Finding a beach to yourself on Fuerteventura takes very little effort. Finding the right place to stay takes a bit more homework. A small coastal village, a lively resort town or a hotel where you can walk barefoot to the sea?
On our trip around the Canary Islands, we spent almost four weeks exploring Fuerteventura with our two kids. It had the best beaches of the whole archipelago and it’s where we relaxed the most. Still, between all the swimming and sandcastle building, there was plenty of time to explore the rest of the island too.
Trying to work out where to stay in Fuerteventura? We’ll help you choose, with the best areas, our own experiences along the way and a selection of lovely hotels and apartments.
Where to stay in Fuerteventura at a glance
In a hurry? Here’s the best area for each type of traveller, plus the hotel we’d pick there.
- Best for village vibes and beaches within walking distance: El Cotillo (our favourite: Esmeralda Cotillo Homes by LIVVO)
- Best for restaurants and a lively atmosphere: Corralejo (our favourite: Corralejo Surfing Colors Hotel & Apartments)
- Best for surfers and peace among the volcanoes: Lajares (our favourite: Hotel Rural Restaurante Mahoh)
- Best for the most beautiful lagoons and water sports: Costa Calma and Sotavento (our favourite: 001 Higos Beach Boutique Singular Hotel Residence)
- Best for a sheltered bay and a short airport transfer: Caleta de Fuste (our favourite: Elba Carlota Beach & Golf Resort)
- Best for long beaches and wild Jandía: Morro Jable (our favourite: XQ El Palacete)
Should you stay in the north or the south of Fuerteventura?
Looking for variety? Head north. Around El Cotillo and Corralejo you’ll find the white dunes, the Calderón Hondo volcano, the natural rock pools of Los Charcos and the boat to Isla de Lobos, all close together. It’s easy to pair a morning hike with an afternoon by the sea, and in the evening there’s no shortage of terraces to choose from.
The south is all about the beaches. The Sotavento lagoons, empty Playa de Mal Nombre and wild Cofete beach are, for us, the most beautiful stretches of coast on the island. The resort towns around them didn’t impress us as much, with lots of big hotels and a coastline clearly built for tourists. If you’re mainly after sun and sand, you’ll be happy here. Want to see both? Split your stay in two, because driving from Corralejo to Morro Jable takes almost two hours.
→ Discover the 23 best places to visit in Fuerteventura
Do you need a rental car in Fuerteventura?
If you want to see more than the beach in front of your hotel, a rental car is pretty much essential. The best spots are scattered all over the island: the mountain village of Betancuria, the sea caves of Ajuy, the cheese museum with its old Canarian windmill and the beaches of Jandía. Buses mainly run between the big resort towns and aren’t much use for trips to remote places.
Going car-free? Then pick somewhere with the beach and restaurants within walking distance, like the centre of Corralejo, El Cotillo or Caleta de Fuste. In Lajares, near Sotavento and in the hillside hotels of Morro Jable, you’ll really need your own wheels.
The easiest place to pick up a car is the airport. On Discover Cars you can compare several rental companies in one go, so you quickly see where you get the most for your money. A regular car is fine for the dirt road to Cofete, but do check whether your rental company allows driving on unpaved roads.
→ Compare car hire in Fuerteventura on Discover Cars
The best places to stay in Fuerteventura
#1 El Cotillo: our favourite village on the west coast
El Cotillo was our favourite place on Fuerteventura to slow down for a while. It’s a small coastal village of low white houses, an old harbour and a handful of terraces where surfers flop down after a day on the water. There was a playground for the kids and a terrace with a sea view for us. There’s enough to fill a relaxed week, without big hotel complexes or busy promenades.
Each side of the village has its own kind of beach. To the north you’ll find Playa de la Concha and the lagoons, shallow bays sheltered by lava rocks where the water stays calm. At the natural rock pools of Los Charcos, our kids spent an entire day splashing around. South of the village the coast gets wilder, with big waves and cliffs that mainly attract surfers. If you’re after nightlife, Corralejo is a better fit.
