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Bars in Santa Maria, SalFunana bar and cafeIn the main square is the Funana bar and cafe owned by Walther from Bavaria with live Cape Verde music and some basic dishes from Cape Verdes. It is marred now by cut-price tours from the Riu. But D&Y from Essex liked it. "Very busy had music played by local group. Larger meat menu than most we found as well as large fish menu."Odjo BarThis has a fine position to seaward of the hotel and a water's edge terrace for drinks. It is about 50% more expensive than other Cape Verde bars but worth that for the splendid position. Recently the service which was truly dreadful has improved. B from Manchester liked watching the fish "The Odjo d'Agua hotel sits right on a promontory in the middle of town, separating two long stretches of beach. It's cocktail terrace raises straight out of the sea, so you can sit on the balustrade with your sundowner spotting bejewelled tropical fish without so much as your mask and bikini! After dinner in a traditional restaurant in the centre of town, listening to a group of musicians playing in the square we strolled back to the Odjo d'Agua for a night cap before our taxi was due. This is a lovely hotel with a beach, a small and shady swimming pool (you start to value shade a lot in Cape Verde!) an open air restaurant, friendly staff and of course a beautiful terrace. With the terrace lights on, we could still look over the balustrade and watch the multi-coloured fish, the rising moon, the lights strung along the beach and listen to the sigh and fall of the waves and a distant African beat from somewhere in town. "Tam Tam BarHas been bought by an Irish couple, Amy and Ciaran from Dublin. So go there for an Irish welcome. Here's Amy's own description."My name is Amy Keenan and I recently moved to Santa Maria, Sal with my husband Ciaran.We are an Irish couple originally from Dublin. We have just bought a bar called Tam Tam which is on Rua Amilcar Cabral. We open from 8am to 12.30am Monday to Saturday serving food all day long.Although we don't want to be an Irish bar we definitely want people to feel the Irish warmth.We are a cafe-style bar offering tasty food, great service and warm Irish welcome. Tam tam is also a great meeting point for all potential investors and indeed holiday makers."The Irish Times comments "But which part of Malahide are you from?" one of our party, a true Dubliner, insists on knowing, "the north side or the south side?" It is late, and our group has wandered down a side street in Santa Maria, the nearest village to our hotel on the island of Sal, Cape Verde, looking for a drink. Amazingly, we find an Irish bar: does everywhere in the world - even this remote sandy island - have an Irish pub? The Tam Tam, recently bought by a young north county Dublin couple, is Cape Verdean but is rapidly being transformed, with an Irish flag up behind the bar, and invading Paddies like ourselves adding Irish flavour."N from Warwicks enjoyed the atmosphere"The place was absolutely heaving. It is obviously the IN PLACE"Papaya@Porto AnticoPapaya @ Porto Antico Restaurant, bar and terrace This has been sold by Gemma and Dorothy from Dublin to a Chelsea lady. It has a balcony overlooking the sea and a poolside terrace, It has a pizza oven, brass bar rail, and wooden floorl. N from Warwicks liked it"It was very good, we went there a lot"May O`Leary`sThis has been sold and seems to have improved. N from Warwicks found it was not doing well under irish management."It was absolutely dead. The Manager was very nice. But they had no Guinness"Morabeza Beach Club and Upstairs BarNear the hotel of the same name has a barbecue. It is a good place to drink cheap beer at lunchtime, with rapid service.It offers a good value late brunch at weekends. Other meals in the hotel or beach club restaurant are double local prices. P from London liked the main bar. "We absolutely loved going to the upstairs bar at the Morabeza (in addition to drinks at sunset at the beach bar) and when I had my birthday meal there the staff were absolutely amazing and were very attentive."R&V from Scotland met other Brits there.." We also frequented the Morabezza hotel restaurant which is a pleasant experience, they also have a cosy bar which seemed the preferred watering hole for English speaking folks. All in all we enjoyed the food, especially the fish wherever we ate. The Morabezza hotel is clearly the nicest hotel in the area."G from Bristol liked the Happy Hour "We had buffet dinners at the hotel twice, which we found good - again with lots of choices - plus evening entertainment. Pre-dinner Happy Hour was good too, where the bar staff produce an excellent Caipirinha cocktail !" |