The Cape Verde islands are finally being rediscovered!

Over five hundred and fifty years after intrepid Portuguese explorers first caught a glimpse of this tropical paradise, investors are coming to realise Cape Verde’s immense potential as an emerging holiday destination that is expected to flourish over the next few years.

An enviable climate with lovely sunshine all year round

The ten main islands that make up the Cape Verde archipelago, 620km (385 miles) off the west coast of Africa, enjoy a fabulous temperate climate with plenty of sunshine and very little seasonal variation. This means that they are at their very best all year round, making them an ideal location for overseas property investment.


One of the top 20 places in the world for property investment

Cape Verde’s tourism market has grown by 25% per annum in recent years. This continuing trend is creating an enormous demand for accommodation that estate agents expect will push up property prices by as much as 70% in the next 24 months. In view of this, it is hardly surprising that the BBC Channel 4 TV programme “A Place in the Sun” has recently named Cape Verde as one of the top twenty places in the world for property investment.


A diverse and unique destination

Cape Verde is a country of astounding diversity, with its unique and fascinating mix of African and Portuguese culture that is most apparent in the local traditions, music and colourful festivals. The islands’ landscapes too are as varied as they are beautiful. You can climb towering mountains, walk through fertile valleys of lush tropical vegetation, take in the beauty of magnificent volcanic formations, or simply relax and enjoy some of the world’s most gorgeous beaches that stretch as far as the eye can see.

Something for all tastes

Sal island is the most popular with tourists, who are attracted by its beaches of dazzling white sand, vibrant nightlife and plenty of opportunities to practise a wide range of sports. This naturally makes it one of the most sought after by property investors. On the other hand, quiet Boa Vista is the least populated island and the ideal place to get away from it all, although it is now more accessible with its new international airport that opened in August 2006. Cape Verde’s capital of Praia is located on Santiago island – considered the most African island of all. In fact, each of the nine inhabited islands is different from the rest, making Cape Verde a country with so much to offer to people of all tastes.

Little is known about the history of Cape Verde before the arrival of the Portuguese. There is some speculation that the islands were visited in ancient times by African seafarers and maybe even by the Arabs and the Phoenicians. Still, there is little actual evidence for this apart from a rock with mysterious carvings found on the island of Santo Antão.

All the Grenandines have lovely soft white coral sand beaches and clear water, ideal for snorkelling, diving and sailing. Although a visit to these islands may at times seem like a step into the past, there is a measure of one's pleasure that has little to do with clocks. Where warm breezes blow.

Discover a beautiful getaway; a hideaway that is not as commercial as most others, but offers the visitor an uncommon vacation with plenty of variety.

Welcome to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, located in the south Eastern Caribbean about 90 miles west of Barbados - the likely place that you would disembark then continue your flight to St. Vincent. The Grenadines are some 32 islands and cays stretching south from St. Vincent.

Only 8 of the Grenadines are populated and 4 of these have small Airports: Bequia, Mustique, Canouan and Union. The remainder are bird sanctuaries and havens for hikers and snorklers


All the islands are volcanic in origin, deeply embayed with inlets where clear aquamarine waters shallow up on fine white sand beaches

The larger islands include Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, Palm, Petit St. Vincent, Mayreau and Union where there are some uninhabited islets and rocks including the famous Tabago Cays.

This is the land - St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The large island of St. Vincent has rugged mountainous terrain, lush forest and many uncluttered beaches and inlets that more than imitates an amazonian getaway. Yet the island is sufficiently small (133 sq. miles - 18 miles long and 11 miles wide) which ensures that there is never the threat of being lost to civilization with a good guide.

St Vincent is one of the most fertile of Caribbean islands and provides for its inhabitants enough fruit and vegetables to make them self-sufficient. The Soufriere volcano which is to the north of the island is itself a wonderful attraction for the energetic and adventurous visitor.

On the south west coast of the island is Kingstown the small bustling capital, built on a broad bay between two hilly promontories. From Kingstown, highways wind their way northward along both coasts:

• The Atlantic coast > with pounding surf and rocky shores, providing dramatic landscapes
• The Caribbean coast > offering spectacular scenery and most of the island's beaches.
  

The most beautiful beaches in St. Vincent lie along the south coast, some of the best being at Villa, four miles from Kingstown.

Barbados, situated just to the east of the Caribbean Sea, is an independent island nation in the western Atlantic Ocean. Found at roughly 13° North and 59° West, the country lies in the Southern Caribbean region where it is a part of the Lesser Antilles island-chain. Being that it is relatively close to the South American continent, Barbados is around 434 kilometres (270 miles) northeast of Venezuela.

The closest island neighbours to Barbados are Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the west, Grenada to the south-west, and Trinidad and Tobago to the south which Barbados now shares a fixed official maritime boundary with.

