We have just booked into the Pontao Hotel for Christmas 2007 and have just found out the the island is very windy. We are horrified because we enjoy a beach holiday. In the evening we enjoy restaurant/cafe/bar culture and a little people watching thrown in. Is this all possible in Santa Maria. We would also be grateful for any info/advise about the area and hotel. I only hope that my whim does not turn out to be a very expensive mistake. Thanks in advance to all.

santa maria is very good for a beach holiday.
it has a pretty good restaurant scene too, so i think you can go with no big worries.

sals main flaw is that it does not have much in the way of sights, but the beaches are excellent.

I have just returned back from spending 2 weeks in Santa Maria and I can tell you that it is not windy but blows a gentle breeze which I am sure you will enjoy as this is excellent tanning weather, not the sort were you are sweating and looking for shade. Although I cannot give you any advice on your hotel I can tell you a bit about Santa Maria. Please do not confine yourself to your hotel as many Brits appear to be doing, get out into the town and explore, meet and talk to the locals as they quite friendly. There are plenty of restaurants to enjoy and as with anywhere some are better than others. As for bars the most popular with Europeans is Tam Tam, this is an Irish bar and run by a lovely couple, anyone will be able to tell you where it is. Believe me when I say your money has been well spent, but please keep in mind it is still a very undeveloped place and although the beaches are excellent you will be needing sensible shoes to walk around in on a night time as the paths are very uneven and dusty.

Hi there, there is absolutely no need to worry I have just returned from my second holiday in Santa Maria. Whilst it is fairly windy it is nothing like the wind we have here in England. We went to the beach every day and even my wife has a tan (something that has not happened since the first time we visited Los Christianos thirty years ago!) Please remember that the beach faces south whilst the predominant wind is North easterly. As for restaurants try the Barracuda (caspachio- raw tuna! absolutely superb Tuna grilled and paella) plenty of bars in town but don't expect benidorm it is very underdeveloped in some areas but with sensible precautions, as in any country, you will certainly have a great time and see some unusual people!

This might be a long reply. We go to the sun every year at about the same time, March/April. This year we chose Cape Verde because of all the good press and television reports. What a mistake. I often wonder how long these so called travel experts spend in some resorts and if they ever speak to anyone who is on holiday at the time of there assessments. While we were there the winds in Cape Verde were up to force 5 every day (no kidding) for the two weeks we were there, (and nights). It's the only holiday we've had in recent years where you need a pullover at night and sometimes during the day, it's so cold with it. Santa Maria is a building site, the roads (although the main road from the airport to Santa Maria is good), don't need speed bumps because of their condition, and there is general rubbish all over the place (broken bottles, cigarette ends, paper, and dog fowling...need I go on). The Rui hotel is huge and the food boring, all buffet service only, even in the speciality restaurants. Breakfast was a scrum. (Can you imagine up to 2000 people going to breakfast at the same time in two restaurants) and take you’re walking boots the place is so big. Because of the wind the sand gets everywhere. The beach is up to 20 minutes walk away. At least the Rui is clean and that's about the only positive thing I can say about it. Mind the showers in the Rui - they are lethal, (very slippery when wet and no shower mats unless you ask for one). Management at the Rui have a lot to learn about customer care, (God help them if they get an influx of people from the USA). There were loads of noisy children too, so a relaxing holiday it was not. Go back??? Never. Everybody we spoke to said the same regardless of where they were staying. I don’t think they know how to take us Brits quite yet. Don't know the Pontao I'm afraid but if what we heard from other people in other local hotels then it would appear that ours was the best. If that's anything to go by. We had reports of roaches in ground floor rooms at the Rui that needed fumigating. The good thing is you should feel safe in the town. I don't remember seeing any street lights in Santa Maria. Don't do the excursions; they are a waste of money. The towns are largely underdeveloped and there are some shanty huts out in the sticks. (Although really there are no sticks). Water is desalinated, apart from the bottled. (The islands are supplied from the mainland by a Russian Antonov 124 every week). The island of Sal is like the face of Mars and this is due the fact that they've had little serious rain in twenty five years. I guess we should have known better but there you go. Put it down to experience, although it was an expensive one. The good thing was that we met some great people who, without, we would have come back home after only three days there – if we could have got a flight. Some Island hoppers we spoke to had a worse time. I suppose there are those that will enjoy Cape Verde, good luck.