Getting away just after Christmas is the best therapy you can get!

After the hustle and bustle, the mayhem and mischief, the stress and laughter’s, we all need a break just after Christmas. My husband and I together with our two young kids decided to head off to the beautiful sunny Canary Island of Fuerteventura on the 27th of December. Before you even packed the car for the airport you sense how excited everyone is to get a holiday this time of the year. It was particularly exciting because the pandemic had prevented us from getting away for over 16 months. Regardless of where you are going, it really is a wonderful time to get away.

The airport security was exceptionally busy but not unexpected. However, once we got through security, I was surprised about how quiet the airport felt. We had a lunchtime departure from Dublin for our 4hour 20mins flight to Fuerteventura, which meant we arrived early evening into about 15-16 degrees of heat. We stayed at the 4-star Elba Carlota Beach Resort in a Junior Suite on an all-inclusive basis. Having only 15 minute transfer from the Airport is such a luxury.

It’s difficult to explore the full amenities of any hotel when you arrive in the evening, but first impressions was very good. We received a very warm welcome, checked in very quickly and shown to our room. Our room was one of only 4 junior suites with sea views and a large balcony. Décor was a little old fashioned and you could see it needed some refurbishments, but the space, view and balcony made up for it. The next morning, we got to explore the hotel some more, with its spacious pool area with 2 large pools (one cold and one heated), jacuzzi and kid’s pool. Lots of sports facilities including kids’ clubs, playground, tennis courts and daytime activities around the pool. The food on the all-inclusive board was as you would expect, buffet style, the desserts being everyone’s favourite.

The highlight of the week was on New Year’s Eve, the hotel put on a show. We took the short 15 mins walk along the promenade towards the town for the yearly Fireworks beach display and welcomed the New Year. The Elba Carlota is around 15/20 mins walk into the town (Tip.. when walking into the Harbour, walk along the beach instead of the promenade. Much nicer and quicker!). It’s very small resort with a number of restaurants (I recommend the Restaurante la Bodeguita which is located in the Centro Commercial El Castillo area), shops, cafes and duty-free perfume shops. The Elba Carlota along with the 5-star Sheridan is located beside the Atlanticó shopping centre which has a larger number of designer stores, supermarket, bowling alley and more restaurants.

We had a wonderful time on this trip, but on reflection, a lot was down to the time of the year. We do plan to revisit Fuerteventura sometime soon, but we will certainly be travelling again, this time of year! It’s just the tonic we all needed after Christmas.