Our family holiday to Fuerteventura

We've just returned from a lovely week in Fuerteventura, staying in the Iberostar Playa Gaviotas Park on the Jandia Peninsula. The children finished school a week earlier than many other schools, so we were able to take advantage of slightly cheaper prices and a less busy week at the resort, and we had a fantastic time. I've made a few videos about our holiday and below you can see the one that I made about the hotel - it's definitely one to recommend!

On our first evening it was so lovely to arrive from the chilly weather back home to a lovely warm late afternoon sun. The transfer from the airport was about an hour and a half, longer than we usually aim for, but the children were fine and there was some interesting volcanic and sandy scenery to look at. We immediately got changed into our summer gear and headed for the beach, just a few minutes walk from the hotel. We came across a couple of ladies that were feeding the squirrels with pumpkin seeds and they kindly gave our children a handful - they loved waiting for the squirrels to come and take the seeds even if it took a few goes before they were confident enough not to run away shrieking!

The next day we headed straight to the beach as soon as we were up, and we spent hours there every day of the holiday. Jandia Beach really is lovely, miles and miles of golden sand, shallow waters and not at all busy. The sea could get a little rough at times so we didn't attempt to swim (although there were lifeguards) but it was shallow enough that you could safely paddle, and when the tide went out it left behind large lakes of warm water to splash in.

After a couple of days we learned to time our beach trips with the tide coming in, and so the children built fortresses against the incoming waters - always doomed to fail of course but it was fun trying!

I made a little video about the beach which you can see below - I'm wishing I was back there now!

It's so nice going away with the children now that they are that bit older and can entertain themselves for a little while. We spent a good amount of time relaxing on sun loungers by the pool, as they weren't that bothered about actually swimming (the water in the pools was a bit cold, and they aren't natural swimmers). They could easily keep themselves occupied for ages with books, activity books and their tablets and it meant that we all had the chance to relax.

We aren't a foodie family so we probably didn't nearly make the most of the all inclusive food (many meal times were spent desperately trying to find something that they would eat, or at least try) but there was a great selection of different dishes and desserts. I put on 2 kg over the week - I just can't resist several helpings of cake for breakfast, and when I see a selection of different desserts I feel like I have to try them all! Lunch was served in the pool bar which was lovely, shaded tables with a view across to the sea in the background. 

We all had a really great time, it was fantastic to connect as a family and enjoy spending time in each other's company, it's so nice that that these types of holiday are becoming more fun for us all and not quite so much of a mission as they were when the children were tiny! 

Here's another little video with some of our holiday highlights.