FAMILY HOLIDAYS IN FUERTEVENTURA – your questions answered

FUERTEVENTURA is the second largest Canary Island and is closest to the African coast. It has the highest number of sand dunes and long sandy beaches of all the islands, and is regarded as the oldest of the Canaries. Fuerteventura still retains its original beauty and calm with a landscape of contrasting volcanic contours, sandy beaches and rocky coves.

It is the ideal place to relax and completely unwind. For the more active, enjoy surfing or diving and marvel and the wonderful underwater marine life.

The world windsurfing slalom event takes place every year in July/August at Sotavento along its wide sandy beaches and is a great for fans of all ages. For a more sedate pastime, wander through the vast white sand dunes of the Parque Nacional near Corralejo and see goats, camels, ospreys and the endangered Houbara Bustard which makes this region their home.

Children are welcome everywhere in Fuerteventura, indeed the Spanish dote on their children and welcome others as an extension of their own families.

Fuerteventura has long white sandy beaches and crystal clear waters which are perfect for family bathing.

The blue lagoons of El Cotillo in the north east of the island are safe and idyllic - a perfect backdrop for classic family beach photographs. There are plenty of local restaurants and tapas bars for when you get peckish, or pack a picnic and enjoy your own space.

Caleta de Fueste (Castillo/Costa Caleta) is a man-made resort with imported sand which is an ideal centre for family holidays.

There are many family trips and activities available, and children will enjoy watching the seals in Caleta harbour.

Mini-golf, putting, (safe) bungey jumping and trampolining are available in Corralejo which is also home to the islands only Aqua-park.

Children from 6 years (to 60 years!) can participate in a desert laser adventure (complete with camoflage suit!) - fun for all the family, with a free BBQ included, and free pick-up from your hotel!

A trip on Catlanza - a luxurious sailing catamaran round the island of Los Lobos, includes snorkelling and a free jet-ski ride, as well as plenty of refreshments and a mediterranean lunch.

Perhaps you and your children would like to learn to surf or try a practice dive? There are many schools available with qualified instructors and safe waters to play in!

Just outside the sleepy fishing village of La Lajita, in the west and half way down Fuerteventura, is the only zoo on the island, dedicated to showing a diverse display of flora and fauna. There are various animal and birds of prey shows, botanical gardens with colourful birds of paradise flying freely around, large cactus gardens, and even camel rides available.

Take a walk through the Parque Nacional just outside Corralejo, and wander through the huge white sand dunes which are the home to the endangered Houbara Bustard, and the herds of goats which roam freely around the island.

Hire a car and head for Betancuria in the middle of Fuerteventura, stop high in the mountains at one of the many parking laybys. Get out of your car, and watch the ravens circling overhead. Then wait a minute .... suddenly the hillside appears to come to life and movement is seen coming towards you from below. Look closer - the hillside is teeming with barbery squirrels, commonly known as chipmunks.

These wonderful little creatures will take food out of your hands, scamper a short distance away and merrily chomp on their bounty ... we've found them very partial to Pringles!!

A truly wonderful sight, and great fun for children and adults alike. Don't forget your camera!

Fuerteventura has so much to offer families, whether you want an active or relaxing holiday, you are sure to enjoy your stay.

[ Edit: Sorry, no promos please... ]

I loved Fuerteventura when I was there, but we still don't allow promos in posts like this. A lot of this content is more suited, rewritten in a slightly less objective fashion, for the wiki travel guide. There's not even a Canary Island guide so if you can contain yourself from just promoting your own website, it would be a great place to help out those interested in travelling there!

Thanks for the reply and the suggestions. I am not trying to promote my website for any personal gain, and would love to be able to give as much help and advice to anyone interested in travelling to Fuerteventura - or Lanzarote.

I want travellers to be aware of what is on offer in the islands so that they can make the most of their holidays - as you say, there is very little information available for the Canary Islands, and I am trying to rectify this situation. The whole point of the website/magazine is to promote interest in the islands and it is approved by the tourist boards of both Fuerteventura and Lanzarote.

The website and accompanying magazine are completely free for travellers. The magazine is distributed free on the islands, and is available as a free download from the website. Payments are received from advertisers only.

Quoting LeisureZon

Thanks for the reply and the suggestions. I am not trying to promote my website for any personal gain, and would love to be able to give as much help and advice to anyone interested in travelling to Fuerteventura - or Lanzarote.

I want travellers to be aware of what is on offer in the islands so that they can make the most of their holidays - as you say, there is very little information available for the Canary Islands, and I am trying to rectify this situation. The whole point of the website/magazine is to promote interest in the islands and it is approved by the tourist boards of both Fuerteventura and Lanzarote.

The website and accompanying magazine are completely free for travellers. The magazine is distributed free on the islands, and is available as a free download from the website. Payments are received from advertisers only.

It doesn't really matter to us how you make your money, the fact is that you are promoting your website and that's not allowed here. I also seriously doubt the 'I am not trying to promote my website for any personal gain' line when in the last sentence you mention being paid to create it, but it's still besides the point as we even remove personal links to blogs with nothing but photos on them. Feel free to re-read the terms and conditions or forum rules if you're unclear about what's allowed or not.

I hear and agree with everything you say. I know you dont know me from Eve,
but I genuinely want to provide information for travellers if I can be of
any use to them, but obviously I seem to be going about it the wrong way.

I think it is a good idea for travellers to know what it ahead of them
before they get to a country so that they can enjoy all the sights, sounds
and culture of the place to get a total experience.

Having lived here and in Lanzarote for a few years, I know what I would LIKE
people to see. Time and time again we have come across tourists who hear of
a particular place or event on the day they are leaving, therefore they dont
have time to partake, and that is a real shame.

Nowadays, more and more use is made of the internet, and the idea of the
website is to provide travellers with the information BEFORE they arrive so
they can make the most of the time available to them, perhaps making up an
itinerary of all the things they want to see and do.

I know you are not interested in how this is a financially viable project
for us, but our advertisers pay for their magazine entry only (which covers
the print costs). Their website entries are provided free.

Can you give me any advice on how I can achieve what I truly want to do,
without infringing any of your terms?

Quoting LeisureZon

Can you give me any advice on how I can achieve what I truly want to do,
without infringing any of your terms?

Yes, you could create a wiki travel guide to Fuerteventura. As long as you don't include your URL anywhere and just offer information on the country there's absolutely no problem!

Great, thanks! I'll get on to it later today.