House guide

House Guide & Local Tips

🔑 Your host

  • During your stay Adrian is your contact person in Santa Maria:
    📞 whatsApp:
    +238  91 986 16

🔑 Keys & Access

  • Our standard check-in time is 3:00 PM (15:00). Adrian will be waiting to welcome you with the keys when you arrive. Feel free to keep in touch with him, as you might be able to check in earlier if the cleaning is finished ahead of schedule!

🛏️ Towels, Linens & Laundry

  • The apartment is fully equipped with bed linen, bath towels, and beach towels. No need to pack your own.

  • Every guest receives 2 standard towels and 1 large towel (which can be used as a beach towel), placed neatly on the bed.

  • Extra change: If you want a fresh set of linens and towels during the week, we charge €7.50 per person.

  • Washing: You will find a washing machine in the bathroom of the beach house and the pool house, and a drying rack, steamer, iron, and ironing board.

🧹 Cleaning, House Rules & Trash

  • Quiet hours: We live here alongside permanent residents and friends. Please keep noise to a minimum after 23:00 (11 PM) on weekdays.

  • Mid-stay clean: There is a broom on the balcony for beach sand. If you would like a quick extra clean (sweeping, tidying, making beds), just ask Adrian. You can pay our cleaning lady, Mirla, per clean directly.

  • Note on the windows: The windows might look dusty; they are actually clean but permanently sandblasted by the island wind.

  • Keeping Things Fresh (Warm-Weather Care) ☀️ To ensure your stay is absolutely perfect, we perform regular preventative treatments in and around the kitchen with every clean to protect against warm-weather bugs (like cockroaches). This keeps the house fresh and clean! Because these treatments are highly effective, you might occasionally spot a dead one. Please don’t worry if you do—it simply means the preventative care is doing its job. We have also placed a bug spray in the kitchen just in case, but the heavy lifting has already been taken care of.

    • How you can help: In this warm, tropical climate, even the smallest crumb can attract unwanted little visitors. To help us keep them far away, we kindly ask you to make sure to clear the kitchen counters and tables of crumbs, avoid leaving dirty dishes standing, and keep all open food stored in sealed bags or the fridge!

  • Trash disposal:

    • For the Beach & Surf house: Trash bags are located under the sink. Walk down the stairs, go all the way past the pool to the far right corner of Leme Bedje (or the far right corner when entering from the beach side). You will find the storage room with the garbage bins there. Please take glass bottles directly there.

    • For the Pool house in the city center: When you exit the building and go to your right, you will find a big parking lot with containers.

🌐 Internet & WiFi

  • At the airport:  You can connect to the free public WiFi available inside the airport terminal
  • At the house: You will receive the WiFi code by email, when you send us your flight details.
  • Around town: Many cafes and restaurants in Santa Maria offer free WiFi. Great local spots include Angulo Beach Club, Ocean Café, Cape Fruit

⚡ Important: Airco, Water & Electricity

Water and electricity are extremely scarce and expensive in Cape Verde. Please use them very sparingly.

  • ⚡ Critical power warning: Never use the Air Conditioning, hair dryer and the kitchen induction hob at the same time. This will blow the main fuse. It can only be reset by building management, meaning you could be left without power until the next day if it happens at night.
  • ❄️ Airco rules: Keep all windows and doors tightly closed when the AC is running. Always turn the AC completely off whenever you leave the house.

  • 🚰 Important Note on Tap Water The island of Sal has no natural spring water, which means all seawater is desalinized to make running water. While the general tap water on the island is not recommended for drinking, we have a great solution for you!

    You can safely drink the tap water directly from our kitchen, but ONLY from the cold water tap! We have installed a specialized professional water filter on the cold water tap in the kitchen. This means you can enjoy fresh, clean drinking water throughout your stay without the need to buy or carry heavy plastic bottles from the supermarket! 🌿

🍽️ Groceries & Restaurants

Check out our personal favorites, supermarkets, and ATMs on our custom Google Maps Local Guide Map.

  • Breakfast & Coffee: Right next door you will find Giramundo a lovely coffee/ice cream shop selling delicious sandwiches and croissants for €2.50. We also highly recommend Cape Fruit (a 200m walk) for amazing smoothies, healthy breakfasts, and pancakes.

  • Supermarkets: There is a Chinese supermarket just around the corner behind Leme Bedje. Larger grocery stores are marked on our Google Maps link.

  • Local Wine Tips: Try the local white wine Chã (from Fogo)—it is delicious and available almost everywhere. For red wine, look for Pêra Doce at the Chinese shops.

🚪 Check-Out Checklist

The final cleaning is included, but we kindly ask you to leave the house tidy by following this checklist before you go. The guests before you will do the same, so you can have a check-in as early as possible:

  1. Linens & Towels: Strip the beds and place all used sheets and towels in a pile on the bathroom floor.

  2. Dishes: Please wash any dishes you have used.

  3. Trash: Take all rubbish to the bins by the pool area. You can leave any unopened food or drinks in the fridge.

  4. Cooking: Double-check that all knobs on the induction hob are completely off.

  5. Power: Turn off the Air Conditioning and all lights.

  6. Keys: WhatsApp Adrian to let him know your departure time so he can collect the keys.

🚭 Smoking Policy

Sorry no smoking! Smoking is strictly prohibited inside the house. You may smoke on the balcony, but please bring the ashtray back inside when finished.

📞 Emergency Contacts

  • Local Host (Adrian):                 +238  91 986 16

  • First Back-up (Germaine):       +316 54 712 724

  • Second Back-up (Gerard):       +316 10 722 901

🔆🔆🔆 We wish you a fantastic, sunny holiday! 🔆🔆🔆