A guide to Fuerteventura

Betancuria, 1404: a capital hidden from the sea

Drive inland from the coast and the road climbs through bare, honey-coloured hills until a green valley opens below you: palms, white walls, the square tower of a church. This is Betancuria, and it was built here to be hidden. In 1404 the Norman knight Jean de Béthencourt, serving the Crown of Castile, founded it in a valley out of sight of the sea, where pirates raiding the coast could not spot it from their decks. It remained the capital of Fuerteventura until 1834, and it is still the prettiest village on the island, with whitewashed houses, a church rebuilt after a pirate raid, and long lunches under the trees.

Fuerteventura is also the oldest of the islands: its volcanoes have had millions of years longer than the others to wear down into the low, rounded hills you see today. The name is often read as “strong wind”, though historians still argue about where it comes from. The wind is real enough, and it is the first thing most visitors ask about.

Here the luxury is space: a beach to yourself, a sky without a single light in it, and nowhere you have to be.

Is Fuerteventura windy? The best time to visit Fuerteventura

Yes. The trade winds blow hardest from June to August, which keeps midsummer comfortable and has made the island one of the best-known windsurfing and kitesurfing destinations in the world. Winter is calmer, sunny and mild, and the most popular time for people escaping the northern cold. Spring and autumn sit in between, with a warm sea and lighter breezes. In any month, we choose a villa sheltered from the prevailing wind, and beaches on the leeward side when the breeze picks up.

Things to do in Fuerteventura: the Corralejo dunes, Lobos and Cofete

The Corralejo dunes are a natural park of pale sand that runs straight into turquoise water, made largely of crushed shells rather than volcanic rock. Barefoot at sunrise, they are cool and completely silent. Across the strait, the islet of Lobos is named after the monk seals that once lived there. It is a protected natural park, and visits need a free online permit, capped at 400 people a day: 200 in the morning and 200 in the afternoon. We get the permit for your dates and a private boat to take you across. In the far south-west, over a mountain on an unpaved road, is Cofete: kilometres of empty beach beneath the Jandía massif. The currents there are strong, so it is a beach for walking, not swimming. We go with a driver and a suitable car, and stop for lunch on the way back.

Windsurfing, kitesurfing and a private yacht charter

The lagoon at Sotavento, on the Jandía peninsula, has hosted windsurfing and kitesurfing world-cup events for decades. Beginners learn in its shallow water; experienced riders head for the north shore near El Cotillo and Corralejo. We arrange private instructors and equipment, and a yacht charter or a boat to Lobos for the rest of the family while you are on the water.

Where to stay in Fuerteventura, from Corralejo to the quiet south

In the north, Corralejo has the dunes, the harbour, the boats to Lobos and Lanzarote, and the most restaurants. El Cotillo, on the west coast, is quieter, with calm lagoons that small children love and sunsets beside an old defensive tower. Caleta de Fuste is closest to the airport. In the south, Costa Calma and Jandía have the longest beaches and the Sotavento lagoon. A luxury villa rental in the north suits most families and couples; the south suits people who want to disappear completely. Corralejo to Morro Jable takes the better part of two hours by road, so we choose your base around how you want to spend your days, and send a private chauffeur for the longer journeys.

Majorero cheese, a private chef and the island table

Goats have shaped this island for centuries, and their milk makes queso majorero, which in 1996 became the first Canarian cheese with a protected designation of origin, and the first goat’s milk cheese in Spain to get one. Try it young and soft, or cured and rubbed with paprika or gofio, with a glass of Canarian wine. Add wrinkled potatoes with mojo, the morning’s fish grilled simply, and goat stewed slowly in the villages of the interior. A private chef will cook all of it at the villa if you would rather stay in, and for evenings out, see fine dining in Fuerteventura.

Fuerteventura works well for families, with wide beaches, shallow lagoons and plenty of space, and for couples, especially in winter, when the light is soft and the beaches are empty. If you have a question this guide does not answer, send it with your request. Alba reads every note and replies within one working day.

Alba Zas