The Paúl valley renovates its farmhouses beside the grogue stills

A valley that smells of cane and rum

The Paúl valley is the production centre of grogue, the island's signature spirit.

From farmhouse to charming guesthouse

Families are renovating old farmhouses as rural accommodation for hikers.

Grogue as a selling point

Proximity to a still is now included as an added value in property listings.

Risk of losing agricultural use

There are fears that the shift to tourism will draw labour away from sugarcane cultivation.

An agricultural heritage centuries in the making

Sugarcane cultivation in the Paúl valley dates back to Santo Antão's first colonial settlements, and traditional stills have been part of the landscape for generations. Many of the houses being renovated today were originally built to house distillery workers. This historical continuity adds symbolic value to the valley's oldest homes.

Hikers and visitors reshape demand

The hiking boom in Santo Antão, one of Cape Verde's leading tourist draws, has multiplied demand for rural accommodation in spots such as Paúl. Local tour operators say visitors particularly value direct contact with grogue production. This trend has encouraged more families to consider renovating properties that had stood shut for years.

Comparison with Ribeira Grande do Paúl

Compared with other farming valleys on the island, such as those of Ribeira Grande, Paúl stands out for having a larger number of stills still in operation, which reinforces its distinct appeal. This singularity explains why renovated homes with views of a still command higher prices than similar properties in neighbouring valleys. Local owners are well aware of this comparative advantage and play it up in their listings.

Calls for balance

Grogue producers' associations insist that the tourism-driven revaluation must not come at the expense of abandoning the crops that give the valley its meaning. They are calling on the authorities to pair renovation with specific incentives to retain agricultural labour. They agree that Paúl's appeal depends precisely on productive activity and accommodation coexisting, without one displacing the other.