#1 Esmeralda Cotillo Homes by LIVVO is our favourite for families. You stay in a modern apartment with its own kitchenette, some with a private rooftop terrace, and the beach is just a few minutes’ walk away.
#2 El Hotelito del Cotillo is a small riad right in the village, with individually decorated rooms and a rooftop terrace with a jacuzzi. It’s adults only (18+) and a great pick for a week away as a couple.
#3 Cotillo House sits close to Playa de los Lagos and has a rooftop pool and bar. It’s also adults only (18+), with El Cotillo’s beaches and restaurants within walking distance.
#2 Corralejo: lively and right next to the dunes
Corralejo is the most touristy place on Fuerteventura, and you can tell. Restaurants line up side by side around the harbour and the small town beaches, and surfers and kitesurfers stroll around everywhere with a board under their arm. We still had a great time: we ate by the harbour, found the skate park and checked out the white grains at Popcorn Beach that really do look like popcorn.
Its biggest selling point is the area around it. The Corralejo dunes start right at the edge of town. They’re not as high as the Maspalomas dunes on Gran Canaria, but they stretch much further, and they’re at their best at sunset. The boat to Isla de Lobos leaves from the harbour, and Lajares and El Cotillo are a short drive away. Do check the location when booking: in the old centre the restaurants are right outside your door, while the resorts on the edge of town are quieter but less lively.
#1 Corralejo Surfing Colors Hotel & Apartments is our favourite for families, with a cheerful surf vibe and a choice of hotel rooms or apartments with a kitchenette. It’s close to rocky Bristol Beach and a short walk from the old centre.
#2 AVANTI Lifestyle Hotel is a small boutique hotel opposite the beach in the old centre, with white rooms, turquoise touches and a rooftop terrace with a jacuzzi. It’s adults only (16+) and ideal if you want restaurants on your doorstep.
#3 Hotel Boutique La Marquesina is right on the town beach by the old harbour and has a rooftop pool overlooking the sea. It’s also adults only (18+), which makes it a lovely spot for a romantic week.
#4 Bristol Sunset Beach Holiday Apartments is a good choice if you’re travelling with kids and want more space. The apartments have their own kitchen, there’s a saltwater pool and the rooftop terrace regularly hosts music nights.
→ Discover the 12 best things to do in Corralejo
#3 Lajares: a surf village among the volcanoes
Lajares lies a few kilometres inland, between El Cotillo and Corralejo, and it’s a favourite with surfers. You’ll find surf schools, coffee spots and little shops, but no beach: for the sea, it’s about a ten-minute drive to El Cotillo. If you’re after peace and space and you’ve got a car anyway, it’s a great base for the north.
The real draw is the landscape around it. Just outside the village we climbed Calderón Hondo, where half-tame squirrels scurry between the lava stones and you can peer deep into the crater from the rim. The Barranco Encantado gorge, with its wavy rock formations, is just around the corner too and was one of the most beautiful walks of our whole trip.
#1 Hotel Rural Restaurante Mahoh is a converted 19th-century country house with stone walls and wooden beams, just outside the hamlet of Villaverde. The hotel has its own restaurant and the beaches of Corralejo are about fifteen minutes away by car.
#2 Surfescape Fuerteventura is a small surf stay set around a Canarian patio, with a garden, a pool, and surf and yoga lessons. Children are welcome from the age of 12.
#3 El cortijo de Valverde has rural apartments with their own kitchenette, private entrance and terrace. The garden pool is wonderfully quiet, perfect for unwinding after a day in the waves.
#4 Costa Calma and Sotavento: the island’s most beautiful beaches
We kept coming back to the beaches of Sotavento on the south-east coast. Depending on the tide, a huge lagoon of shallow turquoise water fills up here, with the sails of dozens of kitesurfers on the horizon. It’s often very windy, which also made it a perfect spot for flying kites. Spread over several visits, we spent almost a week here.
We didn’t find the town of Costa Calma itself all that interesting: it’s a resort made up mostly of hotels and apartment blocks, without a real village centre. So you choose this area for the beach, not the atmosphere. Check the location when booking: in Costa Calma you’ll have shops and restaurants nearby, while the hotels towards Sotavento are more remote but close to the best stretches of sand.
