Categories Archives | JP in Fuerteventura

Naturist beaches in Fuerteventura | Naturist Accommodation

August 15, 2019May 20, 2019 by admin

Fuerteventura is a very naturist friendly island. Although there are no designated naturist beaches anywhere in Fuerteventura, you will find naturists on almost every beach provided that is not in a built up area of a resort or town.

The law in Spain (and therefore in Fuerteventura) allows for public nudity in any “natural” place. Most beaches in Fuerteventura fit that description perfectly.

Naturist beaches in Fuerteventura. Naturism in Fuerteventura.

The Main Naturist Beaches of Fuerteventura

Corralejo Dunes Beaches

These are also known as the Corralejo Grandes Playas. They are located to the south of Corralejo and run for miles along the coast. Although there may be naturists all along the beach, naturism mostly starts just south of the Oliva Beach Hotel and stretch right through the dunes down to the beaches that run next to the road.

Corralejo Dunes. naturist beaches fuerteventura

You will find many places to lie both among the dunes and also in stone circles near the sea that people have made. These can be found on beaches throughout the island.

You could also go for a long nude walk inland through the dunes if you wished.

The sand dunes stretch for almost 2 miles inland, for most of which you are likely to be totally on your own.

If you do go for a long walk then make sure you take water with you as it can be hard going and very dehydrating.

See the available naturist accommodation options in Corralejo towards the end of the post.

You can see all of the beaches in this video

El Cotillo Naturist Beaches

El Cotillo Lagoons

These start at the northern edge of the village of El Cotillo. The first few are generally not naturist. The next beach along is Playa de la Concha (also know as Playa Chica) and this beach is generally a mixture of textile and naturist. When it is busy the right-hand, northern side of the beach tends to be the popular naturist area.

Sometimes the beach is well populated with naturists and at other times it isn’t. It is my theory that if the first few people on the beach are clothed then those that arrive afterwards follow suit. If the first are naturists then more people go naked. No-one wants to be outnumbered!

El Cotillo Lagoons. Naturist beaches in Fuerteventura. Naturism in Fuerteventura. — One of the many El Cotillo lagoon beaches which are mainly naturist

From then on until the lighthouse and beyond you can find many little beaches and stone circles to practice naturism.

The only time this whole area is less naturist is during the Spanish holidays in August when Spanish families spend lots of time on the beach.

Piedra Playa

This is also known as the Surfer’s beach as it is very popular with water-sports enthusiasts. 10 years ago it was 50/50 clothed/naturist but, sadly, these days it tends to be only the far end (south) of the beach.

Steps Beach (Playa del Aguila)

This is my favourite beach in the El Cotillo area. It is accessed down a few flights of Heath Robinson stairs but is well worth it. It is never crowded and attracts plenty of naturists, particularly away from the steps in either direction.

The Jandia Peninsular Beaches

Jandia naturist beaches. Naturism in Fuerteventura.

The most popular naturist beaches in this area of the south of Fuerteventura are Playa de Sotavento, Playa Esquinzo, Playa Barca and Playa de Butihondo. The biggest resort in the area is Costa Calma which has many luxury hotels fronting the beach.

You can reach the beaches at various places from the main road that runs to the south by taking one of the many smaller roads off of it, most of which which finish at the beach.

There are mile upon mile of beautiful white sandy beaches and lovely warm turquoise sea. Finding a quiet spot to spend the day lying on the sand is not a problem.

Other Nude beaches in Fuerteventura

Cofete

Cofete has 14 miles of unspoiled, normally deserted, sandy beach where you can be nude all day. It would probably be a good place to try naturism for the first time, away from others, to break you in gently.

It requires a 20km drive along a fairly bumpy track from Morro Jable but it is definitely worth the drive. There is one small cafe/bar in the small village of Cofete.

Tindaya Beach

Tindaya Beach is on the west coast towards the north of the island. It isn’t the easiest beach in the world to find but that means it is never crowded. I have been on this beach without another person in sight. The video below will sow you how to get there.

La Pared

This is a small place on the south west coast of Fuerteventura. It has a lovely long beach which is quite popular with surfers and kite boarders. Plenty of naturists can be found towards the southern end.

