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Hotel Venta Club all-inclusiveBoa Vista on Praia de Chaves beachDirect flights from Gatwick and Lisbon to Boa Vista start NovemberThis hotel is right on the beach at Chaves, probably the best accessible beach on Boa Vista. It has ranked box-like flats raked up a hillside so that all will have sea views. Hotel Ventaclub - Butlins super MareNicer than the Riu with an Italian ambienceThis is a vast new holiday camp on the magnificent Praia de Chaves with apartment type accomodation built up onto the hillside so that each has a view of the beach. Every one has a usable terrace where you can sit and there is always plenty of room both around the pool and on the very wide beach. Its layout and food are both better than those at the Riu.. Like the Riu. it is all-inclusive which means that everything is free once you have paid but that you must wear a wrist band. There are tennis lessons and pool aerobics and incessant background taped music but otherwise not much to do. Food is better than most and Italian-inspired but suprisingly the pizza was thick, soggy and tasteless. You can drink as much cheap wine as you like and because the other guests are all Italians or Portuguese, nobody gets drunk.The coffee in the restaurant is undrinkable so the staff clog up the cappucino service in the cafeteria. We were quite glad to leave after two days, because unless you speak good Italian it is not easy to contact other guests. You do not feel as though you are in the Cape Verdes at all. The advantage of the Club Med type of operation is that that it has lots of facilities for children and even babies so that guests with families are able to get away from them with a feeling of security. The disadvantage is that it is really only for Italians. Half of the staff are Italian, very scruffily dressed in tee-shirts and jeans. They are trained to address you but will not help you and after a while you will get fed up with all the Ciaos and Buon Appetitos, which seem about as meaningful as the American "Have a nice Day". W from Manchester swotted up on Italian "I t was great! We had a junior suite by the beach with wonderful views of a fabulous beach. Yes the food was Italian but very good. Mario the food and beverage manager did his upmost to ensure that everyone felt welcome. Everyone at this hotel tried hard to be helpful. Yes there is a language barrier. I bought two phrase books one Italian one Portuguese and returned able to order food and drink due to the helpfulness of restaurant and reception staff."W from Birmingham was not entirely impressed "Just got back from 2 weeks, then spent another week in Morabessa hotel, Sal. Most entertainment is in Italian, It is clean, on the beach, has a nice pool and offers quad bikes. Food is varied. I did the quad trip,which was superb and got to see the island and what it has to offer. There is 24 hour security with guards, But food was often cold or tepid The beach restaurant opens when they felt like it with no times indicated. The snack bar reduced its menu to salad and cold pizza slices. Staff has not been trained and reception gave our passports back to the wrong people."I from Glasgow was not told it was Italian ." 95% of guests are Italian. It is an Italian Butlins. Only 1 or 2 staff can muster a couple of words of English. Signs andr menus are in Italian. Staff made an effort to translate to pigeon. I went on holiday to Cape Verde NOT Italy. Rooms are very basic. Ours had two bedsa a wardrobe with a few coathangers, a safe, a desk, a TV that had one Italian channel ! It also had air conditioning - which was entirely unnecessary during our stay. The suite bit included a sofabed, a small coffee table, a breakfast bar with 4 stools and a 'kitchen' unit that included a microwave, 2 ring electric hob, sink and fridge. The food Italian Buffet style 'school dinner' Meals had long queues at each counter but arrive later and some dishes would be gone. I finally negotiated a massage of some description which was nice enough but costly. The pool was freezing. The gym basic with old and well worn gear. Tennis, Archery, football, volleyball were organised in Italian as team sportsso we felt excluded. Entertainment in Italian, very cheesy, cabaret. The red flag on the beach wasoften up as the waves were too big to swim.."The front desk is so lazy that you have to carry your own bags to and from the motel type accomodation which may be 500m away. The front desk manager is too lazy even to talk to guests. And the deputy manager who worked in Zanzibar does not think that VentaClub appeals to British tastes. He concedes that they really only cater for Italians and do not put themselves out for other nationalities. The manager is an Italian who speaks English but his lazy staff take little notice of him. Prices from £290 per person for a week all-inclusive of meals and drinks.
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