Fuerteventura’s known for endless sunshine and empty, white sand beaches. It’s still something like the wild west, its best waves hidden away down dirt tracks. Tourism only started here about 20 years ago – before that there was very little besides fishermen and goats.

Corralejo in the North of the island, is the main resort for surfing. From here you can reach East, West and North coasts within 15 minutes. There are lots of places to stay and it's easy to find your way around. The old town grew around a picturesque harbour, and there are lovely sea-front bars and restaurants.

Nightlife: There are lots of bars and clubs in Corralejo. Try ‘Kiwi’, a surf bar with kicking tunes, or the more chilled out 'Buena Onda', a real surfers' hang-out, then move on to Waikiki on the beach front to dance til the wee hours. Alcohol is much cheaper here and the measures are more than generous, so watch out for that hangover...

Lajares is a more laid-back surfers' village 15 minutes west of Corralejo, nestled between volcanoes. There's a German and French bakery, a few nice cafes, a couple of surf shops, a supermarket and bars that can get lively on Fridays and Saturdays. Try Canela Cafe for live music, or the U-turn for a mellow vibe and surf videos.

Other activities to try here: Climbing, quad-biking, kite-buggying, scuba diving, deep sea fishing, mountain-biking, go-karting, paintballing, catamaran trips, jetskiing, day trips to Lanzarote

FACTS:

- 3,000 hours of sunshine a year