Resorts to avoid if you are a naturist

Caleta de Fuste

Resorts to avoid for naturists in Fuerteventura

One of the most popular areas with British tourists on the island is completely devoid of naturist beaches.

There are two “beaches” in Caleta de Fuste. Both are man-made and neither are naturist (although they are at least topless). If you are a naturist, and want to stay there because of the facilities for eating/drinking etc. then you will need to hire a car to travel to the naturist beaches. You will either need to drive north to the dune beaches of Corralejo or the lagoons of El Cotillo or drive south to the beaches of Jandia.

Costa Antigua (aka Nuevo Horizonte)

This is just north of Caleta de Fuste and actually does not have any beaches for anyone to use, let alone naturists.

Fuerteventura accommodation with naturist facilities

Don Luis Bungalows in Corralejo

The Don Luis Bungalows are naturist friendly and are just a two minute walk from the centre of Corralejo. Clothing is optional anywhere on the complex including in or around the pool area. The complex has a total of five one bedroom bungalows that each sleep three adults or two adults and two children. Every bungalow has a private roof terrace and roof top shower. They all share the communal pool.

Each one is listed separately so click the links to check the availability and prices of each bungalow:

Infiniti in Corralejo

Infiniti - Fuerteventura Naturist Sun Club, Corralejo, Fuerteventura — Infiniti – Fuerteventura Naturist Sun Club, Corralejo, Fuerteventura

Fuerteventura Naturist Sun Club (Infiniti) is a small complex in Corralejo that is now a dedicated naturist facility. There are 4 villas and 6 apartments in the complex set around a pool and a hot tub. There is also a small bar and a nice shaded seating area.

I was recently invited to take a look around Infiniti and can confirm that it is a very nice, well maintained complex. The staff were all very friendly so I think anyone would be happy staying there. Fuerteventura Naturist Sun Club website.

Monte Marina Naturist Resort & Suite

This is located in the south of Fuerteventura, near Esquinzo in Jandia. It is part of the Hotel Marina Playa and the naturist part consists of 47 apartments around a lovely swimming pool.

This overlooks the lovely Esquinzo beach and is just a short walk.

You have access to the main hotel facilities but these are not naturist. You can find the Monte Marina here and here.

Villaverde Naturist Village

A naturist village of up to 40 units is being built next year in Villaverde in the north of Fuerteventura. It is a development by the owner of Infinii above. I will update this as and when it is built. There is currently a large 4 bedroom villa on the site which can eb rented for naturist holidays. Contact Fuerteventura Naturist Sun Club

Gran Hotel Natura Corralejo

Unfortunately the Gran Hotel Natura, a naturist hotel in Corralejo, has closed due to the building needing refurbishment. It is taking place but it is not known yet if it will reopen as a naturist hotel.

Naturist beaches in fuerteventura Map

map of naturist beaches in fuerteventura

See my other article on the best beaches in Fuerteventura

Bring Old Batteries Back To Life Again

May 9, 2019April 13, 2019 by admin

If you tried my method of reviving a dead power tool battery but it either didn’t work at all, or the battery now charges but doesn’t hold its charge for very long, then it may be that one or more of the cells in the battery are faulty.

If that is the case then you are faced with three options:

Buy a new expensive replacement battery or batteries
Buy a new power tool complete with new batteries (which can often be cheaper than option 1 bizarrely)
Learn how to replace the damaged cell/s so that you can continue to save money in the future whenever a battery fails – not just power tool batteries but all types of battery.

The following method works for many batteries including:

This works with:

Car Batteries
Laptop Batteries
Phone Batteries
Rechargeable Batteries
Long Life Batteries
Lead-Acid Batteries
Lithium-ion (Li-ion) Batteries
Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd) Batteries
AA Batteries
AAA Batteries
Alternative Energy Batteries
Deep Cycle Batteries
Marine Batteries
Golf Cart Batteries
Forklift Batteries

Nickel–Metal Hydride (NiMH) Batteries
Alkaline Batteries
AGM (Absorbent Glass Mat) Batteries
SLA (Sealed Lead-Acid) Batteries
12V Batteries
Truck Batteries
C Batteries
9V Batteries
6V Batteries
D Batteries
N Batteries
24V Batteries
Wind System Batteries
Solar System Batteries
Plus Many More!