#1 001 Higos Beach Boutique Singular Hotel Residence is our favourite for families. The renovated apartments have one or two bedrooms and their own kitchen, and the beach and restaurants of Costa Calma are just a few minutes’ walk away.
#2 H10 Tindaya is a large family resort on the beach in Costa Calma, with a water park, a kids’ club and family rooms. Handy if you want the kids to swim and play to their heart’s content without constantly getting in the car.
#3 ZEL Fuerteventura sits on the edge of the Sotavento landscape, a few hundred metres from the beach and about five kilometres outside town. Formerly the INNSiDE by Meliá, it’s adults only (16+) and has spacious rooms with a terrace.
#4 H10 Playa Esmeralda is right on the coast at the southern end of Costa Calma and has a spa and renovated rooms. It’s adults only (18+) and best suited to a beach holiday as a couple.
#5 Caleta de Fuste: a sheltered beach bay for families
A wide sandy beach, calm water and a lunch terrace within walking distance: Caleta de Fuste makes a beach day with kids wonderfully easy. The sheltered bay slopes gently into the sea and there are playgrounds and plenty of restaurants nearby. For a completely different swim, walk to the Piscina Natural, a natural sea pool among the lava rocks.
Caleta de Fuste is also a handy base. It’s only about ten minutes from the airport, and both the north and the south are easy to reach on a day trip. That makes it simple to mix beach days with the dunes of Corralejo, the mountain village of Betancuria or the salt pans of Salinas del Carmen. The town is mostly hotels, holiday apartments and restaurants. If you’re mainly after beach, convenience and plenty of facilities within walking distance, you’ll be happy here; for village charm, El Cotillo remains our favourite.
#1 Elba Carlota Beach & Golf Resort is our favourite for families, with spacious rooms with a balcony and the beach just a few metres away. A nice touch: the beach restaurant sits on a tiny island in front of the hotel.
#2 Elba Sara Beach & Golf Resort is a bigger resort with a kids’ club, mini golf and rooms with a balcony, about a hundred metres from the beach. The centre of Caleta de Fuste is just under two kilometres away, so you’ll mostly spend your time in and around the resort.
#3 Elba Palace Golf Boutique Hotel has the most character of the three, thanks to its Canarian architecture, wooden balconies and a large courtyard. It’s next to the golf course, about 800 metres from the beach, and is adults only (16+).
#6 Morro Jable: long beaches on the edge of Jandía
Morro Jable wasn’t our favourite. The coastline is clearly built for tourists, with a long row of hotels along the promenade, and it feels less like a real village. The beach makes up for a lot: kilometres of pale sand with a lighthouse, where you can walk along the sea for ages. There’s more character around the old harbour than along the hotel strip, so check exactly where your accommodation is.
So why stay here? Because you’re right at the gateway to the rugged Jandía peninsula. Paradise-like Playa de Mal Nombre is just around the corner, and Morro Jable is also the easiest base for reaching wild Cofete beach. Sebastiaan hiked from Gran Valle over the mountains to Cofete, a trek of just over three hours with two climbs of around 300 metres, while I had a crafting morning with the kids. For day trips to the north, though, it’s a long way.
#1 XQ El Palacete is our pick in Morro Jable. Every room has its own balcony with a sea view, the beach is right below the hotel and there are plenty of restaurants for dinner on the promenade next door.
#2 Apartamentos Garden & Sea Boutique Lodging by LIVVO has boutique apartments with their own kitchen and a sea-view balcony, some even with a jacuzzi. The beach is a minute’s walk away, down a flight of steps.
#3 Hotel La Colina is a small hotel on the hill above town, with a garden, an outdoor pool and terraces looking out to sea. It’s about a seven-minute walk down to the beach, and back uphill on the return.
More tips for your trip to Fuerteventura
Our pickStill looking? Browse all hotels in Fuerteventura on Booking.com
Long empty roads to remote beaches? Rent a car with Discover Cars and compare the big rental companies in one go.
No flight yet? Compare flights to Fuerteventura.
Taking the boat to Isla de Lobos? Book your crossing and other tours with GetYourGuide.
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