JOHN ELLIS flees the unpredictability of the British summer for a relaxing break on the volcanic Spanish island of Fuerteventura

FLASH floods, hosepipe bans, high winds and an extremely disappointing World Cup. It can only be another typical British summer.

Like most people in such circumstances, my fiancée Rachel and I were keen to leave these shores for some guaranteed sunshine and relaxation and found it on the lesser known but second largest of the Canary Islands, Fuerteventura.

Click here now for amazing offers to Fuerteventura!

A four-hour flight away, it boasts an average 350 days of fine weather a year with a cooling breeze thrown in for good measure.

Our base was the Barceló Fuerteventura Thalasso Spa in the small, bustling resort of Costa Caleta.

The hotel had a modern feel, while our large, airy room was tastefully, if basically, decorated. It’s the kind of place that’s perfectly suited to families.

Caleta de Fuste beach, with its white sand and turquoise water, is a stone’s throw away. With everything from windsurfing to diving on offer, it is perfectly tailored to water sports enthusiasts.

If the sea doesn’t take your fancy, you can always chill out by the hotel’s huge pool, which is what we spent most of our time doing.

For those with adrenaline to burn, there are dozens of activities to enjoy, including water polo, aqua aerobics, mini golf and tennis.

The fabulous Thalasso spa was more our style, its wall-to-wall glass exterior creating a bold statement. From the moment you enter you are enveloped in an air of tranquility. Once inside you have the run of the facilities, which include a sauna, whirlpool baths,
a steam room, indoor and outdoor pools and Turkish baths.

Want incredible deals to Fuerteventura? Click here now...

One highlight was a “musicarium” bath, filled with skin-purifying salts that allow the body to float, while soothing music plays. This was followed by a muscle-release treatment for me, great for fatigued and aching shoulders from working all day at a computer, while Rachel had an aromatherapy treatment, declaring it the most relaxing 25 minutes she’d ever experienced.

Food in the hotel, from the buffet restaurant where breakfast, lunch and dinner were served, was simple but tasty and included a mix of international cuisine and local speciality dishes. Our the bars and restaurants at the tourist hotels.

We did discover one gem, though, La Paella taverna, just a short walk from the hotel with tables on a terrace that overlooks the harbour. We dined on octopus and goat stew that was well presented and flavoursome.

On another occasion we experienced the Music Hall Tavern night at Caleta Fiesta, a 10-minute walk from the hotel.

The comedy drag show was as camp as Christmas and absolutely great fun.

f the hotel and Costa Caleta we did venture out to explore the island.

Fuerteventura is fringed with 150 beaches, ranging from the stunning sands in Jandia in the south to the Sahara-like Dunes National Park near Corralejo in the north, probably the most famous of the island’s natural attractions.

The park has more than 2,400 hectares of continually shifting sands and the appearance of the dunes changes daily.

One of our favourite days out was a sail around the island on the Catlanza Catamaran, which left from the harbour at Corralejo. The boat dropped anchor at the golden sands of Papagayo, just off nearby Lanzarote, where we swam and dived before an agreeable, sangria-soaked lunch and a siesta on the yacht’s nets.

Drifting off, the vagaries of the British summer seemed a million miles away.

● GETTING THERE:
Thomas Cook Style (0844 412 5970/ www.thomascookstyle.com) offers seven nights at the Barceló Fuerteventura Thalasso Spa
from £629pp (two sharing), all-inclusive. Price includes return flights from Gatwick to Fuerteventura and transfers.

Spanish National Tourist Office: 020 7486 8077/www.spain.info