Mansa Marina Hotel

We spent one night at Mansa Hotel before our return flight, and it was by far the worst place we stayed across São Vicente and Santo Antão. The rooms were poorly maintained and didn’t look like the online photos, with stained walls and dirty floors. There was no toilet paper, soap, or duvets, so we had to go to reception several times. The internet didn’t work, and reporting it got us no help. We were made to prepay before anyone told us a wedding was taking place. We were first denied access to facilities like the pool and restaurant, then the alternative arrangements briefly offered were taken back. Breakfast was meant to start at 07:00 but came later, and the food was very poor. We also overheard staff making fun of our Portuguese, and found their attitude dismissive and unprofessional. I can’t recommend this hotel.

The place felt worn down and poorly run, despite trying to seem fancy and professional. Things didn’t work well, if at all, and nobody seemed to care. We weren’t suffering or anything, but it was a consistently disappointing, low-quality stay, so don’t get too excited. We’d booked Mansa Hotel for a relaxing day by the pool after hiking on Santo Antão. After we checked in and paid, we were told the pool, restaurant, and outdoor area were closed for a wedding. Staff offered access to the pool at one of two other hotels, which we accepted, but then they couldn’t arrange it after all. That took away the whole point of our booking, and nobody seemed to care much. We also confirmed in advance that breakfast would be open from 7 AM for our early flight. At 7:10 the next morning, nothing was ready, so we had to leave for our taxi. Again, nobody seemed to care.

We only had two nights here during our holiday across several Cape Verde islands, and wished we could have stayed longer. The pool has a postcard-like setting, with the mountain, ocean, and beautiful boats behind it. The location was 10/10, breakfast was really good compared with other hotels we’d tried in CV, and the staff were always kind and helpful. The room was super spacious and comfortable. It had no bathroom door, which isn’t my preferred design, but it wasn’t enough to lower the rating.

For Mindelo, the food is reasonable or good by Cape Verde standards. But service took a long time: on all three occasions we had lunch, it was over an hour before we were served. Keep that in mind before eating here.