Valentine’s Day: an island for lovers

Boa Vista is the ideal place to welcome couples in their first heartbeats, established couples who rediscover the pleasure of sharing sweet moments, friends who seal friendship as a precious asset, for an unforgettable Valentine’s Day. And if it is too late to plan the trip, it is still the right occasion to give the gift of a dream.

Everything Boa Vista has to offer is a priceless gift with which romantic hearts often fall in love. Not only for the spectacular natural environment: the infatuation for the island also stems from the unique atmosphere, made up of simple and rare things, and for the hospitality of its inhabitants, the famous morabeza. It can happen little by little, or it is love at first sight. But in any case, one often leaves one’s heart there, and even before returning home, the sodade, the nostalgia, makes itself felt.

A day as a Cabrer and at the donkey sanctuary. Enjoy the experience of milking a small goat, or taking a few-day-old lamb in your arms, and stop under an old acacia tree to taste the local coffee, with cachupa, the typical dish of corn, beans and vegetables, with a freshly laid egg, and watch goat cheese being made by the skilful hands of Mrs Tina.

On the way back, stop at the donkey sanctuary, Nha Horta. Here, donkeys endemic of the island have been rescued and are being cared for and pampered. Some have reproduced, and the little donkeys, shaggy and mammy, are wonderful!

Admiring whale jumps. The season of humpback whales – Baleia da bossa – is about to begin. From February until May, these magnificent specimens are spotted in the waters around Boa Vista, stopping to wean their young and mate. A boat trip and here we are in front of the majestic animals, jumping, snorting, calling out to meet each other.

Stargazing at the desert. Accompanied by experts with powerful telescopes in the silence and darkness of the Viana desert, with no light to interfere, you can enjoy a unique experience of discovering and observing stars and planets. At the end, a typical dinner in the desert restaurant.

For Valentine’s Day and at any time of the year, those seeking a romantic and cosy stay in Boa Vista will find several solutions. One idea could be a comfortable hotel suite in Sal Rei, in contact with the local reality to enjoy initiatives, evenings of music, and the most picturesque corners of the capital.

Here, for example, are the luxury suites with white wooden beams, a terrace overlooking the sea, and the modern and functional furnishings of the new 4-star White Hotel, to feel cuddled by attentive staff, enjoying a rich tropical-style breakfast, and a restaurant among the best on the island. A stone’s throw from the beautiful Estoril beach and the centre of town.

Or why not try the experience of a furnished and equipped flat, perhaps in front of the ocean? In no time at all, one enters ‘bubista’ life, if one wishes, shopping in colourful markets, cooking fresh fish, with complete freedom. Flats are easy to find. One of the novelties is the widespread hotel, the first example on the island. The privacy of a cosy flat overlooking the sea with the services of a hotel, breakfast included.

And if you are looking for an even more romantic nest, the suggestion is to include in your trip at least a pair of nights at the Spinguera Eco-resort, an old fishing village that has been skilfully restored while maintaining its original structure. Accessible only by off-road vehicle, it offers a few elegant rooms arranged in traditional stone houses, where peace, privacy, intimacy and silence reign supreme. Just the ocean and you two, under candlelight.