Weather lowdown
The advent of winter comes gently to Cape Verde. The warm climate, the lack of rain and the gentle, hot winds blowing from Africa make December a very attractive month for family holidays on the archipelago. During December, average daytime temperature stays around a comfortable 25 degrees Celsius. With daytime high peaks at 26 degrees and night time lows at 20, December is a predictably warm and surprise-free month that is ideal for elderly tourists and families to enjoy.
Sea temperature remains inviting at 25 degrees and the island's numerous water sports activities remain popular even during the winter months. Cape Verde enjoys 6 hours of daily sunshine in December.
Rain is minimal during December, with a monthly total precipitation of just 1 mm and rain expected on only 2 days of the month, catching even the slightest sprinkle is considered a rarity during the Christmas season. Snow is virtually unheard of here in Cape Verde and the island only experiences hailstorms extremely rarely (once a decade or even rarer).
Dates for the diary
December is a great time for visiting the Cape Verde island of Boa Vista which holds its annual Boa Vista Ultramarathon during this winter month. The marathon covers the entire island and participants have just 60 hours to travel 93.2 miles on foot, with terrain changing from sandy beach to cobbled streets to muddy soil along the way.
Christmas celebrations on the beach are a common phenomenon during the festive season and can make for a really novel way to spend Christmas in Cape Verde. While New Year's eve is a rather low key event in the country, some of the more tourist-focused areas do celebrate in style. Praia and Mindelo have fireworks displays, and the resort complexes on the island of Sal throw parties for guests.
Things to do
The paradise beach of Sal is famous for footie on the beach where locals and tourists alike come to play ball on the sand. This is the single most popular spot to enjoy beach volley, beach football, beach tennis and numerous other beach sports with athletic tourists and vigorous locals.
The Cape Verdean museum presents a unique opportunity for history lovers and adventurers to explore Cape Verde's rich and tumultuous past. The museum gives a clear view on the nation's history, from its piracy days to Portuguese colonialism and from its national independence in the 70ies to the modern-day paradise the archipelago has become.
Hit the beach
Curralinho is a popular and lively beach on the island of Sal. With tons of beach bars and restaurants around, this is one of the liveliest beaches on the liveliest islands of the archipelago. The crowd is young and parties well into the night. This is not a very suitable beach for families with children though.
The most family friendly beach on the remote island of Brava is Fuma. Located on the southeastern side of the island, Fuma is a fairly deserted beach that nonetheless boasts great lifeguard services to prevent any accidents and several tourist facilities including restaurants, public restrooms and public showers.
Where to eat & drink
The Leonardo Café is an excellent international café bistro in the heart of Santa Maria on the island of Sal. The café attracts sophisticated guests from around the world and tourists often come there for classy music and the quality coffee blends that are constantly on offer. Food is of equally high quality, with delectable snacks that range from authentic croissants to salmon sandwiches and local bites.
The Caravela Restaurante is a beautiful, African-themed beachside restaurant in Sao Vicente. With panoramic view over the local beach and boasting an impressive menu of amazing dishes, the Caravela has distinguished itself as one of the most highly acclaimed restaurants on the island. Prices are reasonable and the music is always lovely and local.
The Cinema Eden Park is the most popular cinema and theatre in the island of San Vicente and a must to visit for lovers of local movies as well as international productions. This is actually one of the few places in Cape Verde where you can catch international blockbusters in time (and not months later) so it's only natural that young people flock here, tourists and locals alike.
The hotel bar at the Limeira Hotel Resort is a fantastic beachside live music bar open to visitors, non-visitors and locals alike. With a fantastic view over a scenic bay and serving some of the most delicious cocktails in Santiago, it comes as no surprise that this hotel's bar is popular with locals and tourists alike.
Where to stay
The Che Guevara is a popular bed and breakfast hotel in San Vicente's Mindelo. With great service, spacious rooms and a contemporary latino style, this hotel will charm you with its unpretentious approach to quality accommodation.
The Pousada da Luz is an attractive and decent budget hotel in the heart of Santa Maria on the island of Sal. While the hotel's services are fairly basic, the staff is very polite and everything is very cleverly planned to offer maximum convenience. The hotel also has a spacious indoors pool.
Located inside the historic city of Mindelo, the Mimagui Residencial is an exceptional hotel that has gained worldwide fame thanks to its amazing scenery and excellence of service. Surrounded by a charming neighbourhood of classic buildings, the hotel offers comfort and tranquillity at reasonable prices. The Mimagui is often praised as one of the best hotels in Mindelo.
The Mindel is a fancy hotel in Mindelo, San Vicente. With a spectacular vista and beautiful indoors and outdoors spaces, the Mindel is a very appealing choice of accommodation for off-season and in-season tourists alike. The hotel is flexible and very accommodating to families with children and large tourist groups.
The Clubhotel Riu Karamboa is a beautiful all inclusive hotel from the Riu chain of resorts that is located on the island of Boa Vista, Cape Verde. The hotel boasts all the amenities expected from a Riu resort plus a very attractive bar that is open to non-visitors. There are several children-friendly facilities that make this hotel ideal for families with young children. These services include changing rooms, kids clubs, children pools, babysitting services and others.
