Does anyone have a story about where they first heard about or what first attracted them to Fuerteventura?
In my case it was an article in the Glasgow Herald (as it was called in those days) by Bruce Sandison, who's columns on outdoor topics I always enjoyed. Surprisingly, I've found the original article online. Read it here. (http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/to-beat-the-costa-it-has-to-be-a-new-vista-1.711651) It dates from 1994, which was over 10 years before I had a change of lifestyle and started taking holidays abroad. That one article had stuck in my mind over the years and Fuerteventura was one of my first choices when I started travelling.
I don't know if Bruce still visits the island and what he thinks now. I suspect Costa Calma has changed a bit since 1994.
THE WIND
(http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/7873/windn.jpg)
The ease of watching all the Sky channels on Astra 2F ;D
Saw the iconic photo of the beach from the viewpoint at Mal Nombre. Thought "That looks good & booked"
Firt time i came to Fuerte was simply because it was a new destination from my local airport and we both fell in love with the laid back atmosphere and lack of commercialism we had found in the other Canarian islands visited.Returned every year since although we stlll go some where else every year also.
The music scene in Corralejo. :-* It's still attracting me after nine months here!
Second reason would be that laid back atmosphere that's already been mentioned: no wonder there are so many aging hippies and Rastas here. All the different nationalities get along very nicely on the whole, and there's remarkably little vandalism and related crime for a place with such high unemployment. Wherever we were born, we're all Majoreros and Majoreras now, and proud of it. :)
Great place for a holiday, too. With the advantage that when you're on holiday you actually have time to get to that magnificent beach a few kilometres away. ::)
Emm, well now let me see.......
Was it the tanned muscular male bodies lying on the beach in a Tourist brochure
or the one cent Ryanair flights at the time?
I will let you guess. ;) :D :D :D
The important thing is......I got there and am still in love with the Island............for whatever reason. ;)
Saw the photos on t'interweb of the fabulous beaches in the south! Just had to go there.
Quote from: fifi on January 23, 2013, 22:46:52 PM
Emm, well now let me see.......
Was it the tanned muscular male bodies lying on the beach in a Tourist brochure
or the one cent Ryanair flights at the time?
I will let you guess. ;) :D :D :D
The important thing is......I got there and am still in love with the Island............for whatever reason. ;)
I've certainly not been disappointed with what I found.
Talking of tanned muscular male bodies lying on the beach, I'm planning to get over in a few weeks....
I'll watch out for them for you
Was nothing really,we'd been to Zante the year before and because the airport was so bad we went back into the travel agents and refused to go back the following year and she recommended Fuerte,we've never looked back,love the bloody place !! Not gone anywhere else since our 1st visit...... :)
I love the relaxed pace,no hassle like a lot of other islands/places you go on holiday to........
Quote from: duncolm on January 24, 2013, 00:20:43 AM
Quote from: fifi on January 23, 2013, 22:46:52 PM
Emm, well now let me see.......
Was it the tanned muscular male bodies lying on the beach in a Tourist brochure
or the one cent Ryanair flights at the time?
I will let you guess. ;) :D :D :D
The important thing is......I got there and am still in love with the Island............for whatever reason. ;)
I've certainly not been disappointed with what I found.
Talking of tanned muscular male bodies lying on the beach, I'm planning to get over in a few weeks....
I'll watch out for them for you
:D :D :D Oh yes dont forget to post a pic ;)
But really I would be more interested in a one cent flight. :D
Only twice in my life have I ever been away for Christmas or New Year. Both were disasterous. We had booked a holiday for New Years Eve 2000 and just before it I came down with the Beijing flu. To make matters worse the flight was from Shannon and there was heavy snow and ice on the ground. Seriously ill ,I managed the journey as well as an overnight stay in a Hotel down South. Guess where we arrived...........Dublin. I couldnt believe it. I had all of that torturous travel for nothing because the travel agents had said that there were no holidays at all left because it was the Millenium from Dublin....and yet they took extra passengers on board when we landed there.
So things went from bad to worse. I was so ill that I even lost my sight for two days, (definitely no chance of seeing any tanned muscular bodies then :D)I was bedbound, and only managed to get out for 20 minutes on New Years eve to see the fireworks in Caleta. I noticed that there were no high rise buildings and thought that it looked like a nice place but was too ill to go out apart from those few minutes.
Back then the Island was full of emaciated looking cats which were my constant visitors as I lay in my sick bed. Im glad to see that they are well looked after now.
