Barcelo Club El Castillo, Fuerteventura

.../> THE OUTLET
The Barcelo Club el Castillo is, as its name suggests, a member of the Barcelo Group, and is one of three outlets owned by them in Calete de Fuste. The others are Barcelo Fuerteventura and Puerto Castillo, they are all next to each other effectively constituting a resort in their own right.

As it was just myself and Tasha travelling, in this instance I did a fair bit of research initially through the Barcelo ...
...and similar established that the Barcelo Club had, in the last year or so, been going through a refurbishment programme that was not yet finished.

Warnings were flashing in everyone’s opinions about the dreaded ‘M’ Bungalows. We were warned that if you are issued with a key rather than a programmed key-card then you had an old apartment and were advised to change it – and so on to our experiences.

The brochure claimed ... more

I am going to take you on a little journey to a medium sized isle around 100km off the coast of Africa, and a less visited resort, Calete de Fuste, on the least commercialised of the four main Canary Islands, Fuerteventura.

Having ‘done’ Lanzarote for the last two years, we decided it was time for a change, and as there are few other destinations with warm temperatures at this time of year sufficiently close enough for a single weeks holiday, Tenerife and Gran Canaria were definitely not on my wish to return list, it was Fuerte or nothing.

The holiday was booked through Portland Direct at the not too low amount of £703 for one week’s bed and breakfast, including airport/hotel transfers (although I always drive back to the airport), meals on the plane and insurance. I was therefore extremely peeved to discover that the same holiday could have been booked a month ago for about £350 less.

THE OUTLET
The Barcelo Club el Castillo is, as its name suggests, a member of the Barcelo Group, and is one of three outlets owned by them in Calete de Fuste. The others are Barcelo Fuerteventura and Puerto Castillo, they are all next to each other effectively constituting a resort in their own right.

As it was just myself and Tasha travelling, in this instance I did a fair bit of research initially through the Barcelo site and was a mite concerned to discover that the complex consisted of 382 bungalows.

Evidently a ground floor complex from my point of view for two lone females was a security risk so was unhappy before I had even left. Further research through sites such as www.holidaytruths.com and similar established that the Barcelo Club had, in the last year or so, been going through a refurbishment programme that was not yet finished.

Warnings were flashing in everyone’s opinions about the dreaded ‘M’ Bungalows. We were warned that if you are issued with a key rather than a programmed key-card then you had an old apartment and were advised to change it – and so on to our experiences.

The brochure claimed that the complex was about 500m from the resort centre; be aware that this is a large complex and the distance depends on where your room is located. In our case the distance was more like double that, although it is relatively flat and easily walkable, there is however ample parking in the resort for the less energetic, non-drinkers amongst you.

ARRIVAL
Transfer from the airport took around 15 minutes, and it is, I later discovered, cheaper to cadge a taxi rather than pay Thomsons for their coach transfer (around 6 – 10 Euros). It is interesting to note at this point that all transfer charges for the Summer 2004 are now included in the holiday price, as it seems that the company were evidently losing money, although I would bet my bottom dollar that there is a loading on the price to cover any loss in profit margins.

SCORE - 10/10 (I loath long journeys from the airport)

CHECK-IN
Hotel reception was extremely large with very high ceilings, but not your usual plush style, being decked out in a dark wood, not really befitting of what I had come to expect from Spanish hotels and apartments. Check-in was painfully slow and cumbersome and the hotel had no record of my payment for bed and breakfast, necessitating me having to produce copies of my booking forms which thankfully I had brought with me.

There were porters on hand, a bad omen, suggesting that some of the rooms required a long walk, and I was not proved wrong as I collected my proper key for one of the dreaded ‘M’ bungalows.

I expressed my concerns before leaving reception, and was assured that if I was not happy with the room then I could exchange it. A 15 minute walk later in baking heat proved my concerns to be correct – the room smelt musty and damp, was dark, extremely isolated with door fittings that were definitely NOT secure; also the ancient electricity fittings would definitely not have supported our modern day array of assorted hair designer implements. We immediately said we did not want the room and were led back to reception by a friendly, but very sweaty porter.

