Ancient Fuerteventura

The Hotel – we had a comfortable room (Fuerteventura) which included a balcony allowing one to sit and catch some sun when the wind wasn’t blowing. Regrettably the internal lighting was poor making reading something of a challenge. There was a material shortage of hot-water; a lukewarm shower after a day’s exertion is not acceptable. Breakfasts were fine. The staff were very hospitable and helpful not least in booking dinners and fixing the permits for our visit to Isla de Los Lobos.

The Ambiance – this is an island of contrasts. On the one hand there are some stunning un-crowded beaches; on the other a monotonous barren volcanic landscape. Trees and greenery in very short supply. That said there was a certain attractiveness about the mountainous landscape.

The Walks – we particularly enjoyed the walks proximate to the coast at Ajuy, Los Molinos and El Cotillo the coastline being continually pounded by large Atlantic waves the sight and sounds of which were captivating. Not on the Inntravel agenda was La Pared where we enjoyed a walk to the southwest along the very barren coastline.

Driving – we made sure we took full advantage of the car exploring as much of the island as possible taking in the very barren interior and west coast to the over-developed and crowded resorts of Morro Jable, Costa Calma, El Castillo and Corralejo. The main roads are all in excellent condition and a welcome change from the pot-holed horrors of the UK. We greatly enjoyed the drive on the FV 605 from Costa Calma to Pajara – a drive through the mountains with some stunning views.

Eating Out – the hotel restaurant was not operational for dinners requiring us to eat out. Fortunately close-by in Villaverde are 4 good ‘eateries’ viz:  El Mahoh, El Moral , El Horno and La Villa. All were good value but our favourite was La Villa which is a bit more up-market (and costly) where the fare was excellent and portions were sensible such that you did not feel bloated at the end of the meal. Pre-booking is essential at each of these restaurants.

We loved the colours and beauty of the barren landscapes, which were a revelation to us.

The hotel setting was very well chosen given the options on the island, we were concerned though that they might be going out of business the decision to not have the restaurant open in a place lacking restaurants was bizarre. The swimming pool unheated is a token gesture at this time of  the year.

The staff at the hotel were extremely helpful and pleasant.

Restaurant recommendation - Gran Tarajal on the fishing port as you come from seafront (parking next to restaurant) is the Confederia de Pescadores, attached to the fisherman's cooperative, it's excellent with very fresh fish (and only fish) with good service. We did an addition to the Lajares to Calderon Hondo walk and did the rim of the caldera (very rocky/exposed in places, grade 3 for 200m max) but brilliant.

Our initial impression of Fuerteventura was just of the arid and endless (but beautiful) landscape but once we explored the coastal villages and beaches we realised how lovely that aspect is too.  Be prepared for the endless wind though!  The roads are excellent and it was a delight just driving across the flat plains and up and down the twisty hill roads.

Eating:

1)  Hotel Casa Vieja has an excellent a la carte menu. The inclusive vouchers for 3 dinners at the hotel allowed access to a good subset of this menu. The quality of the food was first class. 

2)  In El Cortillo (west coast), the Restaurante El Roque De Los Pescadores should be AVOIDED. Very poor quality, overcooked and dry fish, with very poor/disinterested customer service.

3)  The Restaurante Don Pepe on the FV-1a (NE coast road near Playa del Jablito) approximately 12km south of Corralejo was one of those "that looks interesting, let's stop" moments. Excellent grilled fish.

4)  In Salinas del Carmen (east coast, 6 km S of airport), the Restaurante Los Caracolitos on the waterfront is well worth hunting for. We had a superb meal of fish of the day.

Beaches: We visited two fantastic beaches:-

(1) The beach "Grandes Playas de Corralejo" is several kilometres long and, other than the two monstrous hotels at the half-way point, is generally empty rolling beach and sand dunes and is excellent quality with ample roadside parking on the FV-1a along the length of the beach.

(2) THE beach to visit is the Playa Risco del Paso, a couple of kilometres off the FV-2 on the south coast of the island. This has a fantastic shallow lagoon with superb golden sands, Excellent panoramic views of the coast can be had from the adjacent small hill, the Mirador de Sotavento.

Enjoyed the trip to Isla de Lobos the most and the walk round this island. Getting the visa was fairly easy.

The tapas restaurant in Villaverde, Casa Marcos, is now called El Moral. It still serves very good food and is worth a visit.

The hotel very kindly booked the Isla de Lobos permit. Avoid the weekend if you are looking for quietness and solitude.

The hotel was a real oasis and authentic. It was difficult to fully understand some of the criticisms from earlier customer feedback, staff were invariably friendly and helpful and there was a good range of well prepared eating options both at breakfast and in the evening.

We dined 3 evenings at the Mahoh restaurant which provided a nice balance with the hotel. Again, staff were very friendly and helpful and amenable to half portions. The "specials" board was a bit of a misnomer, it seemed to be preserved for tourists and, in fact, the "specials" were identical on each occasion - the local colour and atmosphere more than made up for it though

Walks 6 and 8 were our personal favourites, plus we were lucky to get a good day on Los Lobos (with permit arranged for us by a hotel member of staff) when the weather was perfect and the number of visitors reasonably light

The car hire arrangements worked very well at both arrival and departure and certainly a car was very necessary to maximise what the island has to offer

Lovely place for an early spring break. Excellent variety of walks (from coastal to desert to mountains). Very comfortable, friendly hotel with delicious food. The new permit system for the Isla de Lobos makes it impossible to enjoy a full day on the island (permits are for 4 hours either morning or afternoon and cannot be put together on one day). Added to this the ferries are susceptible to cancellation at the last minute due to windy weather which happens frequently.

Some short walks would be an added bonus 

The hotel staff were largely excellent but there was almost no sign of management throughout our 7 days there. Also spotted a 65€ double bill which was careless. There was no indication about table d'hote menu so we spent a lot on the first night thinking we were eating one of our 3 inclusive meals. Lastly - 2 days with no toilet cistern functioning - no compensation despite having to use a bucket to flush!

Varied walks with lovely views - very enjoyable. 

Fuerteventura is a rather barren, windswept place but it grows on one: spectacular views from the hill tops and the ever changing colours of the landscape in sun and shade and at differing times of day.

The hotel's internal lighting is very poor for reading even in the bar lounge area. Take a torch. The road surface on the hotel access leaving the main road is pot-holed and involves a difficult steering effort in view of the drop off from the main road level (particularly treacherous in the dark). I mentioned this to staff (very helpful and friendly individually) but am not hopeful because there is no manager on site [advice has been inserted into the holiday notes]. A new restaurant, el Campesino, on r/h side just before the supermarket was good (but need to check opening days at least off season).

The whole holiday was great but some aspects could be even better. We would recommend it to anyone who wants some winter warmth and enjoys walking. The scenery can get a bit repetitive. i.e. a moonscape!

This ticked all our boxes - a short January break with blue skies and balmy temperatures of 20/21 degrees with a good balance and choice of walks and local interest, plus time for the all important relaxation and book-reading that was also required!

One of our best walks, which you might miss if you just looked at the walking notes and not the driving notes, was a wander across the dunes of Corralejo. A lot of the beaches are not suitable for swimming, e.g. the walk to El Cotillo which the notes lead you to believe will have many swimming opportunities: not in our experience! The coves might look sheltered but that doesn’t stop 2m waves rolling in. We had lovely meals at Hotel Rural El Mahoh in Villaverde, Valtarajal in Betancuria and one of the seafront restaurants in El Cotillo.