Weather at Christmas in Fuerteventura. First of all… yes… there is the obvious lack of snow. Ok, so I don’t remember a white Christmas from my old home in the UK since I was a wee whippersnapper… but in Fuerteventura you won’t see so much as a crisp frost. How great to get up on Christmas morning, and take a meander along the beach… perhaps have a quick dip (for the braver ones) and a sunbathe. Then either a lazy lunch at one the many fabulous Fuerteventura restaurants or do your own traditional roast turkey at home. Many restaurants now do a formal Christmas slap up meal – with all the expected trimmings.

Food. Speaking of food, the Spanish tend to have a major feast on Christmas Eve. This is often the largest meal of the year, with plenty of courses. If there’s one thing the Spanish can do extremely well… it’s dining! Lobster is a favourite feature, and there is always a big roast… usually suckling pig or lamb. All of this is accompanied by lots of of side dishes. There’s no specific menu as such… only the requirement to eat well. Both Alan and I love our food… so we’re big fans!

Got a sweet tooth? For a few weeks before Christmas, the supermarkets are chock full of chocolates, nougats, dates, and many more sticky sweet goodness. Go on, treat yourselves – it’s only once a year, eh?!

When? The Christmas season in Fuerteventura all starts on December 8th, with the “Feast of the Immaculate Conception”. This day is a fiesta on the Island, so don’t try filling out any paperwork, or doing anything admuinitsrative on that day. Christmas Eve usually sees Spanish restaurants out of the main resorts closing early so that staff can go to the Christmas Eve mass, or simply spend time together as a family. However, Christmas Day is not the same here as in the UK – there are no oodles of presents around a tree for example, or stockings hanging from mantlepieces.

Nativity Scenes. Dotted around the island you will find Belénes, which are miniature nativity scenes. However, these are usually erected with a Fuerteventura twist, and are often miniature versions of of the Island… complete with little landmarks.Look out for the little boy doing a “number two”. Apparently if you spot him, it means plenty of luck for the following year. I’m yet to find him, but I’ll keep trying!

New Year. This was the 3rd consecutive New Year we have spent in the Canaries, and we weren’t disappointed. The bars and restaurants were all full to the brim, and there were plenty of people milling about in the streets. Firework displays (plus the unofficial ones from bars and restaurants too), beeping horns, and much in the way of merriment. We were in Playa Blanca – and the views of the fireworks at the Corralejo dunes were fabulous – so we’re thinking of spending New Year’s Eve there this next time around.

Las Tres Reyes. This is the biggie for the Spanish children. Presents are traditionally given on this day of the kings (January 6th), when there are street parades through the towns, and kiddies queue up to receive sweets and goodies from the 3 Kings… or Las Tres Reyes. Each ayuntamiento will usually lay on some form of celebration for this. The children will also lay their shoes outside their front doors on the previous evening, stuffed with straw for the camels of the travellers… only to be replaced the following morning with gifts.

Christmas TV in Fuerteventura. Of course you have your usual family Christmas movies. Look out for Harry Potter, Love Actually, and Christmas carols for everyone to sing along to. Can’t you bear to miss the Queen’s speech? Well, don’t worry because the King of Spain, Juan Carlos, gives his words on Christmas Eve, around 9pm.

Winnings?! A massive Spanish tradition is the largest lottery of the year – El Gordo – with a huge cash prize. Christmas 2008 saw 2.32 million euros, being drawn on the 22nd December.

Less Commercial. The main difference we have noticed is how understated the whole holiday season is. You’re not bombarded with Christmas carols in every shop from the end of September… no stressful panic buying of presents… no overloaded credit card bills arriving in January. Yes, I think we’ll stay for more!

Got an emergency and need to get to the hospital quickly? Then trap a white towel, t-shirts or cloth of some sort in the window on the driver’s side – so that it flaps as you drive up the road. The police recognise this as a sign that you have a dire emergency… and often will give you an escort to the nearest hospital. This obviously doesn’t work for getting to the footie match on time!

Roundabouts? Do what the locals do… keep a constant eye on everything going on around you, and stick to the outside lane.

Approaching a  pedestrian crossing? Obviously slow down – that’s simply common sense!  But if there is someone about to cross ahead of you, then switch on your left indicator so any vehicles behind you are aware that something is going on.

