Since 2013 we have visited Fuerteventura, in the Canary Islands, every two years. We seem to have fallen in love with the island as it has so much going for it. I’ve written various posts and created vlogs about our previous Fuerteventura holidays but I wanted to write a kind of ’round-up’ post as to why we love it so much and what you can expect if you chose to book a holiday to this beautiful island.
Firstly I’d say that Fuerteventura is a great family holiday destination; it’s only four hours by aeroplane, the locals are friendly and speak fantastic English, the more popular resorts have fantastic play parks and you’ll never be stuck for something to do with any age of child.
We’ve travelled to Fuerteventura with kids as young as 9 months old all the way up to 8 years old and have always managed to keep them all entertained, found food they love and clean facilities for our babies and toddlers.
The island itself has a fantastic climate, although it can be a little windy, but we’ve never really found this to be an issue. In actual fact the wind is usually a welcome break from the soaring temperatures. One of the major selling points of all the Canary Islands is the fantastic year round climate; even in the winter it’s warm enough for a swim!
Although Fuerteventura is the second largest of the Canary Islands it’s still relatively small and it only takes around two hours to travel from Corralejo in the north of the island to Jandia in the south of the island. If you’re feeling up to it you could always hire a car and explore the mountains and coastal roads yourself.
There are some great days out to be had on the island including Oasis Park Zoo, Acua Water Park (which has recently been refurbished), Catamaran excursions and even day trips to Lanzarote. The kids absolutely loved oasis Park. There’s a lot of walking to be done once you’re there but there are also some great experiences including feeding giraffes!
A major drawer for many people to Fuerteventura is the quality of the beaches – they are some of the best within the Canary Islands. The other islands, such as Tenerife and and Lanzarote, are well known for their rocky, black, volcanic beaches. If you head to the north of Fuerteventura and visit the sand dunes the beaches are simply stunning and could easily be mistaken for somewhere far more tropical.
The food in Fuerteventura is pretty much what you’d expect – a mix of typical Spanish dishes such as Paella and seafood as well as plenty of choice from British and other European cuisines. Being such a family orientated resort it’s good to be able to keep the kids happy by having easy access to foods you know they’ll eat. If trying out the local dishes is more your thing then head to one of the many harbours and order a delicious seafood paella whilst watching the sunset – pure heaven!
I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, we will be back to Fuerteventura in the near future. We’ve been enough times now to feel quite at home but I think that’s also partly due to how friendly and welcoming the staff and locals are.
