Family Holidays: Fuerteventura family holidays and breaks

Take the Family holiday rating 4 stars out of 5

Why

This is the destination for a serious beach holiday. An arid, near desert island, which, although the second largest of the Canaries, is one of the least populated. A few tough herdsmen scratch out a living on the empty interior, but life on Fuerteventura is definitely concentrated on the coast. Miles of white sandy beaches and a fairly constant wind (Fuerteventura means 'strong wind') means that it has fabulous conditions for surfers and windsurfers, although it is also easy to find some sheltered places to put down a towel. There is negligible rainfall and pretty constant sun, so its a question of just throwing some cozzies in a bag, not forgetting the serious sunblock and hitting the beach for the day. Although tourism is the life-blood of the island it has not been as badly exploited as some of the resorts on Tenerife, for example and you can get away from the main areas, Corralejo and Morro Jable quite easily if you want to.

Top left: Street in Fuerteventura
Top middle: Fuste Castle
Top right: Some local deliciousness

Bottom left: Fuerteventura harbour
Bottom right: Beach at Fuerteventura

When

FuerteVentura is on the same latitude as Florida, so it's not suprising that temperatures rarely fall below 18°C or rise above 28°C. With minimal fluctuations in temperature it makes a great family holiday destination. Average monthly rainfall from May to August is from 0.9mm to 0mm in August.

How

Charter flights regularly fly direct to Fuerteventura, (Puerto Del Rosario), from many UK airports, eg, Gatwick, Birmingham, Nottingham, Manchester and Newcastle. Check great flight deals British Airways or Expedia Flights. Excel Airways is our preferred airline and flys from Gatwick.

Stay

There is a wide variety of accomodation at Fuerteventura to suit every family. If you want to avoid busy resorts, why not choose from a secluded villas? Otherwise, choose from a multitude of budget to luxury hotels or try a self catering apartment. Have a look at Thomsons huge selection or Expedia Holidays.

Do

You can travel through the interior, which although pretty deserted, has its own unique charm, but you'll probably head for the coast and all the activities that the sea has to offer. We recommend heading down to the Jandia peninsula, especially the beaches of the Playa de Sotavento de Jandia which are breathtakingly beautiful and offer the best in swimming, sunbathing and windsurfing. Its relatively difficult to get to and most of the Jandia area is a national park, so you'll probably have to drive, but its worth it. You'll end up with sunsoaked, ecstatic children. The other major recommendation are the dunes of Corralejo in the north of the island. Corralejo itself, is a pretty dismal resort, but seriously redeemed by the dazzling white dunes which sweep back from the crystal blue ocean in gentle rolls. They are also protected as a national park, but you can sand-board and wind-board along them.

Eat

As on all the Canaries, you can if you want to, stick to pretty staple 'international' food, which might well keep fussy little appetites quiet, but if you are feeling more adventurous there is some very interesting and delicious food to discover. The main staple is 'gofio' only to be found on the Canaries - a roasted mixture of wheat, maize or barley which takes the place of bread. It's usually eaten with figs and almonds, showing its North African roots. Goats are used as the main meat source, although you can find a lot of rabbit and other more familiar meats. Goats milk cheeses are particularly delicious and there are a lot to choose from. On most menus you will see 'mojo', as in 'mojo rising'; its a delicious spicy sauce used with everything. Look out also for mangoes, avocadoes and papayas which are reputed to be particularly good here.

Cost

Prices vary a great deal from the low to peak season. As a guide, one week's self-catering costs from £300 in summer. One week's half-board in a hotel is around £600 in August. Flights only are from around £130.