Shops

Many shops and agencies in Santa Maria tend to close in the afternoons. General closing times are between 1 – 3p.m. although there are some that close/re-open at later times.

Some shops/restaurants change their days of closure to a different day in the summer.

A number of restaurants/businesses/bars close during sometime in May or September.

Also check the bank holidays dates for not only Cape Verde but the islands you are planning to visit. You may arrive there to find that certain shops or agencies are closed. There are some additional holidays on each island that differ to others.

Mini-markets: There are some mini-markets in Santa Maria and also in Espargos.

Most people buy items from Espargos, as it’s generally cheaper and its where they also have things like building/plumbing supplies.

Suntan lotions, shampoos and conditioner is more expensive and there isn’t a great deal of choice, so bring plenty with you.

I wouldn't say that all the goods with brand names that are for sale here are genuine, whether branded shampoos, sun lotions or electrical goods etc.

Mini-markets are mostly small shops; there are a few a bit larger. Some smaller without signs, so you may walk past them without realizing they were there.

Not all shops/ cafe's etc areas follow the same guidelines on not refreezing food after it has been defrosted. Not sure whether any of the small shops have generators to support the running of their freezers. Maybe they re-freeze meats?

There is a local mini-market that ha opened on the new raod between the news Police Station and Pirata, theyhave started to import Heinz and other brands, its even got trolleys!

Shoes & Bags: There is one quite nice purpose built shop that sells shoes etc. in Santa Maria, it’s near the BCA bank. However, wearing high shoes (ladies) is not recommended when walking the streets because of the gaps between cobbled stones, some tarmac roads then dirt tracks.

The Shoe Shop also sells other items such as sunglasses which are reasonably priced.

Commercial Shops: Some newer developments have commercial areas to let.

Some British are now starting to invest in commercial property. Hopefully they will have read about some of the difficulties with importing goods on this website. Solicitors should be used to find out about all the nitty gritty important stuff. Whether buying to re-sell, intending to import goods or setting up in a partnership with someone....the laws are different, so check that your investment is safeguarded.

Loja Chinese: The Loja Chinese shops, of which there are a few, sell some electrical items. One person I know has bought a TV from there which he is quite happy with and has had for some time, another couple bought an electric fan and a music centre, both stopped working within 3 weeks of buying them.

The Loja Chinese Stores are generally accepted as being cheaper than other electrical shops (there aren't many). Electric items on the island are generally more expensive than in the UK. They don't always have prices on the items, so the same things that you buy one week may be a different price the next! They don't tend to give receipts either so unless you know what things cost, be careful. You may be told the total price, but also check your change as well as the cost of each item! This isn't a problem at all of these stores.

There are a number of Chinese Shops in Santa Maria and Espargos which sell various basic items including clothing and cutlery but they are limited as is the quality and range (no food items generally).

If you buy a pan from the Chinese shop, make sure there isn't glue at the bottom of the pan where they have filled in a hole, a friend returned it because it had a hole in it, they offered to put some glue in to block the hole, she declined the offer.

Fresh Food: I am not sure whether they are still selling fish cutlets from the pier, but if they are, take your own plastic bag otherwise they charge you. I was informed that its 300esc per kilo of fresh fish tuna from the pier but prices will have changed since 2006.

Fresh produce is normally shipped in from other ilands. See : Inter island shipping.

Deli's - A number of Deli's are now open in Santa Maria, Sal. These provide some nice cheeses and meats, imported from, Italy, Europe and the Canaries.

There are a number of larger supermarkets on the island of Santiago which now sell a number of British favourites such as Branston Pickle, Haywards Pickles, Rogan Josh paste and Bacon.

Other food items maybe imported from the Canaries.

There are many difficulties at the moment with importing food items.....ask people who run restaurants.

Another person bought a whole tuna which was filleted and he kept in the freezer section in his apartment. The power supply has been known to go off for a few days, so just keep this in mind if buying large quantities of freezer items and there is no back up generator for your building/apt.

Not all shops/ cafe's etc follow the same guidelines on not refreezing food after it has been defrosted. Not sure whether any of the small shops have generators to support the running of their freezers. Maybe they re-freeze meats?

Wholesale: There is a wholesale supplier in Santa Maria which sells cookware and packs of food items amongst other things. Its on the other side of the open ground football pitch. There are others in Palmeira and Espargos.

Bakery (Padaria): The main bakery can be found at the top end of street further up from the square. In the bread shop they sell carcasa's which are crusty rolls, pao (finger rolls), french bread, coconut bread, sweet bread as well as other breads and doughnuts. Other than that there are some shops who may sell rolls. There is only one shop in Santa Maria that sells sliced bread and you can ask for 'sal pao' which is salt bread.....its like our small loaves of sliced bread in UK. This shop is known to locals as Santo Antao. Most other sliced loaves of bread are thicker slices and sweet and cafe's/restaurant use them to make sandwiches (unless you ask if it is served as a carcasa roll).

Delicatessen: Another one has opened next to the bakery, the other is at the Relax.

Clothes: There are a few more clothes shops opening, mainly with sports wear, T-Shirt shops, or branded goods.

Toilets and bathroom facilities: Some restaurants and bars will have facilities downstairs, upstairs, in the same room. Not all are easily accessible to people with certain mobility difficulties.

Currency: The currency in Cape Verde is escudos. One euro is equal roughly to 110escudos (cve), but in the banks it is set at 110.265cve. Euros are accepted on Sal Island but not all the other islands yet. Generally however, if you buy a drink that would normally cost 100escudos and you use one euro to pay for it, you won’t get 10escudos in change.

You are not supposed to take any escudos out of the country so please convert to euros before departing.