Beach on fire (Santa Maria, Cape Verde)

If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be?

It's been just over a week since I got back to London from sunny beautiful California, and I want nothing more than to be on a beach, in the ocean, with the sun all day until it disappears under the waves. This particular picture was taken in Santa Maria on the island of Sal in Cape Verde. The island is famed for its luscious sandy beaches and clear blue water - BUT if you're looking for the best beach of Sal, look no further than the main beach of Santa Maria.

With most places the main, big beach, that everyone loves is usually a bit shit. Maybe it's overcrowded, loud and all these people fill it up with trash. However, this is not the case in Santa Maria, as although it is a large and busy beach, you never feel encroached on and there's plenty of space for everybody. There was minimal trash, and the sand was so nice and fine, yet not TOO fine to be a nuisance.

If you do prefer something more secluded, there seemed to be an island-wide consensus that Ponta Preta was the second best beach. It is perfect for kitesurfing (though most of the island is anyway, thanks to the powerful gusts it receives from the Atlantic), and there's even a huge dune there for you to push a friend off of it and see what happens. 🙈