Bamboo Xaguate Hotel

We ended up staying here unexpectedly due to flight cancellations because of the Sahara dust cloud. We found the staff to all be friendly and good at their jobs, room was comfortable and had everything we needed (except a kettle for tea/coffee but that's uncommon in Cape Verde). Room was extremely clean. Lovely view from the seaview balcony. Pool area was good, with lovely trees and plants all around. Although the pool really needs a good clean as the water was cloudy and the pool edges were dirty. Food around the pool was great and reasonably priced. Cocktails are also good - strong! Breakfast plentiful with the offer of omelette or eggs cooked to order. I would recommend this hotel.

Pool needs better maintenance. Filters not working properly so pool foggy. Bathroom in desperate need of updates. Beds hard and super uncomfortable. Staff is excellent. Very helpful and friendly. Room cleaned well daily. Excellent views of the ocean and the Island of Brava. Sunsets are amazing. Potential to be an excellent hotel with some maintenance and upgrades.

If you don't expect much then you are not disappointed. All of the hotel is in a drab brown including the sheets. Bed is comfortable, but they are in dire need of new pillows. Room was a decent size and had air conditioning. Bathroom fittings were new, and worked, but the tiles, door and floor tiles were not, and needed replacing. Breakfast was good with omelettes cooked to order. Service in the snack bar was good, but the receptionists were not so good with English, and were quite confused when I asked for a key for the safe. Good views, quiet to sleep at night, and convenient for the town.

The hotel has limited facilities but if you’re not interested in conference room facilities or having a restaurant / bar for lunch and dinner then it’s a great base for Sao Filipe. The room was spacious, bathroom could do with an upgrade for sure. Balcony was large with great view of the sunsetting over Brava. Pool is saltwater but was clean and empty. Maid was most helpful when my wife was consigned to the hotel for a day with an upset stomach (contracted in Santiago not Fogo). TV fine. Wi-Fi a little slow. It’s no more than a 5 minute walk to the centre of Sao Filipe. Breakfast buffet was understandably more limited than other hotels in Cape Verde due to the lack of guests but eggs were cooked freshly on request.