Location
Morabeza Beach Resort - We are on the Beach, Come and join us at San Francisco Bay, Santiago, Cape Verde, 15 minutes from the capital and the airport. Truely BEACHFRONT.
The Cape Verde Islands are part of Macronesia, a grouping of four Atlantic archipelagos, which also include Portugal’s Azores, Madeira Islands and Spain’s Canary Islands. The Islands are located off the West coast of Africa in the same line and latitude as Barbados, allowing summer weather all year round boasting an average temperature of around 25 degrees along with 10 - 12 hours of sunshine daily.
Santiago is the archipelago’s largest and by far most populated island. The capital city of Cape Verde, Praia, is located in Santiago. Praia is the financial, governmental, corporate and commercial centre of Cape Verde. For the tourist, Santiago is packed with historical interest, magnificent scenery which comes into its own in the latter half of the year after the rains, a limited number of high quality white sandy beaches (which makes this development all the more selective as it is one of the best) and several mixed-tone beaches, great food and nightlife and a variety of attractions and adventure – making it an ideal holiday destination. In fact, the government has ear-marked Santiago to become a significant luxury tourism destination, and the limited number of beaches implies that large-scale integrated resorts will sit best in its landscape. Santiago is also destined to become an excellent golfing location, with a number of golf courses in development and planning stages. In terms of urban expansion, the suburb of Palmarejo offers an much sought-after location for expatriate Cape Verdeans as well as tourist long-term rentals.
It’s the beauty of Santiago that really grabs you. Like Santo Antão but with much more potential in terms of investment returns, the interior is formed of two imposing and spectacular craggy mountain ranges which differ markedly to the desert islands of Sal, Boavista and Maio. The interior offers deep verdant valleys and lush plantations filled with banana, sugar cane, papaya, mango, date and coconut palms, plus a surprisingly wide variation of vegetables, hence the Island is known as the bread basket of the archipelago. There is a great contrast between the mild and humid climate of the higher regions and that of some lower regions, which are dry and arid. The island is dotted with picturesque rural villages, while the coastline is a series of fishing communities. Elsewhere, there are gorgeous parks and gardens, such as the region of São Jorge, a botanical garden full of indigenous species surrounded by a forest of eucalyptus trees and nearby possibly the largest baobab tree in the world. The view of these regions from above is truly magnificent. Sightseeing alone can occupy several days, unlike most of the other islands. Hiring a jeep is the best way to try to see as much as possible of Santiago’s diverse landscapes. Santiago’s marine life is plentiful with coral reef teamed with multi-coloured fish. Some of the beaches are a nesting place for turtles.
