A week on Fuerteventura

Old Jun 7th, 2011, 07:07 AM
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A week on Fuerteventura

There aren't many trip reviews on here for the lesser known Canary Islands, so here goes with this one. A friend of mine has a house near Corralejo, in a little development called Tamaragua, also known by the developer as La Capellania. He kindly allowed us to use it last year and again this year. It has two bedrooms, so we took two friends along with us for a week of of chilling, eating and not much else.

We flew out of Leeds early on Friday 27th May with RyanAir and despite what people say about them, it all went smoothly, on time and trouble free. We landed after a flight of just under 4 hours, got the luggage and picked up our hire car from Cicar-an Opel Meriva for €170 with unlimited mileage. We had pre-booked Hertz for a similar price, but when we went for the car, they decided that the price we had been quoted didn't include much and insisted that the price was now €360 for the week. We advised them what to do with their car. I 've used Hertz lots of times without this problem, so it was a bit annoying.

The cases went in (just) Ok and we headed off to the house. It was nice to know where we were going and what awaited us in terms of accommodation etc. and got there for around 1pm. It has a good size lounge, separate kitchen and bathroom plus two reasonable bedrooms. A large patio has a plunge pool in one corner and a built in barbecue in another. We unpacked, got changed and headed out for lunch into the town, about 10 minutes away. There's a small harbour area in Corralejo that in lined with restaurants and bars, some good and some loud. We decided on a place called La Factoria that does great tapas and had a light, lazy lunch.

After eating, we had a wander round the place to check on whether a couple of the good restaurants that we had eaten in last year were still around and enjoyed a walk round the harbour in what was a warm afternoon. We'd been up early this morning, 4am to get to the airport, so we weren't looking for a late night or a heavy meal, so fish seemed to fit the bill and we chose a restaurant again on the harbour. There's asmall beach in front of this restaurant whose name I forget, where sand sculptors do intricate work and a fire eater gives a performance. It's the one on the left end of the beach near the statue of the fisherman with his wife and child. The food was OK, nothing madly special but acceptable. Wine is inexpensive, especially for Spanish wines obviously. Another stroll around and then back home for an early(ish) night.

We all slept in on the Saturday till about 9am, late for us and we had a leisurely breakfast of fruit, cheese, local bread and coffee. The temperature was getting warm and we decided to have a barbecue that evening and went off to do the shopping for it. Big king prawns, steaks, swordfish steaks, local sausage and salad. We had a great evening with lots of Campari and sodas, local wine and good conversation with good friends.

Sunday-again hot and sunny, snack lunch and then into town for dinner. We found that this was the eve of the Dia de canarias, canary Island Day, which is a date that recalls the anniversary of the setting-up of the first regional parliament in the islands. It also has many cultural, traditional, festive and political events taking place all around the island. We didn't see the political stuff, but found that there was traditional music and dancing in the main square which was full of tables where local people were eating and drinking. Some of it looked really good and we were kindly offered a taste of various of the items. Makes you hungry for dinner! We went to Caracoles, a small tapas style restaurant just off what's known as the "Music Square". The food is freshly prepared and is very good. One of the better places to eat in the town, again good wine.

Monday--after breakfast we decided to have a drive across the island to Betancuria. This used to be the old capital of the island but is really only a small village now, sitting in the bottom of a valley. It is picturesque though and has a lovely small church and square. The square was full of music and dancing again and we passed a happy couple of hours here, attempting to join in and enjoying the sound of the music. Very lucky to have chanced on this festival during our stay. The area around Betancuria is mountainous and beautiful, well worth the drive although some of the narrower roads are a bit hairy when there's a coach coming the other way. Back again and a curry. There are a few "Indian" restaurants in corralejo, but the best one that we found is the Jaipur. The Bombay doesn't have a good reputation with the expat community. There's a newish one that wasn't there last year called Fazz's, but we haven't tried it. Trip Advisor rates the Bombay and Fazz's, but you can just tell who posted some of the gushing reviews can't you? Good curry , no wine just Indian beer.

