Less developed than the other Canaries, Fuerteventura is often described as one big sand dune. Dotted amongst its miles of carefully preserved coastline is a handful of low-rise resorts, popular with buyers looking for a chilled-out beach destination. Worth a look, surely?

Location and landscape
Fuerteventura sits in crystal clear Atlantic waters just over 100 kilometres off Morocco’s West African coastline. It’s the second largest of Spain’s main Canary Islands, but arguably the best preserved and certainly one of the least populated. Like its archipelago neighbours, it was born from volcanoes and today most of the island is still a mesmerising lunarscape, with swathes of glorious sand dunes. In fact, the whole island is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, with no less than 13 protected natural areas.

Highlights include Tindaya Mountain, Isla de Lobos, the dunes at Corralejo and the wild Jandía Peninsula. Practically all of the island’s resorts, as well as its principal town, Puerto del Rosario, and the airport are located on the east coast. The west coast is an undeveloped wilderness with a 100-kilometre coastline of cliffs and virgin beaches. Fuerteventura is also known for its aloe vera plantations and roaming goats, and unlike other Canarian islands, most of its beaches are golden instead of black!

Notable buying spots
The northern La Oliva municipality is the most popular areas with British buyers, especially in and around the resort of Corralejo on the east coast and in the only notable resort on the west coast, El Cotillo. Both originated as traditional fishing villages and today offer a laid-back year-round lifestyle, cosmopolitan beachfront communities and access to some of Europe’s best beaches – all without the thumping nightlife you find in other Canarian destinations. This area also has a choice of traditional villages, some ten minutes inland, offering an especially tranquil existence – examples include Villaverde, Lajares and La Oliva.

Halfway down the east coast and very near to the airport is the other key tourist area of Caleta de Fuste. Built around a bay, it is the island’s most commercialised resort, boasting all types of leisure amenities including golf courses, shopping malls and large hotels. Meanwhile, options in the island’s south are focused in the windy Jandía Peninsula. They include Costa Calma, a purpose-built resort, and the beachfront strip that runs from Jandía to the pretty resort of Morro Jable, an old fishing village.

The lifestyle
Fuerteventura has a balmy sub-tropical climate, which means sunshine and warmth all year round, with a slight rise in temperature in the summer. For homeowners, this makes the island as popular to visit during the autumn or winter months as any other time of year. It’s for this reason many owners are happy renting out their property to holidaymakers for the duration of the busier summer months.

For most homeowners, life in Fuerteventura is about having access to stunning beaches and fantastic natural scenery, while making time to enjoy the relaxed vibe and dip into the local culture and cuisine. These people tend to stick to the northern half of the island.

Meanwhile, another key group of Fuerteventura aficionados head there for a more energetic reason – water sports. As the English translation of the name suggests (‘strong wind”), the island has a consistent wind, particularly in the south-east. The abundance of windmills hints at this! Combine this with the long, uninterrupted beaches and the excellent climate, and the conditions for kite and wind-surfing are as good as it gets anywhere on the planet.

The Jandía Peninsula is the go-to area for this, especially Sotovento beach where the annual World Championships are held. Island-wide, Fuerteventura offers excellent opportunities to enjoy all other types of aquatic sports, including diving, snorkelling, sailing, paddle-boarding and game fishing.

Property
Being less touristy and less developed than the other popular Canaries has kept Fuerteventura’s property prices comparatively lower than its neighbours. That said, there are signs they are starting to catch up.

For a second home in a resort or next to the beach, apartments are the most popular option. In Corralejo, budget from around €110,000 for a one-bed in a small well-located complex with communal pool or for a two-bed in a centrally located block with no pool. Frontline two/ three-bed apartments or duplexes start from €150,000-€200,000. In developments outside of the main resorts, prices are less. Apartments are achievable for under €100,000 and even small villas can be less than €150,000.

Getting there
Fuerteventura has flights from all major UK airports and under normal conditions (i.e. no lockdown) they operate nearly every day of the week. As well as tour operators, low-cost airlines flying there include EasyJet, Ryanair and Jet2.