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Days 10-11 (March 21-22, 2026): The Trip Home

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We got up at 6:30AM on our last morning in Cabo Verde to do another beach walk just after the sun rose. After our last breakfast buffet, we got in two more hours by the pool before cleaning up and checking out at noon sharp. Check-in and security for our flight to Portugal was quick and easy, although the flight was delayed about an hour, due to headwinds on the inbound flight.  We had a very tight connection in Lisbon, due to our late arrival there. The London flight was right on time. When we deplaned at 10:40PM, the customs hall was completely empty. We caught the last Hotel Hoppa run of the day at 11:20 and were at the sprawling Renaissance Hotel a few minutes later.  We were offered the hotel’s breakfast complimentary, so, as soon as it opened at 6AM, we were there for a super quick buffet. It was the Hotel Hoppa back to Heathrow, arriving by 6:30. Security was a breeze (it can be nasty at Heathrow!), and we were comfortably seated in the Premium Plaza Lounge for more cof...
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Day 8 (March 19, 2026): Boa Vista - Sands and Dunes

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Although Boa Vista was intended as the ‘rest portion’ of our March Break, one cannot visit a new place and not explore at least a little! Since all the key Boa sights require a 4x4 to see, we decided it would be best to do an organized tour of the southwestern portion of the island, as the area has an excellent set of top sights in a condensed area. We were up at 7AM, secured beach chairs for the afternoon, ate breakfast, and joined the army of fellow resort guests awaiting 9AM pick-ups.  At 9AM sharp, an ‘aluguer’ (shared taxi) pickup truck arrived. Some aluguers moonlight as tour operators for a day of rewarding and quick cash, which is a lot easier than a typical 10-hour day of driving an aluguer and endlessly touting passengers on a repetitive set route. Six UK ladies, on a trip to celebrate the 60th birthday of one of their friends, joined us.  The four-hour tour was designed to provide an off-road adventure in the dunes and see beaches, a well-known cave, turtles, a ligh...
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Day 9 (March 20, 2026): A day to chill out… and visit the nearby town.

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Ahh, at last… a day to do nothing, a day with no pressure to see anything.  After a leisurely breakfast, we headed to the beach at 10AM - the stress of finding lounge chairs having been resolved by me running down to the pool are at 7:30AM to secure some chairs! We sat there til 12:30PM, when we ate lunch.  At 1:30PM, we decided to jump in a taxi to do a short visit to nearby Sal Rei. The rest of the afternoon saw us chillax by the pool for another couple of hours, before taking a 3KM walk on the beach. As we were only permitted two speciality restaurant dinners for our four-night stay, we ate dinner at the buffet around 7:30PM and then took in a bit of the bi-weekly ‘White Party’ before calling it a day. We are homeward bound tomorrow. :-( The RIU Karamboa has quite a few cats, who seem to be well fed by guests and are living the high life. The blanket in our room was turned into a swan by the housekeeper. A massive pot of cachupa, Cabo Verde’s best-known dish. Sal Rei Sal Re...
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