Tuesday--we decided to eat at El Horno tonight. It's a little place in Villaverde, not too far from the house. We're heading for El Cotillo today, a small village by the sea round the coast from us and pass through Villaverde to get there, so we call in and reserve a table. The owner tells us that after tonight, he is closed for 3 weeks for holidays, so just in time. El Cotillo is a small place and we drive through heading for the lighthouse at the end of the dunes. There's a little circular walk there along the sea and then across the spit of land that the lighthouse sits on, so we have a wander and are glad to cool off in the sea. We pass a pleasant day and back for dinner. the food is as good as always, (our 3rd visit in the last two years) and a long and very pleasant evening is had by all.

Wednesday-whilst at El Cotillo yesterday, we remembered a very good restaurant that we had lunch at last year, It's on the road through the dunes and is called Azzurro. It has an Italian theme and we went up there for lunch. On entering, we were given a glass of Cava Rose and were told that the restaurant was sold and this was its last day. It was to be refurbed and reopened in a couple of months. We had a really good lunch with excellent and perfectly cooked pasta--I hope that it doesn't turn it into a fast food joint. We had a long walk along the dunes and the shoreline after lunch, to walk it off and make some room for dinner! Back into Corralejo, where we ate at another place on the harbour, Sottovento. Plain cooking, perfectly Ok and a great view.

Thursday--we're going across to a small island just offshore, called Lobos. The boat goes at 10am and we'll be back on the 13:45. There's a circular walk of about 5 or 6 kms and then lunch at a place near the jetty that offers either Paella or fish, no other choices. The walk was baking hot, grateful for my hat and bottled water and we opted for the paella, our companions for the fish. There's a guy outside the window cleaning the fish straight out of the sea and they come freshly cooked to the table with canarian potatoes. The paella is stuffed full of prawns and has a great flavour. After the walk, we're glad of some shade and a nice lunch. Back into Corralejo for some shopping and to the Tio bernabe for dinner. It's in a small square at the back of the Music Square and I have a good steak and excellent wine. Last night so a good cava!

Off early for our flight at 12:10 and back home for 6pm. A good week, can't wait for the next one.
Lifeman is offline  
Old Jun 11th, 2011, 05:50 AM
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sounds good.... didn't try to cover too much ground by seeing too many places. i enjoy hearing about places that are off the beaten path too. comes in handy for those who are interested in visiting places besides Madrid or Barcelona
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Old Jun 11th, 2011, 07:58 AM
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Great report, a different kind of Spain experience! I haven't been to Fuerteventura, but love Lanzarote.

Three Lanzarote tips:

La Caleta, a tiny fishing-village close to fabulous Famara beach: http://www.lacaleta.net/en/lacaleta.html

The fine, little capital Arrecife: http://www.lanzaroteguidebook.com/arrecife/

Seaside restaurants in El Golfo, such as these, with the freshest fish and seafood:
http://www.restaurantebogavante.es/
http://www.canarynightlife.net/lanza...ntedemarPB.htm
kimhe is offline  
Old Jun 11th, 2011, 09:15 AM
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Eric

will catch up with the report when I have time.

Would love to go to Fuerteventura some day. The Caribbean is very variable in winter and the temps in The Canaries seem to be far more reliable in February. Have to dash!
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Old Jun 12th, 2011, 02:04 AM
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kimhe...Lanzarote is a 15 minute crossing from Correljo and costs about €40 for a car and four passengers. It goes into to Playa Blanca, so next time you're on Lanzarote, you can have a look at the Corralejo area.

humptynumpty..we were in the Caribbean in November last and the weather was very hot from the Bahamas right across to mexico. However, avoid the hurricane season. The Canaries are windy most of the year, but the sun tends to shine.
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Old Jun 12th, 2011, 05:48 AM
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Thanks for the tips!
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Old Apr 16th, 2015, 02:46 AM
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I just come back from Fuerteventura. I love this place. The landscapes are striking.
See some here:
http://www.allphotobangkok.com/index...fuerteventura/
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