Sal Island

Sal was discovered on 3, December, 1460 and originally named Llana but was later renamed Sal after the salt firelds were found there. Sal translates as Salt in Portuguese.

Sal is a flat island and is 30km long by 12km wide. Sal is located north of Boa Vista and belongs to the Barlavento group of islands.

Sal currently hosts Cape Verde’s main international airport called Amilcar Cabral International Airport. It was developed by South African Airways as a refuelling stopping point for their transatlantic flights to America. The airport has allowed Sal to receive flights over the last 15 years, which in turn has allowed tourism to develop.

Until 2005, sal comprised of mainly Portugese, Italian and local hotels such as Oasis Belorizonte hotel, Oasis Novo Horizone hotel, Djadsal Hotel, Criola Hotel (Italian), The Morabeza Hotel and the Odjo D’Agua hotel. It was only since the opening of the first riu hotel in Sal in 2005 that brought in International tourism on a major scale. This was conjoined with the early property boom of Cape Verde. Investors from the UK, Ireland and Scandanavia came into Sal island and began buying property.

The Riu hotel has since established two large hotels on the beach of Ponta Preta; Riu Funana and Riu Garopa. These along with the Tui flights from Europe have helped acted as a catalyst for establishing tourism in Cape Verde.

At present, the two other main hotels in Sal the Morabeza hotel and the Odjo D’Agua hotel. These are located on the beach from of Santa Maria’s glamorous beach front. Both hotels offer a range of activities for guests, however the Morabeza offers slightly more in terms of facilities (pool, mini golf, Archery, tennis, windsurfing, snooker, darts and a small gymnasium). The Odjo D’Agua offers a small (almost) private beach, spa, pool and restaurant facilities). Any visitor to Sal should take a lunch at both the Morabeza Beach bar and the Odjo D’Agua restaurant. Fabulous frontline settings with glorious views.

More hotels are soon to enter Sal such as the Spanish giant, Sol Melia hotel Group (located in Tortuga Beach Resort and Dunas Beach Resort), the Nikki Beach hotel group (located in Calheta Bay Resort) and the Hilton hotel group. These global hotel chains are adding much credibility to Sal as they bring with them their luxury brands of hotel accommodation. There are a number of smaller bed and breakfast or Pensions in Sal that provide a good value accommodation such as the Potao and Les Alizes.

Sal has also seen a large number of new real estate resorts which will give a large number of self catering accommodation to Sal. Resorts such as Vila Verde (Completed), Paradise Beach Resort (in construction), Porto Antigo (completed) will also give added value to the quality of resorts and accommodation in Sal. This is an exciting time in the touristic development of Sal and Cape Verde.

Santa Maria is the main touristic area of Sal. It boasts the white sandy beaches and hotels on the island. Santa Maria has approximately 5,000 inhabitants and has a range of café’s, small bars, restaurants and gift shops.

The main population of Sal island live in Espargos, the Capital. Espargos is located five minutes drive from the airport and about 20 minutes drive from Santa Maria. Espargos holds the main political administration centre for Sal, as well as most of the shops.

Sal is a great place to visit if you like a relaxing beach holiday, sunbathing and watersports such as Diving, windsurfing, surfing and fishing. World champion windsurfer Josh Angulo resides in Sal and ply’ s his trade on some of Sal’s renowned windy shores. There are a number of surf schools along Santa Maria beach along with many Scuba Diving centres (PADI accredited). Recent additions to Sal’s tourists attractions are a number of chartered boats which can be found in front of the Morabeza Hotel.

Regardless of the touristic resorts and hotel that have been constructed in Sal in recent years, the island continues to be relatively underdeveloped and its appearance on the road from Espargos (Capital) to Santa Maria (touristic area) is flat, barren and moonlike. Upon arrival in Santa Maria, the landscape becomes one of new colourful buildings, cafe’s, small bars and restaurants.

Outside of Santa Maria, Sal offers other interesting places to visit. The salt mines in Pedra De Lume are a must see if you want to swim in the highly concentrated salt water, which will give you the experience of being unable to sink. Put on your sun cream and float away for the afternoon!.

Another tourist attraction is Buracona, a little inlet which spurts water some 10m high in the air, where visitors can spend the afternoon watching local people jumping into the water or participating themselves.

For those looking to see some more of Sal, Palmeira offers a chance to see the port and some of the local fishing industry. The village is small but has grown over the last few years. Behind the village is the main industrial zone for Sal and one can find a number of warehouses and industries located here.

If you are visiting during the summer months, a night out is recommended on southernmost tip of Sal called Igrejinha. A small beach bar has opened on the beach front (it is the only dwelling there!) and offers a range of grilled food and a mix of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. It offers a range of parties throughout the summer and great for anyone looking for a different night out.

Then weather of Cape Verde is warm all year around. It usually ranges between 21 – 30 degrees and most of the days are filled with sunshine. Even during the depths of European winter, Sal remains warm and visitors can easily suntan on the beaches. January to April see the trade winds blowing through Cape Verde. These winds keep the humidity very low and keep the temperature pleasant (so that it doesn’t get unbearably hot). Rain does affect Cape Verde. The rainy season begins at the end of August and persists until October. However rainfall is very low and Sal receives no more than a couple of days of rain during these months.

If Sal appeals to you and you are interested in buying a property in Sal, please see our properties on our website by using the fast property search on http://www.ohlssonproperties.com/locations/cape-verde/capeverde.aspx