The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
FUERTEVENTURA
Best for beaches
Locals can argue endlessly over which Canary Island has the best beaches, but Fuerteventura will always quietly steal the crown. Although this is the second largest of the Canary Islands it receives just a fraction of the attention compared to some of its neighbours and yet it is lined with the sort of ridiculously flawless white sands you would expect to see on a screensaver.
In the south, Playa de Cofete has a wild feel, its broad sands stretched flat between lofty cliffs on one side and turquoise waters on the other. Meanwhile, the north boasts the Corralejo dunes; a vast expanse of rippling beachscape worth crossing oceans for alone – its mile upon mile of buttery peaks that practically beg you to sprint down them, kicking up soft clouds as you go.
Corralejo makes a great base, with its compact town centre arranged around a sheltered beach and its promenade of low-key restaurants serving the freshest catch of the day. From here you can take the ferry (navieranortour.com; £13.75) to neighbouring Isla de Lobos; a rugged uninhabited islet home to rare birds which offers some excellent snorkelling and short hiking trails, the best of which runs up Caldera mountain for views back over Fuerteventura.
Families can stay in the centre of Corralejo at the sleek Barceló Corralejo Sands, which has a kid’s pool and mini club (barcelo.com; double rooms from £106 B&B). For grown-ups that don’t have little ones in tow, the relaxed feel of adults-only Avanti Lifestyle Hotel is for you with its promenade location and rooftop terrace (avantilifestylehotel. com; double rooms from £127 B&B). If you prefer to book a villa, opt for Beach Valhalla and you will get a private oceanfront garden with a pool and hot tub (oliverstravels.com; sleeps eight from £4,000 a week).
How to get there
There are regular direct flights to Fuerteventura from many major UK airports including Manchester, Gatwick and Birmingham with airlines including Ryanair, Jet2 and EasyJet. Flight time is around four and a half hours.