Watch the video or click the links

Popcorn Beach Fuerteventura

April 5, 2019December 21, 2018 by admin

Over the past few weeks Popcorn Beach in Fuerteventura has been featured in both the UK and US press. I have no idea why it should suddenly feature as it has been here forever but that’s the press for you.

Popcorn Beach is on the north shore of Fuerteventura between Majanicho and Corralejo. It is basically made up of broken pieces of white coral that look very much like popcorn – hence the name.

As Fuerteventura beaches go it is certainly not one of the best but if you are driving along the north shore then it is worth a look at.

I drove from Majanicho along a very bumpy track first of all staying right by the sea shore. I was in my trusty old 4×4 so I was ok but you would struggle to take this track in a normal car. You certainly wouldn’t want to take your own car on it, although, as we all know, hire cars can go anywhere!

There is a much easier maintained track you can take too so that is quite easy in a normal car.

There is a small cafe/bar at the beach but it was closed when I visited. I don’t know when, or if, it opens.

Popcorn Beach looking east towards Corralejo

How to get to Popcorn Beach

To get to Majanicho first go to Lajares and at the roundabout by the football ground take the turning along the side of the football ground – signposted Majanicho. Continue down there, past the entrance to the Origo Mare complex and then into the quaint picturesque fishing hamlet of Majanicho.

Turn right to go to Popcorn Beach (or left to go to El Cotillo – see video) but definitely stop there for a little walk around as it is a lovely little place. See my video – Majanicho.

Popcorn Beach Fuerteventura Majanicho — Majanicho

Once out of the village keep to the best track (right-hand) for about 10 minutes or so until you come to the little cafe. Turn off and park right by the beach.

To drive from the Corralejo end, take the back road which goes to the port. Look out for the two wind turbines by the desalination plant. Take the track which goes from the rear of the bus station and passes near the wind turbines and just keep going until you come to the little cafe.

What Things Do I and Don’t I Miss About The UK

April 5, 2019September 24, 2018 by admin

This is a rough transcript of my video about things I miss about the UK. You can watch the video or read the article – aren’t I kind giving you a choice!

I’m going to talk about the things I miss about the UK and what I don’t miss living here in Fuerteventura as opposed to living in the UK.

I was going to record this while I was walking the dogs but typically the wind has really got up again so if I did that you wouldn’t be able to hear what I was saying above the wind noise. Mind you, that might be a bonus!

The dogs are here in the car so they’ll probably start whinging because they want their walk but we’ll carry on regardless. I think we’ve adapted pretty well living here. There’s not much we actually get people to bring out with them when they come over from UK. There are just a few things like loose tea because we like our pot of tea and Sue likes a M&S Earl Grey tea bags. She used to be able to buy them here but that shop has closed so she now gets people to bring those. She also likes mint Imperials but you can’t buy those here.

Some other people we know here really seem to miss loads of things. They get people to bring back English bacon, English sausages and all sorts of other things over with them. We substitute them with local things in the main and these are different yes but ok nevertheless.

The things I miss about the UK

1. Green

One of the things I do miss about the UK is the green countryside and the forests. I’d love to take the dogs for a nice walk through a forest like I used to with my previous dogs in the UK. Here you don’t see green very often.

2. Good Beer

This is bit odd for someone who doesn’t drink. Here the beer is rubbish quite frankly, which is one of the reasons why I gave up drinking five years ago. If you could get decent draught real ale I probably would have the odd pint but you can’t unfortunately.

The dogs are starting to whinge now.

3. Fast Internet

I guess is pretty obvious really from things I’ve said in other videos. Fast internet! The internet here is stone-aged and I would love to have quick reliable internet like we used to . We had Virgin fibre optics in the UK which was fast and I don’t think we ever lost the connection. You never know, one day they might catch up.

