Just over a week ago I was catching some much needed winter sun on the island of Fuerteventura or ‘Further than Truro’ as Dan’s mum calls it. It almost seems like a distant memory ago. Thankfully armed with my Canon 1200D DSLR [C] and iPhone [i] I captured some pretty okay shots. Here are my fave Fuerteventura pics.
We travelled with good old Thomson & soon discovered our TUI smile. [i]
Arty Fuerteventura airport shot. [i]
We stayed half board at the 5* Riu Palace – Tres Islas about a 5 minute drive outside Corralejo and had a fab room with a view. [i]
The sunrises were spectacular and not too early at 7.30am. [i]
The hotel is set on Flag beach with it’s beautiful sandy beaches and a view of the Isle de Lobos. [i]
The hotel had 4 tennis courts which you could hire out at 5 euros each. Sadly I was beaten by Federer! [i]
The Riu hotels have an a la carte restaurant where you can take a break from the standard evening buffet and try something a bit more high end at no extra cost. [i]
The Krystal menu. [i]
On the spoon – tuna tataki with smoked creamed aubergine; goat’s cheese in pastry & I’m really not sure what was in the glass – as it was different to the menu. [i]
Red tuna tartare with avocado, ponzu (not sure what that is!), potato chip and garlic – was okay. [i]
Dan had pea soup with toasted butter, mascarpone cheese and prawns. [i]
Braised Iberian pork cheeks with sweet potato puree and glazed shallots – this was my best meal of the week, it sounded so wrong, but was delicious. [i]
Apple and calvados crumble with vanilla ice cream – any pudding with alcohol is always going to be great! [i]
We hired a car for the week from Plus Car at the airport for 102 Euros for 7 days, which worked out at about £11 a day. So, Doris the Yaris was our trusty stead for getting us around the island in search of good surf spots for Dan. [i]
Doris did very well bombing around the north track or the moon as I kept referring it to. The lunar volcanic landscape is very bizarre and took a bit of getting used to. I did miss the green fields of Dorset! [i]
Looking very pleased with myself at being in a bikini in January at Playa del Castillo near El Cotillo. [i]
A few waves at El Cotillo – I was just pleased to feel the sand between my toes. [i]
Not sure which beach this is, somewhere near El Cotillo off the beaten track. [i]
Spot the doggy. He was loving life with his 3 Spanish owners who were living out of their van. [C]
Where’s Doris? [C]
Mid week we took the boat across to the little island of Lobos. For pedestrians like me it’s 15 Euros and for surfers 10 Euros – bargain! We took the 10am boat which returned at 4pm for a little day out in search of waves and sun! [i]
There she is… Dan looking for waves. [C]
This guy was there to great us… [C]
The locals were very laid back…you kind of get the gist with their spelling! [C]
The water in this little inlet at El Puertito was turquoise blue. [C]
There are just a few houses on the island, powered by solar power. It was a very chilled and laid back vibe. [C]
The hike for the perfect wave begins. La Caldera volcano in the distance, we were heading to the left of that! [C]
Fuerteventura is just a stone’s through away. [C]
Dan riding a ‘sic’ wave. [C]
I actually captured this on my iPhone – not too shabby! [i]
I hiked to the top of La Caldera – was pretty steep, but the view was worth it. You could see our hotel on Flag Beach, Corralejo and Lanzarote on the other side of Lobos. [i]
Yep, I climbed that! [i]
On Thursday we headed out at first light to catch an early wave and make a real day on the island. We of course headed down the north track and across to the ‘bubble’ a well known surf spot. [i]
In search of the perfect wave at The Bubble…[C]
To get to the good surf spots we drove past the little fishing village of Manjanicho every day. It’s a very bizarre little village almost shanty like but full of character. [C]
Morning breaking over Manjanicho. [C]
Morning breaking over Manjanicho – not a soul was awake. [C]
On route to the south of the island. [C]
This is pretty much what the landscape of Fuerteventura looks like – volcanic and arid. [i]
West of the island near the National Park – Betancuria. [C]
Treats for making it to the other end of the island and arriving at Morro Jable. It took a couple of hours if that to get from one side to the other. Morro Jable was the more touristy end of the island with lots of shops, restaurants, bars etc and a long promenade by the beach. [i]
The lighthouse at Morro Jable. [i]
We spotted some goats roaming the national park near Corralejo. We also spotted some camels doing a trek, but my photos were a bit blurry. [i]
That Friday feeling of island life. Spot Lobos in the distance. [i]
A busker at Cantante bar/restaurant in Corralejo. [i]
On the way back to the car we came across this great impromptu set up in an alley with all the locals getting involved capturing the laid back charm of Corralejo. [i]
Salty hair, just don’t care – this pretty much sums up our Fuerteventura adventures. [i] Where next?
Looks fab! Very jealous of your winter sun. Yorkshire is freezing! No holiday for us this year though til honeymoon! Not sure what that will be yet – either a week in the South of France at a friend's place, or a safari if we can afford it after paying for the wedding! Either way, cannot wait for some sunshine. xx
Hey Anna! Thanks for the comment. Was a lovely winter break & much needed from the relentless wet, wind & mud! South of France would be lovely. We're thinking of a trip with the bikes next – France, IOW or maybe even Majorca. It's all about holiday goals. Roll on summer… xx