“Corralejo is not a resort, it’s more like an island for the world,” praised Isabella, owner of Vrebac, one of this Canary Islands town’s Italian-run handcrafted ice cream parlors. As I relieved my stress with a spoonful of Sicilian pistachios in the warm winter sun, I watched a woman in an elegant suit stroll around with a surfboard under her arm, nodding to a man on a bicycle with a fishing rod in his hand.
A hole-in-the-wall sushi joint was buzzing with life while an English-themed bar stood empty around us. It was just another day in the Canarian resort of Corralejo, which has been quietly catering to people who don’t really like resorts and attracting visitors from around the world in the process.
I spent years exploring the Canary Islands, largely trying to escape the high-rise resorts that have taken over Tenerife and Gran Canaria. Yet I found Corralejo recently: fresh, salt-scented Atlantic air in Fuerteventura. It was love at first sight. Corralejo’s magic is immediate and intoxicating.
Empty desert surrounded to the north and east by a cobalt ocean malpais (barren lands) drift westward from the town, and a huge natural park full of dunes opens up to the south. This corner of Fuerteventura is lined with natural drama and bold colours. There isn’t much color, mind you: towering blue sky and ocean paired against low-rise whitewashed buildings that reflect stripes of bright white beach.
I meandered around the necklace of sandy lanes that hug the fishermen’s huts in Corralejo’s old town and made my way to the Mojito Beach Bar, where I met Iris. The Marseille native offered me a plate of local ham and delicious Fuerteventura, along with a glass of Malvasía Volcánica, a boneless wine that Fuerteventura is just starting to produce. major goat cheese.
He encapsulated Corralejo’s natural charm by extending his arm over our bay view. “I loved living on the Mediterranean coast, but why settle for the Mediterranean when you can have the endless skies and wild waters of the Atlantic?” asked.
The other Canary Islands are a little tired of tourism. A recent commission in Tenerife has seen Brits become targets in the ongoing “tourists go home” campaign. Not in Fuerteventura.
This island, which contains very little water, let alone reliable natural resources, sees its visitors as an escape from the edge of poverty. My tour guide Iván, who was born and raised in Corralejo, told me: “We managed to renovate most of the old buildings, build proper roads and improve all the facilities. “Everyone welcomes tourists here.”
Iván’s words were not a selfish call to do more work. In Corralejo, the positivity shared by residents and visitors of countless nationalities is both real and contagious. I met people from all corners of Europe, ticked off most South American countries and even encountered tourists from mainland Spain (a rarity in Tenerife these days).
Elena from Madrid was visiting Corralejo for the second time with her cousin. “I wanted to show him that there are resorts for everyone in Spain and that it doesn’t feel like the crappy resorts he normally hears about,” she told me.
Even the oldest rivalries are put aside in Corralejo’s international atmosphere – the Scottish pub Caisteal sits right next to an English bar and the flags of both countries wave together in the perpetual Atlantic breeze. Meanwhile, the ultimate melting pot is known locally as “Music Square.”
Plaza Félix Estévez lies sleepy by day, but comes to life when the sun shines on the Atlantic. Every night of the year a band takes to its small stage: I took a ringside seat at the cocktail bar on the square and waited for the action.
In the beginning, music was just a background for eating and chatting; Ron Miel (Canary rum) and Tropical (crisp local beer) relieved inhibitions and stimulated muscle memory; the square was filled with an international line-up of dancers and hedonists. In addition to new friendships, singing began as well. She was literally Corralejo.
The town is becoming increasingly cosmopolitan. Since my last visit in February 2023, a dozen new businesses appear to have opened, all operating independently and the chains seemingly stagnant. Giorgia and her boyfriend founded the no-frills Buena Suerte last summer, and it’s one of the new breed of esoteric restaurants.
“We couldn’t afford to set up a restaurant serving fine food and wine in Milan,” he said as he prepared sizzling garlic prawns and seafood spaghetti. “We wanted a fresh start after Covid, and Corralejo gave us that. It’s such a laid-back place, it doesn’t feel like a resort.”
Seafood may be outstanding in the city, but it’s even better a 20-minute drive from the fishing village of El Cotillo on the west coast. That’s the beauty of Corralejo’s location in the wilderness of northern Fuerteventura, where less-visited destinations abound. It’s another short drive between the surf bakeries in Lajares for fabulous sweet treats and on-site coffee (better yet, hike over the volcanoes on waymarked trails and catch a taxi).
Then there is Parque Natural de Corralejo in the south of the city. With 6,500 acres of dunes sliding into a dramatic plunge with the Atlantic, it’s the closest most people will ever get to the sands of the Sahara.
In fact, the Sahara is less than 60 miles from here; Madrid is a comparative world away, over 900 miles away. The small, uninhabited offshore island of Lobos is also located just a few minutes by boat from Corralejo. Lobos compares Corralejo to Manhattan.
While flying boats around Corralejo is a joy, the innovative inflatable boats you’ll find elsewhere in the Canaries are a no-no given the trade winds. And I’ve never seen a floundering paddleboat wandering around either.
In their place are world-class water sports. The surfers are joined by windsurfers and a small army of kiteboarders. In addition to scuba diving, stand-up paddleboarding and kayaking, there’s also the craze for e-foil, a watercraft that combines surfing, hydrofoiling and electric propulsion. A fleet of small businesses and schools offer newbies the warm welcome typical of Corralejo, so it’s easy to learn the rules.
For all of Corralejo’s plus points, if TikTok and Instagram are to be believed, its number one attraction is outside the city. Playa el Hierro, or “Popcorn Beach,” is so-called because of the popcorn-like rhodolites (a type of calcareous algae), and as Iván and I approached it, I noticed a flurry of tourists jostling for selfies in the sand.
Iván sighed. “I don’t like this type of tourism,” he said. “We have a dozen other beaches like this with the same ‘popcorn’ and no one else there. Not everyone who comes here fighting for space and the best place in the pack is Corralejo.” Corralejo, on the other hand, is not like other Canarian resorts.
Fundamentals
EasyJet flies direct to Fuerteventura from six UK airports, with return fares starting from £113. Barceló has two hotels in Corralejo, including the adults-only Barceló Corralejo Bay (020 3727 0251), which doubles from £126.