So this post is not really in order (see here), but here it is, my recent FuerteVentura [trip] ! 🙂
The trip had been on my mind since I visited Tarifa in October. Tarifa stole my heart and if it wasn’t for me being so calculated (that’s the responsible part of me 😉 ), I would probably be planning my move already. Instead, I decided to explore few more places and do some more research on when I could have my second base (about my plans on moving/having another base somewhere outside of the UK some other time). Fuerteventura seemed like an obvious place to include on my list: sun, ocean, kitesurfing and a lot of open space 🙂
I booked the trip without thinking too much (sorry Monika – my sis in law – for missing your birthday!), giving my friend few minutes to decide if she wants to join (by the way, you’re all welcome to join me on my ventures, but I warn you, decisions are made quickly! 😀 ).
The idea was to explore the place, try to get on with some kitesurfing and see how I feel there, if it can be in fact my second home.
We arrived to pretty chilly weather (jackets required), with my friend limping, trying to get on with the adventure, when we found out the car we had hired online didn’t exist! (be ware of Car del Mar ! Never book through them!). Luckily, after queuing for quite a bit for no reason, and jumping from a desk to a desk, PayLess came to the rescue. Reliable, cars in good condition and good customer services (which we needed badly after our not so great experience with Car del Mar!).
My friend volunteered to get on with driving us to Costa Calma, where we booked our hotel (Matas Blancas – not a bad place, fairly good price in comparison with other choices we had, I wouldn’t give it 4 stars, as they claim to be, but I couldn’t complain about anything really, maybe apart from a little chill; some heating would be good 😛 ).
The roads in Fuerte are wide and new, good signposting and practically impossible to get lost if you follow the main road (one main road through the island! 😀 ). One thing to keep in mind: many roads are new, and they continuously work on them, old ones are closed and some of the new ones just end with no warning! It was pretty hilarious when some Spaniards saw us driving into the dust at the end of a road somewhere on the way to Costa Calma! 😀
As the trip happened in January it was completely offseason. Super quite and (not sure if that’s the norm) the tourists were mostly in the 50 plus age range. We got to the place very quickly, the entire island is so small that you could drive in 2 hours from one to another 🙂 The town was very quite, practically no cars, and very few people on the streets. As it appears to be a resort town, we shouldn’t have been surprised. Very different picture to what we saw in Tarifa. The road to the town was dusty, surrounded by dry volcanic mountains and hills. Landscape like from a road film, pretty picturesque and relaxing.
The town was pretty, very clean, but something was different to what I experienced in Tarifa … perhaps the sense of community, free, fun, chasing the waves … But lets give it a chance!
Once we settled we went on to explore a bit, but as it was offseason, not much was going on (or so I would assume there’s more going on in peak time). During our stay we managed to find an Irish pub that serves German stew, something that was closest to a surf bar which was off a main road in the centre of town, tried one of the best Italian pizzas in a restaurant near by and befriended an owner of a great restaurant with cool decor in a boring looking shopping centre (you’d be surprised what you can find when you’re lucky enough; truly recommend B-Side Cafe Fuerteventura, for some good food and chilled music nights). So to summarise, the town was very quiet, but enough to have some nice food and spend some chilled time with great music (thanks, PowLean!) in the evenings, for us to have energy to explore the rest of the island during the day.
The island as a whole seemed a very chilled and quiet place, partly due to offseason period, but partly to the atmospheric landscape, mountains and hills, wide roads, all browny and with the ocean poking out in-between the peaks. All you need is good road music, a car and time. And drive …
[Some music here so you get the idea 😉 ]
In all honesty, the town didn’t steal my heart, but the moment we left the so called resort town, I felt freedom. The deserted lands and the closeness of the ocean wherever you go, the sun on my face, and the reality that we could drive almost anywhere in the island and find a place of peace and quiet; raw and accepting, because the best parts of Furteventura come with no ticket desks, gates and crowds …
Being from a kitesurfers’ circle, we went to checkout the Sotavento Beach, visited local schools for classes and equipment hire, and organised our days around the wind and tide forecast (only surfers and kitesurfers will understand that! lol). By the way, if any beginner kitesurfers are looking to book classes in Fuerte, we used ION Furteventura and were very happy with the class and the instructor. However, be careful booking your trips in the winter time as the wind is not very predictable, and you might end up surfing (oh, ‘cos that’s so terrible 😉 ) in a nearby La Pared (beautiful place! Post about it is coming up!).
Now enjoy few photos and dream on … or better, book a flight …
Fuerteventura, Canary Islands Spain 14-18/01/2017
Magdalena Magola Ciolek 