Well anyway, to cut a long story short, several years later I starting investigating property all over the world with the view to purchasing something small and saw one cent flights to Fuerteventura. This could be the place for me I thought and so the tickets were purchased. On the second day I fell in love with a tiny little bungalow and the deal was done.
Thats how I found the Island. :)
Cheap cigarettes and booze
After hating Tenerife when I was 16, when I was 20 I was planning to go to Croatia - but there was a war - so I booked Fuerte instead. Lobos Bahia £169. 15 years later managed to buy my own little place on the rock. Never looked back.
Remember back then how everywhere you turned there was an advert for Yugotours. That was a company that disappeared instantly!
about 12 years ago i was looking on teletext holidays (pre-internet,for me anyway) for a cheap holiday to escape the british winter.i found one on tenerife,but when i phoned up it had gone.i was offered a similar deal to the caleta amarillo(now caleta dorada) all inclusive for i week.i am ashamed to say i had never heard of fuerteventura at the time,but booked it anyway,and had a great time.since then i,ve been back every year sometimes 3 times a year,at least twice a year,and want to retire to the island as soon as possible.i love the bars and restaurants in caleta,and can honestly say i,ve never had a bad meal.the thing that most people say about fuerteventura,who love it,is it is a laid back,chilled place to be.i think that sums it up nicely.i am back in caleta at easter,and can,t wait to meet up with all the friends i,ve met over the years.roll on easter. :) 8)
Although im in my mid 40s i still dream of the day I can live over in fuert We bought our little place over 7 years ago, in the property boom, traveled from Lanza by ferry to see the place an I fell in love with it straight away. We have been to other places in between when the kids were smaller but I just cannot imagine going anywhere else now. Children are 15 and 18 now and they love Caleta. Of course when they go to college they will want to hit Santa Ponsa etc, but thats part of live they move on, and perhaps before the kids have kids we will get to spend more time there. some of my friends were saying... the bars close there at midnight, not the ones we go to :D. Its one of the safest places I have ever brought the children to, not full of drunk eejets, and we have been away to many places. One way ticket to Fuert please.
It was a lovely couple, friends of friends, who introduced us to the Island. They owned an apartment and raved about the Island when we met them, so we paid the rent and flew out. We had been to other Canaries, so we had an idea of what to expect. By the time they'd driven us to El Cotillo we knew it was different. We've been back every Autumn since. One week in El Caleton and then on to civilisation at Infiniti for a second week.
Quote from: duncolm on January 24, 2013, 16:51:50 PM
Remember back then how everywhere you turned there was an advert for Yugotours. That was a company that disappeared instantly!
I used to work for them. They were a Serbian company with all their Hotels in Croatia. The war put an end to it all.
Read a windsurfing report in a magazine that mentioned Corky`s bar and Oscar`s restaurant. Well, they`ve both gone now but I still come back.
Just liked the sound of the place. Not a Benidorm or similiar. Naturist beaches coming out of your opening at the lower end of the alimentary canal through which solid waste is eliminated from the body. What more could you want? Sun, Sea, good food, enough to keep your interest and nightlife if you want it. And of course the wonderful people on the forum :D
Just love the place, just never taken the plunge to move but one day, maybe :D :D
Love the place.......... :)
Just a lovely place to be. Relaxed but safe. Almost 365 days sunshine. We enjoy it best in Autum, Spring and
Winter. A bit too hot for us in mid Summer. It has its faults but so has everywhere.
Never actually been in summer months but next year mite be the one we do try it = i love it hot....
I came to Fuerte over 10 years ago. Having holiday on Lanzorote a number of time with teen agers, and also on Tennerrie (which we hated), and Grand Canaria we (Mrs Can and I) decided to try Fuerte, and the rest is history - we were hooked and bought a place.
A lot of people say you either like Fuerte or you dont like it, I don't agree, but I can say its the type of place that you can fall instantly in love with.
Our intentions is to be able to retire here where we can have almost all year round sunshine, with occassional visits back to the Emerald Isle, and family can come visit 8)
we first went to fert 8 years ago and stayed in a friends house
up the hill in caleta.
we just loved everything about the place.
we had been using our friends place twice a year for 2 years
when they decided to move to fert full time.
we have been going twice a year eversince and
have seen a lot of changes, but we still feel the same
about caleta as the first time we went there.
we are going again in april and looking foward to
the sunshine, coffee at the marina , 15s, nestors, windmill, tapas at el capitan,
drive up and around the mountain, lunch at casa lsaitas in pajara,
sangria on the little island opp sheraton hotel, and visiting friends.
it dont get any better than that.
so to reply to post question, we have our friends to thank
for introducing us to caleta.
