Fuerteventura Holiday Review
Submitted by: John H - Bolton, Lancs.
Date: November 2004
In November 2004 my wife and I flew from Manchester to Fuerteventura for our 6th holiday on the island. We have previously stayed in Corralejo, Calete de Fuste and now for the first time we were staying at the Occidental Grande hotel in Jandia.
Just a word first about the resorts of Correlejo and Calete de Fuste. Correlejo is a fairly busy expanding town in the north of the island. There are plenty of shops bars and restaurants and a couple of nightclubs. You can catch the ferry from here to Playa Blanca in Lanzarote. It takes about 40 mins. The best thing about Corralejo, however, is the fantastic beach. The beach at Corralejo is a national park and it must be one of the best beaches in Europe in my opinion. The golden sandy beach stretches for several miles and is more like a giant sand dune. The sand on this beach actually started its life in the Sahara desert, which is about 80 miles away. The prevailing winds have blown the sand from the Sahara to form a magnificent beach. It's a great beach for sunbathing but sometimes the sea can be rough so you have to be careful if you have young children.
Probably the best place for family holidays, in terms of the beach anyway, is Calete de Fuste. Situated only 10 minutes from the modern airport Calete de Fuste has a horseshoe shaped beach and the water is shallow and calm, making it ideal for children. There are also plenty of shops, bars and restaurants. The majority of the accommodation here is self catering, of a reasonable standard, although there are some good quality hotels and a golf course as well.
As you drive further south through desolate countryside, past extinct volcano's and deserted sandy coves you encounter isolated communities, plenty of goats, and 4 or 5 star luxury hotels rising from the rocky terrain. It was to one of these hotels that we were heading to, close to the town of Jandia. There isn't much in Jandia, just a few shops and the odd bar and restaurant. That's why a lot of the hotels offer an “All Inclusive” board basis. The Occidental Grande hotel in Jandia is officially a 4 star hotel. As we arrived at the hotel and walked into the air conditioned hotel foyer to reception we knew that this was going to be a good holiday. The hotel is situated in extensive pretty and well kept grounds. The accommodation consists of several blocks of rooms, 3 storeys high. The rooms are large and have air conditioning and a ceiling fan. The bathrooms are clean and spacious. We also had a large balcony with a sea view.
The occidental Grande, Fuerteventura, has about 7 large swimming pools with more extensive sunbathing terraces than I have ever seen before. There are hundreds of sun beds. The hotel is right on a beautiful stretch of beach. The hotel has a large buffet restaurant with an extensive choice of good food. There is also Italian, Chinese, Mexican and steakhouse restaurants. We thought the steakhouse was the best restaurant and the Chinese was disappointing. There is also a café serving food most of the day and a pub where you can get beer, snacks and ice cream. This is a good place to meet later in the afternoon after a day on the beach or by the swimming pool. As the hotel is All Inclusive it was great to eat and drink whenever you want without having to pay!
The Occidental Grande hotel has everything that you need for a good quiet relaxing holiday, although there is a night club, a bar and an entertainment hall where there is an act most nights. During our weeks stay we did not leave the hotel complex at all. We did not see a car for a week, which was great, and we had the most relaxing holiday you can have. All this was possible because the weather in the middle of November was superb. It was warm with clear sunny skies for the whole week. In the evening it was great to walk around in the middle of November with short sleeves.
I can highly recommend a holiday at the Occidental Grande in Fuerteventura. It is a fantastic hotel. It is situated on a cliff top next to the beach. The only criticisms I have are that the beds could have been more comfortable and the food could have been of a higher standard. Overall there was a good choice of food and there was plenty of it, it was just that I expected a slightly higher standard, but overall I would give the hotel a “good” rating.
Finally, a word about Fuerteventura, for those of you who have never been. The interior of the island is barren with some fairly high volcanic looking mountains. The beaches are the islands best point. The island has a good range of hotels and accommodation. There is a golf course. The weather is good most of the year, but I gather the weather can be unsettled and cool in January and February. Driving on the island is easy and car hire is recommended if you want to explore the island. It is not the liveliest of holiday destinations so it is ideal for families and couples. I think Fuerteventura is one of the last few unspoilt holiday destinations. It has strict building regulations, so hopefully it will stay that way.
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