“I always come to the beach to take a bath, I saw that the space is practically abandoned because we don’t always farm here because a lot of stray animals invade the land. So I said, I’m going to start working there,” the 42-year-old businessman, who is also a second-cycle art education teacher, tells Lusa.
After surrounding the area and cleaning up the vegetable garden, Emanuel Moreira, better known as Kim, said he needed a place to store the materials he uses for farming.
So it occupied the first cave, formerly a bird haven, in the bay of Mangue das Sete Ribeiras, in the municipality of Calheta de San Miguel, located on the national road Praia – Tarrafal, just over an hour from the city of Praia Beach , coastal route of Santiago Island.
But courage was viewed with some suspicion. “In the beginning, there was some criticism from the people because there was not enough water for society and also for the practice of irrigated agriculture,” he says.
So everyone got to work and cleaned the local well, and Emanuel continued to work in the cave, which quickly transformed and left everyone with their mouths open.
“We were working on the house and it got a lot of attention from the residents, a lot of people started stopping by asking what was going on here,” Kim continues.
And after six to seven months of hard work, he saw that it was necessary to expand the space even more, and it was there that he began to think about building a boarding house, which opened on January 15, Dia de Santo Amaro Abade, patron saint of the neighboring municipality of Tarrafal.
With three bedrooms clad in wood on the outside, what impresses the most are the stones on the inside, the freshness that doesn’t require air conditioning, and the simplicity of being in genuine contact with nature.
But everything else is like in a regular room, with a separate bathroom, bed, sofa, in a complex that is still under construction.
With the name Grutas dos Amores, the bay already attracts many curious people, which is classified by the municipal council of Calheta de San Miguel as a natural monument of scenic and geological interest.
The municipality writes on its official page that for a long time the bay was used as one of the main supply ports in the northern part of the municipality, with a beach that continues to serve as an anchorage for local boats that supply the guesthouse’s restaurant. .
In almost four months, the boarding house has already received about 50 guests, according to the promoter, who did not neglect safety issues, and the ceilings, although made of very sedimentary rock, were spray-painted and protected with special means, with details. with reinforced concrete “for those who are afraid to be literally under a rock.”
And because it’s tilted, any stone that falls off the cliff falls straight into the garden, and Kim took the opportunity to ask for support to put up a hammock to provide even more security for the patrons, who are already over 1,000 between the guesthouse and the restaurant.
And for the future, there is no doubt that rooms priced at 2,000 escudos (18 euros) per couple, including breakfast, will not be able to meet such a large demand. “The rooms we have will not arrive. We are in great demand.”
And there are many attractions. In addition to the breathtaking view of the bay, whose nearest village is Achada Monte, local produce, fish and seafood, and roast lamb are the signature specialties.
“This is mountain, natural, green space tourism. This is what we want to provide here,” the professor guarantees, who does not say how much he has invested so far, but says that it was all his life savings.
“I put all my savings here to see if I can achieve some goal later,” says the businessman, who still owns three Hiaces that transport passengers between the municipalities of Santiago and which also give him some financial assistance. company.
Therefore, work will continue, with the construction of additional rooms, some not in caves, so that, he explains, they can also accept people who are afraid to sleep under a rock.
And since everything is practically in the beginning, the local authorities helped with the garbage container and cleanup of the surrounding area, the promoter took the opportunity to ask for support from institutions, both public and private, to protect the rock and build a car park.
On weekends, the busiest time, the space has eight to 10 employees, and three on weekdays, says the businessman, who hopes to host tourists and expats this summer.
And also to have a place for an exhibition of the products of Rebelados de Espinho Branco, a religious community that has lived in isolation from the rest of Cape Verde for over 60 years and which is centered in Espinho Branco, also in the municipality of Calheta. de San Miguel.
Emanuel Moreira also wants to host all kinds of programs, from receptions, baptisms, birthdays, dinners, and to see the space included in the itineraries of travel and travel agencies in Santiago, while also being a representative in San Miguel of a company in the sector.
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