4. Decent Shops

Shopping is a a bit of a pain here at times because there aren’t that many really good shops like there are in the UK. As an example if you’re doing DIY or decorating in the UK you can go
somewhere like a big B&Q and know you are going to get everything you need. But here there’s a sort of a DIY shop called Ideal, and that’s the biggest, but it is a tiny shop in comparison to the warehouse type shops you get in the UK. The rest (called Ferreterias) are just tiny little places so if you want something specific you have to travel around from shop to shop and probably not get it anyway. So it would be nice to have some good specialist shops here.

5. Fish and Chips

Last, but not least, is takeaways. We really miss at times being able to just go and get fish and chips or good Chinese takeaway. it’s not something we tended to do very much in the UK. Probably in a month we had one fish and chip meal and one Chinese takeaway meal. But here, although you can buy fish and chips to take away from some of the restaurants, it’s not quite the same and you’re paying restaurant prices too so you may as well eat it there and save the washing up. I think there is a fish and chip shop in Caleta de Fuste but that’s a 35 minute drive from here so they’d be cold by the time I got back.

The things I don’t miss about the UK

1. Traffic James

Well one of the things has got to be traffic jams. I used to get so frustrated in the UK as you couldn’t go anywhere, particularly on a motorway and even more particularly at the weekends (which is when I did most of my travelling) without getting stuck in a traffic jam and not just one normally.

Mind you, traffic jams tend to be much worse in the UK than in most parts of Europe for some reason. In 2011, I was racing in Holland and having my car transported so I didn’t have to tow it on the trailer. Because of this Sue and I decided to make a holiday of it and after we finished racing we drove around on what we called our Grand Tour. We drove through Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco and France, staying in hotels along the way. We drove a total of 2500 miles in that two weeks without getting stuck in one traffic jam. We got off the ferry at Dover and within 15 miles we were stuck in a long traffic jam on the M2!

Here traffic jams just don’t happen.

2. Cold and Wet

I don’t miss the cold and the wet. I’ve always been a bit of a chilly mortal and a bit of a fair weather person. If the weather is bad I don’t do anything and let’s face it it is bad often in the UK. At least most of the time the weather is good here so I can’t go out and do things whenever I feel like it pretty much. And we never get days of nothing but drizzle here. When we do get rain it tends to be short and sharp and then it’s gone.

3. Bad Coffee

I don’t miss the bad and the expensive coffee in the UK. Coffee in cafes and restaurants tends to be pretty poor in the UK or you go to the likes of Costa and pay through the nose for it. Here it costs between 1.20€ to 1.50€ and it’s always good. I even paid just 1.00€ for a good coffee in a bar last week.

4. Short Dark Days

Another of the things I don’t miss are the short dark days of winter that you get in the UK, when it’s dark by half-past three. In the winter we still have around 9 hours of proper daylight here in Fuerteventura where it doesn’t get dark until 5:30pm on the shortest days. It is true that in the summer the days are a bit shorter here than they are in UK, because we’re further south, but who actually needs 19 hours of daylight anyway?

5. Rip-off Britain

Last but not least is the general high prices there are in the UK. I know it is a well used phrase but rip-off Britain does exist. Just about everything costs more in UK than it does here and frankly there’s no reason why it should. Many things here should cost more because they have to be imported.

Obviously taxes are much cheaper here – particularly indirect taxes. We don’t have VAT but instead there’s a small amount of purchase tax on things. There is no duty on petrol and cigarettes, not that I smoke, or on alcohol. Everything is generally cheaper and there is not much I can think of that is more expensive.

You may want to read more about the Cost Of Living in Fuerteventura.

Caleta De Fuste in 1987 – 30 years ago!

May 28, 2018 by admin

I was going through some old VHS home videos and came across footage of a holiday in Caleta De Fuste in 1987. I had recently got my old VHS-DVD player working so I decided to download the video and put it up in Youtube.

Caleta de Fuste was just in its early stages of development back then. It is very different to the Caleta of today.

My ex-wife, my son (who was 3) and myself went there for a two week holiday, and it was our first ever visit to Fuerteventura. We stayed in one of only two bungalow complexes that existed at the time. It is now called Cay Beach Villas but may have been called something different then, I can’t remember.