On our trek we had noticed that some of the apartments were on the first floor and requested one of these from reception, which was duly provided along with, thankfully, coded key-cards for access and electricity.

Whilst the reception staff were very accommodating, I would have concerns that if arrival had been a week later (i.e. Christmas week), transferring to a different apartment from that allocated may not have been quite so easy.

SCORE - 7/10 (helpful but painfully slow)

THE APARTMENT
The apartment was evidently refurbished, had full double glazing and as already mentioned was upstairs. It consisted of a lounge/dining area with capacity to sleep two people, there was a remote controlled TV sporting a grand total of 2 English channels (CNN and BBC World), the remote control required a 6 Euro refundable deposit from reception, there was also a telephone which I utilised several times during our stay once confined by illness, yet the hotel had no record of our calls and did not seem concerned about it. The apartment had a well equipped kitchenette with fridge, two electric rings, toaster, kettle and lots of crockery and cutlery.

There were three cupboards including one housing a safe (incurring an extra charge of 19 Euros per week of which 7 euros are refundable upon return of the key) payment can be by cash or credit card.

The bathroom had a half sized bath, shower, toilet, sink and large mirror area and one plug socket.

The bedroom simply consisted of two single beds, a dressing table with mirror, one chair and a small bedside table, all in all there was plenty of storage space and a large number of hangers were provided. The walls were blandly covered with white woodchip paper – and the curtains were a bright patterned yellow with supporting blackout curtains – there was no heating, and despite the amiable climate outside, the apartments were rather cold at night.

The best bit of the apartment was a terrace (far too big to be a balcony) which was a real sun trap from about 10am until 4am – two sun-beds were supplied free of charge for our use, and became particularly useful once we were confined to barracks for the second half of the week due to illness.

One interesting thing to note which I have never seen abroad before, was that all the plug sockets contained child protectors, quite useful if you have nosy, mischievous toddlers.

Maid service was 6 days a week - they never arrived too early and were always willing to come back - towels were changed at your request by leaving them hanging over the bath.

SCORE: 8/10 (would have been minus 8 for the original apartment)

THE COMPLEX
It would be easier to ask what this complex didn’t have, rather than what it did. Set in its own private grounds directly looking onto the beach, (which I am advised that although it looks nice is actually very rocky in the sea area and not the best on the island), the complex has 5 large swimming pools with ample room to accommodate all the residents. There is a small shopping complex with several restaurants and bars, an ice-cream cafeteria, a gaming area for adults and children, souvenir shop, sports shop and entertainment area – a simple glance at the notice-board assured us it was for the older and younger generations and not really suitable for Tasha and I. There was a supermarket on site, which was well stocked but with a limited amount of food products such as bread, chocolates, drinks etc. There was also quite a large selection of English novels at quite reasonable prices.

‘Castillo’ is Spanish for Castle, and the whole complex was developed around one turret of what must have once been the main castle on the island.

If the entertainment is not to your tastes however, is not a problem, as Calete de Fuste is a sprawling resort with a myriad of restaurants, tapas bars, quiz and karaoke bars (mostly run by English families), a new cinema complex and lots of shops. I have it on good authority that the British tour operators are slowly crippling this area by offering all inclusive holidays and 4 outlets have gone out of business in the last few months; this is very sad, and I would suggest that if you do go out there, try and support the local businesses else things will be very sad without this magical isle as a tourist destination.

The Barcelo website claims that one of the swimming pools is acclimatised, although we established that this is not actually the case. You are however, permitted to use the facilities of the Barcelo Fuerteventura hotel next door which has a very large and warm swimming pool, although you will need to arrive early to secure your sun-beds. There is one spa bath at the hotel, although, unlike most British outlets, it was not heated and was absolutely freezing. There are also windsurfing and related activities available within the hotel complex for an extra charge.

