I never thought that I would ever see the beach in the near future again, lol! To be honest, I was not that keen to go abroad or even take the airplane during the pandemic (especially now where travel restrictions are changing from day to day), but I had to escape Switzerland urgently for some “change of scenery”. Work is quite challenging at the moment and I just wanted to switch off completely. We had the luck that we could book an – more or less – easy trip to Fuerteventura, Spain. Everything was perfect and the Canary Islands were one of the best choices that we could make: it was still warm (approx. 22C°), we did not have to do any PCR-test since we were fully vaccinated, the food and cocktails were yummy, the beach and pool was really a pleasure and we could reach our destination within 4 ~ 5 hours. Summer in Switzerland this year was awful anyway, so I was super excited to compensate our summer with this vacation.

We booked the whole all inclusive trip (with transfer, hotel and flight) at the Swiss travel agency Migros Ferien (Hotelplan). The price was more expensive than if we had booked all services separately, but it was definitely worth it. Everything went smooth and I cannot really complain about anything. Our room at the Barceló Castillo Beach Resort was lovely and well equipped. It was not that far away (10min by car) from the airport and there was even a small shopping center (Atlanticó) located at 3km from our hotel. The surrounding of the resort was beautiful and at 3min walking from the sea. At the beach, you could rent an umbrella and two deckchairs for €10.50 per day. Overall, I was very relaxed after enjoying the sun, food and Caribbean atmosphere for one week.

Accommodation
Barceló Castillo Beach Resort
Av. del Castillo, s/n, 35610 Fuerteventura, Las Palmas, Spain
+34 928 16 31 00
barcelo.com

Supermarkets around Caleta de Fuste
– HiperDino Express BARCELÓ
– HiperDino Express Castillo
– Padilla Supermarket EuroSPAR (@Atlanticó shopping centre)

TRAVEL INFORMATION / ENTRY REQPIREMENTS:

COVID-19 Travel Regulations (Nov 2021)
– A PCR-test is not required, if you are fully vaccinated (Switzerland to Spain)
– All passengers arriving in Spain by air or sea, must complete a Health Control Form (48h before departure) and obtain their QR to present it at boarding and health controls upon arrival in Spain. (Health Form / Airway)
– All passengers travelling (back) or transiting through Switzerland must fill out the electronic entry form and obtain a QR code before departure.

Official Site of Spain (Ministry of Health)

Currency
The Canary Islands are part of Spain, and for this reason, they are part of the special territories of the European Union. The currency is the Euro €. One Euro is almost about one Swiss Francs / one US dollars (11.2021).

Adapter
In Spain (Canary Islands) the power plugs and sockets are of type C (plug which has two round pins) and type F (plug which has two round pins with two earth clips on the side). The standard voltage is 230 V and the standard frequency is 50 Hz. An adapter (if you are living in Switzerland) is not needed.

Transportation
Depending on where you are staying, public buses may be a good option for getting around the Island. The public bus company on Fuerteventura is Tiadhe. We personally pre-booked a transfer service at our travel agency. Group transfer by arrival was approx. CHF 5 per person and the private transfer by departure was approx. CHF 15. The distance from the airport to our hotel was 10km / 10min by car.

Things to do in Fuerteventura

• Dolphin and Whale Watching Tours
• Sunset Catamaran Trips
• Dune Buggy Tours
• Snorkel Activities
• Tapas and Culture Tours
• Island Hopping Ideas
• Corralejo Natural Park
• Sotavento Lagoon
• Betancuria (one of the prettiest little towns in Fuerteventura)
• Morro Velosa Statues
• Oasis Park Fuerteventura
• Playa de Cofete Beach – incredible beach, which is more than 12km long (Jandia Peninsula, in the southernmost part of Fuerteventura)
• Caves in Ajuy
• Morro Jable (most touristy place to go on Fuerteventura)
• Calderon Hondo Volcano