There was only one hotel in Caleta then which is now the Barcelo by the harbour. Next to that was the Castillo tower and a swimming pool. Then there was a little square with about two restaurants and a couple of small shops. That was it! Every night we walked across the beach to the square and asked the same question – “Are we going to eat there or there tonight?”

I have to say, it wasn’t a great holiday due to there being so little to do in the evenings. If it hadn’t been for the fact that I had hired a little Suzuki 4×4 I don’t think I would ever have come back to Fuerteventura. As we did have the car we got out and explored. Fortunately we found the dunes beaches of Corralejo so went there a number of times. We also went south and found the lovely Sotavento beach.

I am an avid Formula one fan and while we were there the Spanish GP was on. Believe it or not, the only tv I could find in Caleta de Fuste in 1987 was in the hotel. The day before I had spoken to the manager to ask if I could watch it on their tv, which he agreed to. About 30 minutes before the start I went to the hotel to find that the manager had gone off fishing for the afternoon and had the key to the tv cabinet with him! I jumped in the car and finally found a small bar near the port in Puerto del Rosario that had the race on.

Fuerteventura airport was just a single story building in 1987 too. I remember when we arrived the luggage carousels weren’t finished. They brought the luggage around the front of the terminal on the little luggage “train” and we took it from there.

If you have been to Caleta in recent times you may find this video interesting:

Watch the Caleta de Fuste in 1987 video on Youtube

The West Coast of Fuerteventura – beautiful, rugged, and spectacular

July 26, 2019April 25, 2018 by admin

While the east coast has some beautiful beaches, the west coast of Fuerteventura has the most spectacular and rugged coastline, as well as some of the best beaches in Fuerteventura.

The Atlantic waves have obviously been battering the west coast for millions of years so it is no wonder it is so rugged.

It certainly makes up some of the best of the Fuerteventura scenery. The Fuerteventura coast at its best. Many of the beaches are pretty secluded so you can sunbathe all day with them virtually to yourself.

Want to know more about what Fuerteventura is like? Just take a look at the video below.

The video starts right up at the north of Fuerteventura at the Toston lighthouse. Then we travel down the west coast to El Cotillo, Tindaya, Los Molinos, Aguas Verdes, Ajuy, La Pared and Cofete.

Watch the video in Youtube – Fuerteventura West Coast

Where to eat in Fuerteventura – Casa de la Naturaleza in Vega de Rio Palmas

March 25, 2018 by admin

This week we had to choose where to eat in Fuerteventura that was somewhere in the middle of the island. That was because friends of ours were here on holiday in Fuerteventura, staying in the south of the island in Costa Calma, and we wanted to meet them for lunch.

Location

The restaurant is located in the little village of Vega de Rio Palmas which is in the mountains just outside Betancuria, roughly in the centre of Fuerteventura.

It is in a very quiet setting at the end of the village with views of the mountains from the patio. There is a lovely courtyard, which is a green oasis, and a pond with fish and terrapins/turtles and other wildlife.

The Casa de la Naturaleza restaurant was recommended by my Spanish teacher, Sally, so we decided to meet there. We were glad we did as it turned out to be one of nicest restaurants in Fuerteventura that we have eaten at. The food was good but the setting and the restaurant itself were absolutely amazing.

Whichever way you get to the restaurant means an interesting Fuerteventura mountain road drive. It is a great place for lunch in the mountains and would be good to eat there when visiting Betancuria or the Caves of Ajuy.

As we have had quite a bit of rain this winter, well for here. The island was greener than I have ever seen it before. If you are touring the island and wondering where to eat in Fuerteventura give it a try.

The Casa De La Naturaleza online details:
http://www.casanaturaleza.net/
https://www.facebook.com/casanaturaleza/

There is a guest house with an infinity pool attached to the restaurant so you could spend the night there too.

Watch the Casa de la Naturaleza video here:

Watch the video in Youtube – Casa de la Naturaleza

What is Caleta de Fuste like? | Caleta de Fuste Fuerteventura

July 18, 2019March 21, 2018 by admin

In this video I show the main areas of Caleta de Fuste, including the marina, the beaches, shops, restaurants, bars, some of the hotels and the golf courses. I also talk a bit about what Costa Caleta was like in 1987 when I first stayed there.

