Fuerteventura

Fuerteventura is the second-largest of the Canary Islands, and arguably the most naturally beautiful. Geologically ancient — some of the oldest rock in the archipelago — it is a landscape sculpted by wind and volcanic activity over millions of years, now characterised by vast sandy plains, rolling ochre hills and, of course, its extraordinary beaches.

The island sits in the Atlantic Ocean, just 100 kilometres from the coast of West Africa. This proximity to the Sahara gives Fuerteventura its desert-like interior and its famous winds — the trade winds that sweep in off the ocean and make the island a world-class destination for windsurfing and kitesurfing.

Unlike some of its Canarian neighbours, Fuerteventura has largely resisted overdevelopment. Large areas of the island are protected under UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status, and the National Park of the Dunes of Corralejo — right on the doorstep of Apartment 131 — is one of the most striking natural landscapes in the Canaries.

Corralejo is a lively, cosmopolitan resort town in the north of the island and one of the most popular destinations in the Canaries for British, German and Scandinavian visitors. It has a genuine town feel, with a working fishing harbour, a good range of independent restaurants and bars, and a pleasant promenade.

The town is known for its long, white-sand beaches — particularly the beaches that stretch south from the town towards the famous dunes. The sea here is the clear blue-green of the Atlantic, warmer in summer but perfectly swimmable year-round.

The dunes themselves — the Parque Natural de Corralejo — cover over 10 square kilometres and are protected from development. They shift and reshape with the winds and are genuinely spectacular, particularly at sunset.

Fuerteventura's original inhabitants, the Majos or Guanches, arrived from North Africa thousands of years ago. Their culture — herding goats, fishing, and crafting simple pottery — left traces across the island, most visibly in the carved stone inscriptions found at sites like Las Playitas.

The island was conquered by the Castilian crown in the early 15th century, becoming one of the first of the Canary Islands to be brought under Spanish rule. Jean de Béthencourt led the conquest in 1402, and the island became a staging post for expeditions further into the Atlantic.

For centuries Fuerteventura was a poor, underpopulated island, reliant on livestock farming and subject to frequent pirate raids — Corralejo itself was repeatedly attacked by North African and European pirates, and the old watchtower on the hill above town was built to give early warning of approaching ships.

Tourism began in earnest in the 1970s and transformed the island's economy. Today it receives around 3 million visitors a year, yet much of the island remains gloriously empty and untouched — a reminder of how little distance lies between the resort and the raw volcanic landscape beyond.