Fuerteventura, part one - getting settled in.

This blog is all about Fuerteventura. To see my other blogs, please click on any of the following;

HERE (Gran Canaria 2012)
HERE (Gran Canaria 2018)
HERE (Lanzarote)
HERE (Madeira)

HERE (Peak district walks)

HERE (Majorca)
HERE Kefalonia
 HERE Cyprus 2018
HERE Parga

Fuerteventura, March 2013.

Based in Caleta de Fuste.

We'd done some of the Canary islands before, but never been to 'the windy island' - Fuerteventura. We chose Fuerte' because we wanted some winter sun, and this place has a year-round average of over 20C (68F). I can be windy, but as were were going to stay for two weeks, we guessed we'd get our share of the good weather.

We flew early from the UK (we prefer this) and for the first time ever, we didn't manage to get a window seat. As Sue & I are both like excited kids when it comes to flying, and LOVE looking out of the windows, this was a disappointment. I was glad I'd packed my earphones and music player.

We arrived to a very sunny Fuerte' at around 12:15PM, There is no time difference from the UK, so no altering of watches was needed. We got to the hotel and dropped off our cases before getting out to explore. We always like to do this - get a 'feel' of the place.

 There's a very long promenade, which stretches from Calete de Fuste right up to Nuevo Horizonte, to the North. It was planned to extend it all the way to Las Salinas, in the South, but as with lots of things, the money ran out and the plans are now on hold.
(NB - SINCE WRITING, THE PROM' HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO LAS SALINAS)

There's been a LOT of investment by the big hotel groups, and they dominate the South of Calete. The main players seem to be the Elba, Sheraton and the Barcello, who own vast swathes of Caleta, and whose name seems to be everywhere, from hotel to apartments and villas. They (Barcello) have done some super landscaping work, these cacti were beautiful.

 You can see the volcanic rock deposits all along the front. Not easy stuff to walk over, and certainly unsuitable for lying on in the sun (or any other weather).

Anyway - we'd done a lot of walking - time to relax a bit in the sunshine.

 Thoughtful lighting was placed all along the prom' and made for great walks in the warm evenings.

 It's quite a romantic place, too.

 There is very little by way of trees or bushes on the island, only in odd pockets, or where they are tended (as in hotel grounds, etc).

 This walk around the main beach is lined with palms, probably done by Barcello, as this is their boundary.

Caleta is also known as 'Castillo', and here's the reason why. This is one of the very few historical buildings on the island, a small, round castle-like structure.

 After returning to the hotel and unpacking properly, we went into the bar area of Caleta. One bar stood out from most, it's called the Blues Bar. They have entertainment on every night. Some really good, some not to my taste. These statues outside it are really eye-catching!

There was a Robbie Williams tribute on tonight, and it was very good too. We got in the company of some Swedes who were enjoying it immensely, and their appetite for cocktails was incredible - we saw them have at least six, plus shots!!! There would be some sore heads in the morning, but tonight, they were singing and dancing like mad :-)

 The bars for the place are set either side of a walk-under, and the barmen work really hard getting people in, seated and fetching drinks for them, once settled. With a great sense of humour and a ready smile, I'd say they were worth their weight in gold to their employer.

This is the view from our hotel room over the volcanic mountains outside Caleta.

It was a lovely, balmy evening, about 20C, so we sat on the balcony with a couple of G&T's and our books.

 We didn't realise what an amazing spectacle was to come (and EVERY night too) - this super sunset, set off nicely by a small band of cloud.

Skies of fire.

Caleta by night.

We had a car hire booked for a week to do some exploring, but we wanted to chill out and explore our immediate surroundings first, so in the morning, we'd be looking around in more detail.