Frequent Questions

– Is Ponta Calma suitable for me?
The houses are located away from the road, you cross the beach on foot and then walk over rocks on a narrow path up to the peninsula (approx. 150 metres in total).
(Not suitable for people with walking difficulties, who are not sure-footed or cannot carry their own luggage).

– How are the houses equipped?
You are renting a holiday home, we are not a hotel or a guesthouse. The houses are well equipped. There is a kitchen, shower and toilet, but no hot water (it is about 23º). Towels and bed linen are changed weekly.

– How do I get to Carriçal, Ponta Calma?
Driver Djodje will be happy to pick you up from the airport, the ferry or a location of your choice. If your arrival time is delayed, please call him – landline (+238) 2352492 mobile (+238)9816546 – and he will adjust to the new arrival time. If you wish, he will take you to Ribeira Brava for shopping. If you arrive in the evening, you can go shopping in Juncalinho at Paulinho, who has a pub and a shop that is still open later in the evening. You can sit in the driver’s cab or outside on the pick-up, then you can see more of the island.

– What catering options are available?
There are two catering options for the holiday homes:
1) You cater for yourself.
2) You can go to Ana’s restaurant ‘Beramar’ in Carriçal and have either breakfast (€8.50), dinner (€10.00) or half board (€18.00). It’s best to let us know when you book so Ana can do enough shopping beforehand.

– Where and what is the best place to buy?
In the village you can buy basic foodstuffs from Angela, rice, pasta, corn, flour, milk, juices, red wine, beer, potatoes, onions, etc. Vegetables are rarely available in Carriçal. Ana can get you fresh fish on request, directly from the fishermen. She will gut it and make fillets or leave the fish in one piece, whichever you prefer. Please pay the fish and the work directly to Ana.

– Is the tap water safe to drink?
The tap water in Carriçal is heavily calcified and not necessarily always germ-free.
It is therefore best to bring drinking water (in 5 litre bottles) or buy it from Ana in the restaurant.

– Are there mosquitoes?
Fortunately, there are no mosquitoes on the peninsula!

– Is there telephone/internet in Carriçal?
Internet in Carriçal is only available via the mobile phone network. There is no reception at all on the peninsula or in the houses.
Perfect for a ‘digital detox’ time!
In the Beramar restaurant, the telephone and 2G internet work, but not equally well every day. Email and WhatsApp work quite well, but surfing the net is not so good.
Iphones have particularly poor internet reception in Carriçal, Samsung phones work best.
Tip: You always have to manually set the phone to ‘2G’ in the configuration!

– What do I need to take with me?
In any case you need:
– Headlamp or torch
– good sun cream
– a hat
– good shoes, possibly hiking sandals
– a warm jacket for the evening

– Who will look after me on site?
Our team on site will do this. Ana, Toi, Djodje, Cabeça.
Ana is the soul of the whole thing, she welcomes you on site, briefs you and gives you the keys. She is on the property in the morning and is your main contact person. Ana takes good care of the guests, language-wise it can sometimes get complicated. Then use the dictionary to help you. By the way: Lugging suitcases, language lessons etc. are not part of her job. If she does it anyway, she’ll be happy to receive a nice tip when you leave. She uses the money to pay for two of her children to study to become teachers. Toi looks after the electrics, solar system, repairs to doors and walls etc. and is a hiking guide. Cabeça is a fisherman with his own boat, which you can hire for excursions and also he is a welder, he repairs outboard motors. Djodje is the driver. He has a pick-up, is helpful and, above all, extremely reliable and charges normal prices.
The people are all very nice. If something goes wrong, which is rarely the case, it’s never due to bad intentions, but rather misunderstandings. The general rule is: always remain calm and friendly.