There is a lot of hype in the UK and Ireland about the Cape Verde islands. Some photos of Sal in Tour Operator and various Property magazines look lovely, but Barbados it isn’t!

A Place in the Sun Live - The show was held on 25th-27th April 08 at London ExCel. There were several Real Estate agencies selling and promoting Sal. Looking at the displays of some it was still clear that many people would believe that Sal or Cape Verde had vast amounts of palm tree lined beaches. Amanda Lamb stated that she had been to Sal in 2005 and was surprised on arrival by the dry landscape.

It did annoy her that some people who were selling property on Sal were not telling people what it was really like. She went on to urge people in general, to carry out as much research as possible and visit places before making a decision to buy property anywhere.

Amanda's statement was nothing new to those who had already visited the island. Most of us that have moved to Sal Island, Cape Verde came here after carrying out research and visiting the island at least once.

Sal island is nothing like Barbados, the palm tree lined beaches that you may see on photos will probably not have been taken on any Cape Verde Island. You may find it difficult to imagine that the island was once green, however after lengthy periods of drought, the land dried up. The brown, grey, black and white with some yellows and orange coloured soil and rock is what you will find, with the occasional oasis still struggling to survive.

However, take a look at the Cotton Bay Photo Album within Picasa Albums in the Photo Gallery. Click on the link, it will show you plants, pictures and video of what can be grown on Sal and the other islands, with a regular supply of treated water. We have a blog about Cape Verde Landscapes and 'What we do'... how they too are growing plants and trees to place in new development projects on Sal Island.

Things will keep improve but it will take time and a considerable amount of investment. When the larger resorts are built they will have new gardens and leisure areas designed, but outside of those, it will be the dry barren landscape that its been for years.