by CraigT on Sun Mar 20, 2011 8:58 pm
I did this a while back, hope it helps
Ok take a deep breath.......
I was going to PM a bit of info to you but I thought I’d do a mahoossive info version in case anyone else was going to Fuerteventura. Maybe we can have a “world” location section so all the NEkiters can get info’d up before they head off to kite in the sun?
HIRE CARS
Check on Alpharooms for hire cars. We have used Orlando in the past as they are cheap but you have to wait for someone to pick you up in a minibus from the airport and drive you to their yard 5 mins down the road where you unload then load back in to your hire car, a reet fanny on. This time we used Hertz because they are in the terminal and the cars are parked right outside. Some hire companies hire roof racks for boards if you want them on the roof. The only thing is that if it’s blowing 25kn and the sand is blasting you in the face it’s quite hard to strap a board to the roof.
We had a Peugeot Partner this time so we could drop the small rear seat and get the 4 of us in plus the surfboard bag, 3 kites, laptop, 2 big cases and 2 small cases etc. (£330 for the 2 weeks, in Janurary we only paid £240!) Don’t pay alpha rooms for the damage waiver if using Hertz. Hertz wanted us to pay again for their own damage cover or it was an 800+euro excess for damage. If they try to give you the wrong car (they will) tell them “no” till you get the right one. You will need aircon.
Do not speed or drink drive or cross the solid white line or carry a large surfboard unstrapped inside the car, the police are shit hot when you have a hire car sticker on the back of the car. Locals fly about like lunatics of course.
AIRLINES
The airline will charge £20 to take your board so I stripped 3 boards down and put them all in 1 surfboard bag. I took my door, all round board and hard as nails flat water board and obviously only used the all round. The kites went on our backs squashed down as small as possible so they look like backpacks. I took the 19, 12 and 10.5 because the wind season is finished and there is a good chance it’ll be blowing anything from 8 to 30kn. My bar, lines, pump, foot straps, harness, pads etc all went in 1 case with the usual mens gear. Yes it was 3 pairs of shorts and 7 tee’s. You won’t need a wettie it’s like bathwater in August/September. At 35 to 42 degree’s air temp I only saw a few locals with them on.
WIND
We have missed the wind season (May to August is the best time for > bft 4) but the wind builds in the afternoons and flag beach is only 2 mins in the car so you can keep checking. The prevailing wind is NNE. Or look north and see what the turbines are doing. There is a lad called Ben from Burnopfield works at the flag hut if you want any info.
Go to flag at low tide and see where the rocks are. You only have a small get out and in area (straight from the flag hut) that’s sandy, the rest is foot shredder world. High tide you are fine in and out anywhere you want.
PLACES
Lajares is 5mins away and is a small village that has a nice laidback feel with surf/kite shops (repairs, sales and rentals) and a few bars, café’s and restaurants. El Cotillo is 15mins in the car from Corralejo. If you turn left when you get there you have a surf beach then a kite beach. If you turn right and head towards the lighthouse you have some perfect turquoise flat lagoons and then carry on down that dirt road and you have the North Shore, you’ll see the caravans and tents that look like something out of a Mad Max film all covered in red dust! Your kidneys will ache and your hire car will rattle itself to death. Pick up a map from Homegrown in Corralejo by the shell garage I think.
Sotavento is an hour and a half away, it’s a nice drive with stunning scenery. The lagoon sometimes fills up but the sea is flat/chop anyway. Head for the Rene Egli site. It’s very nice down there but if it’s offshore it can be gusty. Pay your 30euro for rescue cover if you go out in offshore conditions. We didn’t venture any further south. Costa Caletta was nice and green (they have grass!) didn’t kite there but it was full of old, loud southerners shouting “cheas dawlin” with their bellies out smoking tabs, eating Yorkshire puds and drinking cheap piss.
STUFF
If you want to do any downwinders etc go to Krunk, Magma or there’s loads to choose from. I fancied doing one from Lanzarote round Lobos and back to flag or Cotillo but didn’t find the time. You can rent stuff from loads of places, Magma was doing F-one directionals for 25euro a day for example. He also had twin tips, kites and even a hydrofoil to rent! Surfboards are 10euros a day and SUP’s are 15euros an hour. Some places might ask to see your IKO card (to prove that you won’t kill yourself and destroy their gear) if you haven’t got one tell them that you are above level 3 and your name is Ben Wilson.
If you want cheap supermarkets go to the Padilla, Hyperdino etc on the top road opposite the bus station at the harbour (Avenida Jaun Carlos) these are the ones that the locals use.
If you want any info about anything else go to the whereabouts office (Hoplaco Gardens) very helpful bloke who produces the whereabouts book. Then walk 10 paces to one of the best views on the island at Serena I think it’s called. A couple of our favourite places to eat and drink are….go and see Frans at bar Bugaloo (he has a nice villa to rent as well, wink wink) for a beer and a meatball and smiling faces! a bit of a rarity sometimes out there, applies to Canarians only. Everyone who has settled there is always smiling, well you would wouldn’t you …have you seen the place?
Eat at Tio Bernabe’s for amazing meat dishes. The Tapas for 2 is 30 euros and you get a bottle of wine included, if you order some breads it will easily feed 4 people and the baby goat is amazing, still got it’s dummy in and everything! Everything is very good at Tio’s, you can pick out the exact fish you want to eat and have it cooked the way you want. If you go a couple of times you’ll get a better bottle of wine some brill entre bits and bobs for nowt. I’ve brought 6 jars of the red Mojo Picon Picante sauce back cos I can’t get enough of it…I’m going to cook my tatties in sea water tonight and pretend I’m still there!
La Mama is also very good for pasta and pizza and if you want Chinese food the Slow Boat Wok is canny, bit like Lau’s in town but you can pick what you want raw and watch it being cooked as you stuff your face with the rest of the buffet! In Cotillo there is a restaurant (El Aguayre) that looks out from the harbour wall to the surf and kite beaches, has very good food and is cheap, so you can watch the kites as you have the best tuna sandwich in the world. Fazz’s Indian restaurant in the old town is good been there a few times. The food has loads of flavour but if you like your food proper spicy you might want to tell him to pep it up a bit. Basically anywhere that isn’t full of English people is pretty good…apart from the new Mexican in the old town. It’s very shit. Very, very shit with a sombrero on and a big plackie horse outside.
And remember it might be cloudy first thing in the morning but that big burning ball in the sky will get out and burn your nappa as quick as a flash cos you’re not in Spain son you’re in the Sahara!!!!!
Have a good holiday.
“Q” the bbc’s “holiday” music ………….and next week we’ll have some bloke off blue peter reporting from a colon cleansing workshop for abused wildebeest in Venezuela. Good night.
All the gear, no idea.
