Last Updated on October 23, 2022
When the Spanish translation of ‘Fuerteventura’ is ‘strong wind’, it makes you wonder is Fuerteventura windy? …or is it just the name and isn’t ALWAYS windy? When I visited Fuerteventura in April, I can confirm that yes, it was windy most days. It even blew the foam clean off the top of my beer one day! So how did this affect my trip? Here’s what I discovered.
Is Fuerteventura Windy?
Tips & Things To Know
Temperature
The Canary Islands are a popular winter season travel destination. When the rest of Europe starts to see colder temperatures, on average the Spanish Canary Islands stay above 20c. I visited Gran Canaria in November into December and the temperature was around 22c during my stay. However with the lack of wind, the real feel temperatures were more like 24c. So sitting outside, around the pool, swimming in the sea etc was still quite pleasant and comfortable.
Visiting Fuerteventura in April, the temperatures were similar, around 22c. But with the added wind, the real feel temperatures were more like 18c/19c. Of course this is still much warmer than the likes of the UK or even the Balearic Island of Mallorca that has average winter highs of 15c.
I found that me and and lot of other holiday makers spent most of the morning sat around the pool with either a hoodie on or under a towel until the sun got a little bit warmer. Some hotels will heat their pools during the winter months, but even then the water temperature is around 20c so it can feel cold in the wind, especially when you’re wet!
Towel Pegs/clips
As someone that’s a bit of a backpacker, I thought sun lounger towel pegs were one of those strange items that ‘all inclusive’ holiday makers wore like a badge of pride. A little like ‘look at me, I do this every year and here I am ready with my towel pegs!’.
Guess what backpacker bought towel pegs?! *ME*. Honestly in Fuerteventura they are more like a necessity than a luxury. There were only so many times that my towel would blow over my face while I was reading before I started to get a little fed up!
My hotel was high on top of a cliff in Esquinzo, on the south coast, where there was little protection from the wind. Many towels would blow off the sun loungers while you were in the pool. It got to the point where for the sake of 2 Euros, it was worth buying a pack of pegs just so I wouldn’t get the 20 Euro fine for having my hotel towel blow over the edge of the cliff.
If you plan on trying to dry things on a room balcony, the towel pegs work great for clipping wet swim stuff and towels to chairs etc.
Suncream & Aloe Vera
Here’s an important one. Even though it wasn’t particularly hot make sure you wear a high SPF suncream! I always use SPF50 and I still got burnt! My sister with factor 30 literally got destroyed. Most days we sat under umbrellas and still got burnt just from the times when we were walking around in the sun.
When waiting for the home flight at the airport, another traveller was saying about how they always wear SPF30 and rarely burn. Yet in Fuerteventura, with the added wind, they were burnt to a crisp and had to cover themselves in greek yoghurt to try and neutralise the pain.
In comparison, when it was hotter in Gran Canaria, with the same brand and SPF suncream, I barely changed colour and there was no sunburn at all.
Aloe Vera gel or lotion may be a good investment to make. The Canary Islands have loads of aloe vera farms and create a whole range of products. The proper aloe vera gel products, even for a small bottle or tub, can cost upwards of 10 Euros. I found a lotion in the local supermarket for less than 2 Euros. It’s not quite as good quality as the gels but it does help to rehydrate your skin. It also feels AMAZING if you can store the bottle in the fridge!
Excursions
During my stay I went on a buggy tour of Fuerteventura. Off-road buggies are open sided vehicles and with the addition of the wind, it can get quite cold. It’s worth packing a hoodie or jumper if you plan on doing this tour. When you wear suncream, the dust will then stick to you like glue, so expect to be really dirty by the end of the tour!
Surfing
Playa del Viejo Reyes is a popular surfing location in Fuerteventura. Wind can create some big choppy waves so it is possible to surf in Fuerteventura. There are several surf schools in La Pared village.
Final Words
Although Fuerteventura is very nice, if you are looking for a WARM winter getaway, it may be worthwhile choosing another one of the Canary Islands, such as Gran Canaria. In comparison, in the summer, average highs are around 28c in Fuerteventura. So although sunburn/wind burn may still be a problem, the wind wouldn’t have the same effect on the real feel temperature.
