcoming and friendly. There was a full day of entertainment, with really enjoyable live shows in the evening. Our room was spotless, and we had a fabulous choice of food from several restaurants around the complex. We had such an amazing time, that we are going to do it all again next year. This time we are going to try out the Island of Sal.