Hotels near Nelson Mandela International Airport - RAI, Praia

I loved the sun, the water, the history of the people, the moutains and the rest of the land, the beaches, Tarrafel and the kindness of the people. Its a great place for a vacation if you just want sun and the easy life on the beach or climbing mountain trails if you like. I will return!!

I would have spent 3 days there maximum and spent the other 4 days in Tarrafal, instead. In general I enjoyed my stay there, but Tarrafal it’s a different world, where you can actually feel the culture and be surrounded with beauty. Cidade abelha is also a must and it’s absolutely beautiful. I would have loved to manage to see the typical ceramics, but people don’t talk much and don’t value much (unfortunately). I actually went to Sai Domingos on purpose to see it, but the locals said it was closed.

If you are visiting the islands of Cabo Verde, do Praia first. The beaches are a far cry from the ones in Boa Vista or Sal. It is nice to go to Cidade Velha which is a UNESCO site 12km away. It is really picturesque and is the first place the portugese landed in 1462. Absolutely worth a visit.

Actually I’m a Nigerian. When I traveled there I found it difficult to communicate in Cape Verde due to I can’t speak Portuguese. But there are another islands that they do speak English there. in this country 99% people speaks Portuguese. So that’s just my experience. But the was nice and peaceful

Crowded and chaotic city, far from the peaceful atmosphere found on the other Cape Verde islands. The local population generally doesn’t speak English and often seems offended if you don’t speak to them in Portuguese. Tourists are frequently stared at, which can make you feel a bit out of place, and the overall impression is that visitors aren’t always welcome. We had a bad experience in Praínha, where persistent children came up asking for money, while older men seemed to be eyeing our bags left on the towels. We ended up having to leave immediately by taxi. Outside of the Plateau—the only area recommended for tourists and heavily patrolled by military and police—you don’t really feel safe.

It's a great place, just be care if you are a woman. Do NOT go out alone or at night. My housemate and I went to a beach that was 6-7 walking minutes away. It was absolutely lovely. We went at 6pm and left at 8pm. It was dark. Unfortunately 2 masked children (of about 12) tried to "jump" us with knives. I've been traveling for 30 years and robbed 7 times before (including this; that averages out to 1/4 years and I AM VERY WHITE, with blue eyes, blond hair and stand out in certain places, so I may be an "easy target". Still, I've never had knives drawn on me. So PLEASE be careful, especially if you are women. BE SMART. I wasn't. Thankfully all I walked away with was some PTSD and bad memories, but they had masks & REAL KNIVES and it could have been VERY BAD.