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The people of Boa Vista were the highlight of my trip , so kind, caring and chilled out. We kite surfed a lot with the guys from kite kriol next to morabeza beach bar (not the school inside the bar but to the left if you're facing the sea) who were great and local. Also enjoyed touring the island and seeing all the natural beauty it has to offer.

Sal Rei, Boa Vista, was a complete change for us after spending time in Santa Maria, Sal, beforehand. It's quieter, but with fewer amenities and a little less choice. The restaurants are also a little more expensive, but this is probably due to limited clientele. However, the Esplanade restaurant in the town square was our favourite restaurant (the locals seemed to like it so, we followed them), also the Kriole restaurant near the shell garage and Blue Marlin restaurant. It was a nice change of pace for a week and I would recommend it for a bit of r&r. I wouldn't necessarily bother with the expensive tours as you can see quite a few things yourself. We hired a scooter for a day for 25 euros from Francesca and Luca at Modu Scooters (just behind the car wash area in Sal Rei) and managed to get to see the Santa Maria wreck (we could only go so far on the scooter and parked up on the hill and walked the rest of the way) and the Povocao Velha which can be walked around easily in 20 mins. We also got down to Praia Chaves and Rabil. If you want to see other parts of the island, it's worth hiring a quad due to the roads not being more than sand and dirt. KiteKriol were the company we chose to do kitesurfing with and they were brilliant. They are next to Morabeza bar and restaurant on Estoril beach, about 20 mins walk along the beach (although we found it easier to walk through the sand lots behind the buildings past Kriole restaurant and petrol stations as the going was a little easier. These guys work really hard and, as they are a little further past the other kite surfing outfits, you can see they might not get as much business. They were busy when we were there, but totally deserve the recommendation.

Hoping Sal Rei doesn't get to developed, it's like going back in time. Enjoyed Walkan Bar, a boat in the street, very pleasant owners. Catchupa, their local dish at Esplanada was great. Ate at the restaurant on the pier, the fish of the day great value for money. The beaches in Sal Rei are awesome. Boa Vista Social Club has complimentary sun loungers if you eat or drink with them.

Best place we ate was at Hotel Estoril, they do a great filet mignon. Also the beach bars on Estoril beach are all great especially Tortuga which has the most comfortable sun loungers and really nice food. We had a great carnival night in Boa Vista Social Club. Sal Rei square had a few annoying guys trying to get us to use their taxis when we didn't need them as its easy to walk everywhere. The food is mostly fish/meat with potatoes and rice or pasta/seafood risotto etc, and on the whole enjoyable, I'd avoid cafe Coco for food though. Naida was cheap and cheerful. Blue Marlin was decent. Went to Morobeza bar/restaurant on our last night and the food was good but more expensive for smaller, well presented portions, the two cocktails we had were nothing special, bit disappointed there.

If you like water sports Boa vista is a good destination. In Sal Rei you literally can't get rid of people, who try selling you things. We ate at some nice restaurants though.

Everything you need for a relaxing break. We noticed that most of our flight departed of to the resorts, which mean't that when we arrive in Sal Rei, we had the pick of the beaches and more or less to ourselves! Tortuga Beach was a regular daytime destination for us, lovely staff and reasonably priced lunches. The Italian 'Menera Restaurant' was a definite evening meal highlight with the Amberjack carpaccio being notably good. The local fish market was great, get down early and be prepared to get your elbows out. Its worth braving the hustle and bustle to get your hands on some of the freshest fish you will ever eat. The women on the stalls will also (crudely) fillet it for you. The local currency is a flat '1 for 1' exchange rate with the euro. you can buy a meal with a mixture of CVE and Euros. It's not the cheapest of destinations with prices relatively similar to that of a european destination — but that can be forgiven when you remember you're visiting a desert island, with most of the goods being imported. Olive oil, salt, bread and fish are cheap and abundant however! Highly recommend a trip to Boa Vista and a stay in Sal Rei

Gorgeous beaches. If you are looking for a place to RELAX, Boa Vista is for you.