Sal is an island of Cape Verde.

Understand

The main town for tourists visiting Sal is Santa Maria which is at the southern end of the island, approximately 20 minutes drive from the airport and the capital, Espargos. Santa Maria is a developing destination and has many construction projects, many finished resorts, a lively pedestrian street. There are beautiful beaches, many restaurants, bars and hotels and a relaxed atmosphere. The main focal points are the pier and the town square, the new residential district is at the eastern end of town which also has a small beach and is the focus of a lot of surfing and windsurfing activity. The larger hotels are at the western end, where you will also find the famous dunes and beach of Ponta Preta. This is also where many new resorts are being built. Further north on the west coast is Murdeira, a residential village. Palmeira is the main port and has a few bars and restaurants but no accommodation. One or two hotels can be found in Espargos which also has larger food shops than Santa Maria. Pedra de Lume is a small fishing village which is earmarked for a golf resort and marina and is also close to the old Salinas which is a candidate world heritage site.

Get in

By plane

If arriving by air, it's worth requesting a pickup from your hotel or apartment which many offer for free. Airport taxis will charge €1-2 to Espargos or €12-15 to Santa Maria. Alternatively, an Aluguer, (open-back pickup trucks with bench seats or 15-passenger Toyota van) can be hailed on the main street for rides to either destination (€1 to Santa Maria as at Oct 2019).

Sleep

• In Cape Verde. For self-catering villa and apartments bookable direct with their owners. 

Splurge

• 1 Hotel Morabeza, ☏ +238 242 10 20, info@hotelmorabeza.com. A pleasant resort with a great beachfront.