First I show the marina area which is one of the nicest parts of the resort I think.

After that the video covers the two Caleta beaches – Castillo beach and Atlantico beach. Both beaches are completely artificial. The sand has been imported to create what I would describe as a “beach theme area” rather than a beach. They are without a doubt the worst beaches on Fuerteventura, but some people seem to love them. Each to their own I guess.

I then show some of the town centre commercial areas starting with Castillo Central. Then I cover the shops in Caleta de Fuste with some of the bars and restaurants in Caleta de Fuste too. I couldn’t really show the Caleta de Fuste nightlife in this video. Another day (or night) perhaps.

Caleta de fuste bars — Some of the cheaper bars

There are too many hotels in Caletato cover in one video but I do show the Barcelo Fuerteventura and the Hotel Elba Carlota.

Click for package holiday deals in Caleta de Fuste with up to £100 off per person

Caleta de Fuste Hotels — Hotel Elba Carlota

This is followed by a quick look at the Fuerteventura golf courses – first the Fuerteventura Golf Resort, which is a championship course where the Spanish Open took place in 2004. Then I show the Golf Club Salinas de Antigua which is the “public” course.

I finish the video by going to the top of Chipmunk Mountain and show some general views of the area.

Caleta from the top of Chipmunk Mountain — Caleta de Fuste from the top of Chipmunk Mountain

Where to stay in Caleta de Fuste

Hotels:

Barceló Castillo Beach Resort – Very popular hotel right by the beach
Elba Sara Beach & Golf Resort – near the beach, shopping centre and golf courses
Elba Palace Golf & Vital Hotel – Adults only, located right on the Fuerteventura Golf Club
Barceló Castillo Royal Level – located right by the harbour
Hotel Ereza Mar – popular hotel near the harbour and facing the sea

Complexes:

Fuerteventura Beach Club – very popular complex with families
Castillo Playa – a good value complex in a good location
Caleta Garden Apartments – very popular and close to shops and restaurants
Broncemar Beach Aparthotel – lovely pool area and close to amenities

Villas and apartments

Please feel free to leave a comment.

Watch the Caleta de Fuste Youtube video – What is Caleta Like?

Caleta train — The little train that you can use to get around Caleta

To find out more information on Caleta de Fuste please click on the link to visit this very informative website.

Drone Flying in Fuerteventura – My first flight

March 15, 2018 by admin

Drone flying in Fuerteventura for the first time

Sue, my wife, bought me a Holy Stone HS200 drone for Christmas so I decided to try it out after walking the dogs in the river beds. Well, I guess you could say it was a first drone flight fail!

I crashed the drone many times, particularly at the beginning as it had the tendency to fly sideways on its own immediately after take off. I managed to get around that by a combination of adding some compensation to the controls and some skilful flying.

It also seemed to suddenly have a will of its own and just head off in one direction until I hit the “land” button to stop it. This may be due to my piloting skills so I will have to do some more testing.

I got so “good” I even managed the super difficult “flying a drone under a car” manoeuvre! More testing with the Holy Stone quadcopter to come I think. Anyone else do any drone flying in Fuerteventura?

It is not easy to fly and seems to be very susceptible to the wind (which is a bit of a problem here!). It is very robust though as I have crashed it numerous times now and nothing has broken.

Watch the video in Youtube – Drone flying

What is the weather like in Fuerteventura in winter?

December 9, 2017 by admin

When people are looking for somewhere to go to escape the cold and rain in northern Europe during winter one of their first questions is “What is the weather like in Fuerteventura in winter?”

Well in this video, hopefully, I will answer that question. I have experienced winter in Fuerteventura for the past 9 years.

One of the key things about deciding to retire in Fuerteventura was the climate. It has to have the best climate in the world year round. Rarely too hot in summer and never actually cold in winter. I used to suffer from sad (seasonal affective disorder) in the UK I think in winter. Another way of putting it is – I was totally pissed off with the weather!

The lowest average winter temperatures are in January with an average of 18°C but of course that means that many days are above 20°C.

For full details of the weather here year round check out the weather page.

Watch the video in Youtube