:)
Think everyone has the same ideas as you Can mate,just some of us aren't that lucky to be able to afford it but fair play to ya fella,i'll keep doing the lottery...... ::)
Quote from: Paddster on January 25, 2013, 20:01:41 PM
Never actually been in summer months but next year mite be the one we do try it = i love it hot....
We always go in July/August 8)
Hot..hot..hot!!!!
February 1983 - Los Gorriones - only destination outside Africa to pretty well guarantee winter sun, and in those days you needed jabs for Egypt or Morocco. Also once we were there there was no way I could be called back to a work emergency, as there was only one flight a week! Couldn't even phone them as you had to book a call to the UK a day in advance.
We still love it thirty years later - back on Saturday
LL Pho,thats a brilliant story,love it....Dee,yeah,we will be going in the summer months for the first time next year with luck.....Never done it as i said so,bite the bullet....... :)
Hopefully see you there then Paddy ;D
It was a bit bizarre: we intended going to Formentera, but the travel agent misheard and booked us to Fuerteventura, as it was a fairly arbitrary choice went to Fuerteventura instead, and have been back several times.
First went to fuerte over 30 years ago and fell in love with the peace and tranquility. First stopped in Caleta, and used a bar called Captains table and there was a lovely spanish restaurant above an Italian restaurant, cant remember there names, they were on the corner before the music square, which wasnt there then. In fact there was very little across the main road where the golf courses and McD's are now, also the ocean view complexes and the beach, werent there, in my opinion vast improvements have been made, even if yo do lose a bit of the rustic charm.
Because Caleta was a bit Quiet have been visiting Corrie ever since. First stayed at Bristol Playa, where there was a bar called Partners and our fav restaurant was Fagins, if anyone remembers. Also loved stopping at a tapas bar on the main street, which is now a jewellery shop. Other fav places were Festers, christinas country Kitchen, alpha 1, The chinese rest, where Penny Lane is now,los pepes i think it was called opp Rogues.
Back then Corrie virtually stopped at Lobos Bahia. Special thanks to Caroline and Steve was Gibsons. John and Michelle Fagins and Pescys. Dave and Tracy, still grafting hard. Phil and Tina, Derek Mac, Barry and Sarah, loved the hot spot,Paula, chris and selina, and all the very friendly and hospitable ex pats who make our holidays so special.
Cheap booze!
Back in the 80's a friend of ours worked in a Travel Agents (Those brightly coloured shops - pre internet) We asked for somewhere quiet and she suggested Fuerteventura. Ended up having 16 holidays there.
Tony
Quote from: Tony and Irene on January 30, 2013, 15:38:56 PM
Back in the 80's a friend of ours worked in a Travel Agents (Those brightly coloured shops - pre internet) We asked for somewhere quiet and she suggested Fuerteventura. Ended up having 16 holidays there.
Tony
Tony good to see you pop in now and again. Any chance of resurrecting Friends of Fuerteventura Forum pictures :o ?
Quote
Posted by: dee-dee
« on: January 30, 2013, 06:45:28 am »
Insert Quote
Hopefully see you there then Paddy ;D
You might just do dee love,spoke to my friend last night and told them we'd be over earlier in the year next year.... ;D ;D...Be nice to see what its like in the, i quote, "hot summer months".... 8)
Quote from: Paddster on January 31, 2013, 05:40:45 AM
Quote
Posted by: dee-dee
« on: January 30, 2013, 06:45:28 am »
Insert Quote
Hopefully see you there then Paddy ;D
You might just do dee love,spoke to my friend last night and told them we'd be over earlier in the year next year.... ;D ;D...Be nice to see what its like in the, i quote, "hot summer months".... 8)
Can`t wait,its gonna be hot,hot,hot 8)
Will be if you two get together ;D
(http://static5.depositphotos.com/1000975/443/i/950/depositphotos_4436868-Smiley-holding-two-red-hearts-in-hands.jpg)
Shut it you two!! ::)
Sorry Dee, dont want to upset the girl from Essex. Enjoy your rendezvous with Paddy, make a good impression and wear your black stockings and white stilletoes :-* :-*
(http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRjyJMMnVnTnQtvDk1Ehur1nZk6Eh9RZUrALJ2rgzvKkMwK1htx)
Quote from: appy ammer on January 30, 2013, 18:22:41 PM
Quote from: Tony and Irene on January 30, 2013, 15:38:56 PM
Back in the 80's a friend of ours worked in a Travel Agents (Those brightly coloured shops - pre internet) We asked for somewhere quiet and she suggested Fuerteventura. Ended up having 16 holidays there.
