Calhau & the area
Calhau is a small fishing village on the east coast of São Vicente, at the foot of a volcano. It is quiet here — and that is exactly the point. The village still covers the basics: a few restaurants, a mini-market and fresh fish straight from the boats.
The beach and the turtles
The beach in front of the house is long, wild and usually empty. In the summer months (June–October) sea turtles come here to nest; the "Tartarugas" sign on the beach gave the house its name. The sea has currents here — for swimming, the bay of Baía das Gatas is ten minutes away.
Mindelo
Cape Verde's cultural capital is fifteen minutes away: colourful markets, cafés, restaurants and live music — the city of Cesária Évora. Carnival takes over in February. This is where you do your big shopping; aluguers (shared minibuses) run daily between Calhau and the city.
What a month here looks like
Morning walks to Praia Grande. Hiking Monte Verde. Kitesurfing at São Pedro. Live music in Mindelo on Friday nights. A day trip by ferry to Santo Antão. And apart from that: nothing. That is the idea.
Working from Casa Tartaruga
An office with a view of the Atlantic: the roof terrace has shade, a power socket and 180 degrees of sea. Internet comes via Starlink — 55 Mbps download, 15 Mbps upload — so video calls, large files and streaming are no problem.
Cape Verde is on UTC-1: one hour behind Lisbon and London's winter time, two hours behind Central Europe. Easy to overlap with office hours back home and still have the late afternoon for the beach.
Honest about the area
Calhau is small and quiet; that is the point. A rental car is convenient but not essential. Wind is part of the island, especially from December to March. The beach is wild and the sea has currents; for swimming, Baía das Gatas is close by.
