There’s nothing like family time but we all need a bit of me time on holiday too. Step forward the hotel that nails both without short-changing anyone
Going on holiday with young children can often feel like an all-or-nothing scenario.
You let them stay up extra-late one night to see a show or musician, and all of a sudden, they think sweets at 10pm and bed by midnight is a holiday norm. The extra ice cream, even though you know there’ll be more later, isn’t treated as a one-off, but a daily divine right.
When it comes to kids’ clubs, off they go on their merry way to develop their own holiday hinterland for however many hours a day, leaving you free to chill. If you don’t go down the kids’ club route, then you’re most likely trying to divvy up your time between being chief entertainer and having a good time yourself.
But on the perma-sun-kissed island of Fuerteventura, I think I’ve found the hotel with the perfect middle ground that gives kids bags of freedom and entertainment, while offering adults the chance to relax – without the need to commit to a kids’ club.
READ MORE: Beautiful Welsh market town packed with independent shops is one of UK’s ‘best places to live’READ MORE: Abandoned Welsh village being reclaimed by nature that’s ‘vast and wild’
Barcelo Corralejo Sands, to the northeast of the year-round holiday isle that’s now got a direct Tui weekly route from Cardiff Airport, doesn’t set its stall out as a place geared purely towards families, nor as a bolthole for frazzled grown-ups.
Rather than feeling like it has no identity or isn’t sure what it is meant to be, this place feels like an optimum stay for families, solo travellers, and couples of any age.
The main reason for this is a fantastic design that maximises the compact footprint of the site by putting the two pool areas within an easy line of sight of one another down a thoroughfare bordered by accommodation on either side.
It means there are no distractions between one side and the other – if you’re on a child-free getaway or couples’ holiday, you can lounge by the larger main pool (where kids can also swim, play, and use floats) in what we found was generally a very relaxed and quiet atmosphere.
Meanwhile, a matter of seconds away is a genuinely exceptional environment for children.
There’s a shallow pool with two slides – one smaller and designed like a humpback whale that would be suitable for even the youngest of kids, and another part of a pirate ship setup that was easily safe and accessible (my children are six and nine and used it easily with no help required, though it didn’t stop me from having a go too).
The water, which also features a palm tree waterfall, is only the beginning of the fun. There’s a generously-sized climbing frame suitable for toddlers, a set of football goals and a spacious enough area for kids to play games of two v two or three on three, table football, a table tennis table, and also a pool table (this is chargeable, though, at €2 (£1.73) per game). And there’s a small classroom-like building filled with things like toys, such as a role-play kitchen and colouring (not to mention offering shade).
Combine it with a set of nearby loungers around the water, access to both the bar and your room, and you’ve essentially got all you need to satisfy everyone for a full day in the sun.
Kids can play freely and easily make friends. Provided your child is old enough, you can take it easy while being on hand to splash around in the water, act as cannon fodder in goal, or take them on in one of the tabletop games.
If you want to divide and conquer, one thing we found ideal was setting up a lounger or two at each pool within line of sight of one another.
That meant when one child wanted to sit in the whirlpool jets of the bigger pool while another wanted to play with their new friends or take some time in the shade to do colouring, we could easily do those things while both of us adults got the chance to do as we pleased too. The kids moved so easily between us.
In purely logistical terms, Barcelo Corralejo Sands is a complete delight. It feels like you can get the best of all worlds as a family with the absolute minimum of stress and effort.
All that would count for a lot less, though, if the rest of the hotel did not rise to the same levels. Thankfully, it does in just the same non-showy way as it bills itself.
It’s elegant and classy without being overblown or fussy. The staff are discreet, friendly, and almost without exception absolutely lovely and willing to help. Our poolside suite was light, airy and comfortably spacious for four, even with the ‘lounge’ area having been converted into a second bedroom.
The balcony was large and sheltered and, on our side of the pool, the staggered design of the building meant it was completely private from the neighbouring room.
There were lots of neat points of attention to detail, such as the provision of cute bathroom sets for the children, and handy features like the use of beach/pool towels and the use of a mini fridge to keep any drinks you buy off-site cool (do note, though, that if you want to use the in-room safe you’ll be charged a daily rate).
We stayed on a half-board basis and loved the array of included daily options for breakfast. It felt particularly decadent to start the day with cava, smoked salmon, and capers, as well as the nightly themes for cuisine from around the world (Spanish, Canarian, and Arabic being my particular highlights).
Bottles of wine ranged between roughly €20 (£17) and €30 (we sampled a very tasty Mar de Frades Albarino over dinner one night – would recommend), and a large beer was €3.80 at the time of our visit.
We aimed, though generally failed, to have eaten by the start of the mini disco in the bar each night at 8pm. If I were being picky, I’d say this could maybe have run a shade longer than 15-20 minutes, and perhaps the setlist could have been mixed up, though full marks for the Europop hits.
Part of the reason for its brevity, though, was the nightly bingo at 8.30pm. This was genuinely pacy and fun for all ages, and had us all laughing on several occasions.
Each night, there was a musician or another type of performer on at 9pm. The resort, tucked away neatly down a side street, was only a matter of minutes on foot from the buzzy bars and famed ‘music square’ of Corralejo town.
It’s an easy walk to an array of different beaches, too, though we generally preferred the relaxed vibes and on-tap fun of being around the pool, which doubled up with the advantage of the buildings offering screening from the island’s famous breeze.
If you want to take a day or two further afield, there are plenty of boat trips and excursions on offer.
We took a dolphin-spotting trip through Tui Musement (from £132 for a family of four, based on two adults and two children), and we were so glad we did peel ourselves away from the pool to do so because it was a mesmerizing experience to see those beautiful creatures at such close quarters.
Put together with the island’s year-round sunny climate (roughly 320 days of sun a year means you’d be very unlucky to have more than a glum day or two, no matter when you visited) and a delightful setting, and in Barcelo Corralejo Sands we’ve found a family holiday spot that could easily become a go-to.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login