Tony
Tony good to see you pop in now and again. Any chance of resurrecting Friends of Fuerteventura Forum pictures :o ?
Hi appy, hope you're well.
I'm afraid I don't have the web space anymore. I was running it off my business hosting package, but alas the business is no more :(
Cheers
Tony
I'm not in the same league as Miss Dross Pin Up dee.... ::)
She's lovely and i'm bald........... ::)
Look forward to it dee love :-* :-* :-* :-* :-*
Our's was a pure stroke of luck. In April 2005 we were passing a travel agency in town and saw two weeks AI in Turkey advertised for £375 PP. £750 for the both of us for two weeks sounded brill, so we enquired about it. The flight times were horrendous so Mrs Swordy asked if there were any similar deals for other destinations. the nice young man found us two weeks in the Barcello Castillo for £700. Long story short, We fell in love with the island, people, weather and just about everything. We've been here ten times since, SC in a lovely aparment. The funny thing is, we'd had no intention of booking a hol when we left the house that morning. 8)
Quote from: Swordy on February 07, 2013, 10:46:08 AM
Our's was a pure stroke of luck. In April 2005 we were passing a travel agency in town and saw two weeks AI in Turkey advertised for £375 PP. £750 for the both of us for two weeks sounded brill, so we enquired about it. The flight times were horrendous so Mrs Swordy asked if there were any similar deals for other destinations. the nice young man found us two weeks in the Barcello Castillo for £700. Long story short, We fell in love with the island, people, weather and just about everything. We've been here ten times since, SC in a lovely aparment. The funny thing is, we'd had no intention of booking a hol when we left the house that morning. 8)
Good on ye Swordy 8)
No stockings or stilletoes...too hot in July..will have to make do with flip flops and shorts :P
damn ;)
We first tried Fuerte must be over 15 years ago now. Our eldest 2 were about 3 and 6 and we all loved it. We stayed at the Castillo Beach Vistas which were up Chipmunk near the Montecastillo Centre. We've had some great New Years eves in Chaplins. We tried the other Canary Islands but I don't know what it was but we kept coming back to Caleta and we said if ever we were in the fortunate position of being able to have a holiday home then Caleta was the place for us. 7 years ago we fulfilled that dream and bought our little piece of paradise and haven't regretted it once. The eldest now has a baby of her own and they came out to us at New year this year and he really benefitted from the lovely warm climate even at only 12 weeks old. The place just caters so well for families with kids and babies. Our middle one is now 18 and he loves the social side of Caleta and has made many friends both with owners and locals. I keep thinking he'll get bored of coming with us but no, he's bringing a mate out with him in August. Our youngest is 7 and he just loves the place and doesn't want to go home at the end of our holidays. As you can see we're well and truly hooked on the place. Long may it continue !!!
Quote from: dee-dee on February 07, 2013, 22:56:21 PM
No stockings or stilletoes...too hot in July..will have to make do with flip flops and shorts :P
So everyone will be in for a real treat with Dee Dee topless all the time :D ;D :D
Quote from: falkirkdan on February 08, 2013, 10:10:50 AM
Quote from: dee-dee on February 07, 2013, 22:56:21 PM
No stockings or stilletoes...too hot in July..will have to make do with flip flops and shorts :P
So everyone will be in for a real treat with Dee Dee topless all the time :D ;D :D
I could do that Dan if I wanna clear the pool area at the Dunas :o
The other islands are gabage compared to Fuerte.........
We went to Lanzarote for 12 years. Went on a day trip to Fuerteventura and fell in love with the island. We have come back for the past 8 years hope to keep coming back for a long time to come.
It wasn't woe i can assure you....... ;)
I came one year and it was great being nude all day.
Now I come back twice a year and have become good friends with the manager of a bar in CORRALEJO.
I get nude.............................
In my house................................... ;D
When I was expecting my first child (who is 22 this year) a friend of mine who I worked with went on honeymoon to Fuerteventura (1991) and she came back saying how stunning it was etc...............but is was the name that stuck with me & when my daughter was 4 & my son 3 - I took them both over there on my own to Corralejo and have loved it ever since.............my daughter has even taken her boyfriend (last year) on holiday to Corralejo and he loved it too.
It is a lovely island that has not been spoiled....coming over again in September.....always go to Corralejo and hire a car and drive round the island......I am determined this year to go to Villa Winter. At least I saw the ship wreck off Ajuy before it eventually sank :(
Fab place :D
Spot on Jo,great post,says anything we all wanna say................TY............. :)