Barbados has one of the highest standards of living and literacy rates in the developing world. Despite its small geographical size, Barbados constantly ranks in the top 30 countries in the Human Development Index (HDI) rankings. It is currently ranked third in the Americas. The island is also a major tourist destination.


Barbados' total land-area is about 430 square kilometres, (166 square miles), and is primarily low-lying, with some higher regions in the island's interior. The organic composition of Barbados is thought to be of non-volcanic origin and is predominantly composed of limestone-coral. The island's atmosphere is tropical with constant trade winds off the Atlantic Ocean serving to keep temperatures mild. Some more undeveloped areas of the country contain woodland and scrubland. Other parts of the island's interior which contribute to the agriculture industry, are dotted with large sugarcane estates and wide gently sloping pastures with many good views down to the sea coast.


Barbados is a relatively flat island with an abundant supply of large gradually sloping beaches fringing the land.

In some areas, notably the North, coral and sandstone cliffs rise straight out of the sea reaching several hundred feet in height. In the South West, cliffs of 50 to 100 feet rise and fall along the coast, separated by small sandy beaches and bays.

On the flatter South West and West coasts, you may walk for miles along unbroken white sand beaches, sometimes stopping at a cluster of coral rocks jutting out to sea. All along the shore large and small beaches are broken by coral formations, the soft coral rocks weathered by the ocean surf, forming abstract sculptures to an artist's eye.

Barbados beaches are truly some of the most beautiful in the Caribbean, in fact the beach at The Crane was rated "one of the ten best beaches in the world" by Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.

It's an all day beach bash at The Boatyard! Relax on a beach chair under the umbrellas or indulge in some of the many watersports available including snorkeling, scuba diving, beach volleyball, kayaks, pedal boats and ocean trampolines!

Soft, Warm, White Sand Barbados Beaches

Barbados is a coral island and its beaches are made from finely ground coral forming a clean fine grain. There are few beaches that are not fine sand. Generally if there is a beach on the shore, it is beautiful sand. Natural sand dunes are not common but some exist in Long Bay on the South West Coast.

Barbados Beaches - Privacy

All beaches in Barbados are open to the public. Properties which front onto a beach may own the land to the high-water mark only. Access to the beach is a right for every Barbadian and many of the sea front properties must provide a public right of way across their land to the ocean.

Barbados Beaches - Nude Bathing

There are no nude beaches and all beaches are open to the public. Nudism is actually illegal. Barbados has a history of conservative British tradition and Barbadians are not comfortable undressing or seeing other undress on public beaches.

Barbados Beaches - Beach Vendors and Security

Selling goods to tourists on the beach is a regulated practice in Barbados. Vendors are not permitted to roam the beach and set up shop out of a carrying case. If you are bothered by a vendor, report it to the police. Most of Barbados' favourite beaches are patrolled by police, but they cannot be everywhere and it is prudent not to leave valuables unattended.


BARBADOS WEST COAST

Generally the seas on the West coast are the calmest, but good, safe, quiet swimming is available in the many tranquil bays along the South West and the South that touch the Caribbean Sea. If you like calm waters with a soft sandy bottom, then the West Coast is probably the best of these conditions, but seasonal variations can cause things to change.

BARBADOS SOUTH COAST

Here you will find seas of gentle waves for body surfing and tumbling in the water. There are rollers for surfing with buggy boards and surfboards and some of the best windsurfing in the world. Annual surfing competitions and international surfing meets are held on both the South and East Coasts.

BARBADOS EAST AND NORTH COASTS

The East and North coasts of Barbados meet the Atlantic Ocean where huge waves crash along the shore and coral reefs. This coast is not recommended for swimming except for a few of the very protected bays. There are strong currents and fierce waves beating on the rugged coral to create a spectacle of power of a wild and rugged sea. If you love the sea at its wildest you must visit the East Coast, but don't swim unless you are with someone who knows the area well.

Other Barbados Coastal Features

Of course, not all of Barbados' coast is sand; there are mangrove swamps, cliffs, tide pools and areas where beds of low lying coral rock, sandstone, clay or shale reach out to the sea.

Barbados' swamps are to be found in Chancery Lane, Inch Marlow and Graeme Hall in the South and South West of the Island. They are the major wetlands of Barbados providing an assemblage of plants and animals forming an important link in the food chain of offshore fish and birds.

Low lying rock formations are particularly prevalent along the North East and South Easter points; periwinkles, sea anemones, crabs and snails make their home along these rocks.

Tidal flats and wave ridges occur mostly off the East coast within eroded limestone plateaus and other low lying rock formations.

On the South and South West Coasts you will find many tide pools, an important ecological resource, acting as nurseries for juvenile fish and other permanent residents like the ghost crab and sea roaches as well as marine plants like sea moss which is made into a health drink.

Cliffs of coral and sandstone overlook calm bays and rugged coastlines and sometimes small, cosy soft sand beaches nestle between heads of coral sculptured by the sea. Most of the larger cliffs are in the North, in the parish of St. Lucy.