Drive on the right! Yes, it sounds obvious doesn’t it? but you’d be surprised how many cars (with drivers from the UK and Ireland) drift over to the other side of the road. This is especially bad on the busy airport days.

That’s it for now – but perhaps you have some that you would like to share? Real or tongue in cheek? Then either leave a comment here, or drop us an email HERE

We miss rolling hills, we occasionally miss the cold snap – we miss snow (well… Alan does… not me!), we miss rain, we miss running streams, we miss the green, we miss Sunday roasts in a village pub, we miss our family and pals and most of all we miss Alan’s boys (although one now lives here permanently). But, if we were still there we’d still be missing them, just in a slightly different way as they discover their own way through life. What we don’t miss, is Alan’s 13 year old son getting mugged by other kids, the crippling cost of living, the reports of American style drive by shootings in inner cities, the worsening education system, the stress, the horrendous traffic, the change in attitudes… And, what we really don’t miss is the racism – the hatred for people from Eastern Europe who have moved quite legally to England to try and make a better life for themselves. If you have ever spent any time in Eastern Europe – it’s not nice in many places, they come to England with hope and optimism, only to get treated like dirt by many… The only people who should be held in contempt are those people who choose to either move illegally, or those who choose not to live by the laws of the country… If you don’t like it, you have a vote, blame your government, nobody else. As a result we chose to leave and now live now on a barren rock, a stunningly beautiful one, in the Canary Islands. It has one of the most incredible landscapes in the world, which may, to some, seem like an acquired taste. We love the place, we love the stark landscape. And we love the relaxed way of life… we too are now immigrants and economic migrants, and we get treated better than a foreigner moving to the UK by far…But in return for the hospitality we are shown, many ex-pats will not even attempt to learn the language – most likely the ones that back in the UK would be the first to moan that Mrs Patel’s mother at the corner shop has “has been here 20 years and has never bothered to learn English”. They need to learn that ‘The Empire’ is dead and it is they who now have the responsibility to integrate…   Of one thing we are sure, our next move – if it decides to come – will take our bodies, hearts and minds even further from the England we once loved so dearly…

Any rainfall is likely to fall on Lanzarote in the predominantly northerly winds, therefore Fuerteventura is the driest of the Canary Islands.  However, it is still possible to get several days of cloudy wet weather from December until April, and although rare, some thunderous downpours.

Whether cloudy or sunny it will always feel warm as the temperature generally remains around the low to high 20’s!

Fuerteventura weather

Fuerteventura weather

This article was kindly donated by Dottie – a long time fan of the Canary islands, and a retired meteorologist. Hey, if you’re going to talk about the weather – ask the expert!

Corralejo art

It is said that Corralejo is the busiest of all the resorts on the Island but it is nothing like the resorts of Tenerife or mainland Spain.

Once a little fishing village Corralejo has spotted the opportunity to benefit from Fuerteventura’s many fans, and now evolved to rely on mainly the tourism industry. The town itself has a very cosmopolitan feel with holiday makers travelling from the likes of mainland Spain, France, Italy, Scandinavian countries, Germany and of course the United Kingdom and Ireland to name but a few.

Corralejo has been built sensibly having learned by the mistakes of other

Corralejo beach

Spanish resorts and apart from two hotels (that are 6 storey’s) nothing has been built more than 3 storey’s high from the road, so no nose bleeds when taking the escalator to the 26th floor like other area of the Canaries or
the Costas on the Mainland!!

There are a few town beaches scattered around the coast of Corralejo that are easily walked to (no more than a 15 minute walk) from the majority of Apartments found in Corralejo but nestled on the outskirts of Corralejo is the Grandes Playas a stretch reaching for 14km that has white golden sand that encompasses the Sand Dunes in the Natural Park known as La Jable. This is one of the many features of Fuerteventura that gives that wow factor to any Holiday maker!

Corralejo gastronomy

With its many bars and restaurants in Corralejo there really isn’t a dish you can not be served. Although the main street is where the majority of tourist restaurants are situated … for those that want the Spanish feel they should take a wander to the mainly side streets a sample real Spanish Tapas.

This article and images were very kindly donated by Tim who has a selection of luxury holiday apartments in Corralejo, and who has lived there with his good lady, Ju, since 2004.

Click the image to enlarge it

Download Google Earth – it´s free!