Our view from the balcony was of the ample car-park which was nearly empty for the duration of our stay, but we were literally a stones throw away from reception, the shopping centre, the breakfast restaurant and the beach, so not too bad.

The complex is ideal for the disabled and has ramps alongside steps everywhere – and as the majority of apartments are ground floor, access is not a problem.

I would imagine that during the summer months, the large number of pools and sprawling complex would be an absolute godsend and if I could be assured of my apartment allocation before departure, I would undoubtedly stay there again.

You should also be aware that the complex is very close to the airport and you will see planes flying above the complex around 150 ft in the air, almost close enough to identify, all day, every day, having experienced this before at the Sol Lanzarote, we did not consider it a problem, although I am sure not everyone will take this view.

There is daytime and evening kids clubs on offer, although obviously Tasha is a little old for these, and therefore have nothing to report.

SCORE: 9/10 it staying during the Summer (5/10 for Winter because of the lack of heated pools)

FOOD
Having experienced first hand half board accommodation, I opted for the bed and breakfast option as it negated me having to pay the under occupancy supplements.

Breakfast was served from 8 to 10 each morning in El Menu, and consisted of a myriad of hot and cold options assuring that there was at least something to suit each member of the family. Selections included:

• Bacon
• Frankfurters
• Baked beans
• Fried and hard boiled eggs
• A potato option
• Sweet Pancakes
• Sweet pastries and donuts in abundance
• Bread rolls seeded and un-seeded
• Bread for toast
• Salad
• Cold meats and cheeses
• Cereals
• Fresh fruit and yoghurts
• Fruit juices
• Tea, coffee, milk and water

Not a bad choice, and certainly managed to keep us filled up until our evening meal around 6pm.

As I said, I don’t do half board – the hotel do various offers for self catering customers for 3 or 7 days – although it did seem we were one of the few customers simply on B&B.

As you might have gathered from my profile, Tasha was taken ill on the Saturday and ended up in hospital, thus necessitating me having to take advantage of the hotels evening meal (served between 6 and 9pm in El Menu) for just one night before I too was taken ill.

This again was buffet style and cost an extortionate 15.50 Euros including one drink. I say extortionate because eating out in resort is much more pleasurable, leisurely and considerably cheaper.

The buffet consisted of hot and cold options, on this occasion veal with chips, croquettes, salad, cold meats and cheeses, bread of all types and pasta – lots and lots of it, and ultimately, this is what I filled up on. The food was not particularly hot, and I suspect contributed to the sorry state I found myself in the following day, resulting in us being given fit to fly certificates only 4 hours before our plane was due to leave – I had serious visions of being stuck out there alone for the Christmas period.

SCORE: 7/10 (plenty of choice, a little pricey if buying whilst there – and not as warm as it should be)

BEING ILL ON HOLIDAY – A LITTLE TIP
Both of us were taken ill during our holidays, demonstrating the need for adequate health insurance. Both times the doctor was called out they arrived within 30 minutes, and for this we paid a total of 230 Euros (reclaimable upon return home) however, Tasha latterly had to be admitted to hospital where we simply presented our valid E111 and were afforded treatment free of charge.

I was later stunned to discover that the 24 hour Thomson’s helpline were not aware of this facility – you should be aware that EU member countries (and some outside) have reciprocal health agreements with the UK upon presentation of a valid E111 (obtainable through your local post office free of charge), although you should check with your local post office on the requirements for each individual country.

The E111 is, in my eyes, essential, although it does not take the place of insurance, which covers theft and delays, and if repatriation was required due to illness or accident, would be a very expensive activity to foot the bill yourself.

SUMMARY
Would I stay there again? This is a good question – I certainly do not think I would book through the tour operators next time, a check on the Barcelo website (www.barcelo.com) established that I could have a weeks half board over Easter next year for less than 600 Euros (be aware that if booking direct with the hotel then half-board is the only option). I would probably consider next time booking the Barcelo Fuerteventura hotel, it is closer to the resort, and definitely more appropriate for Tasha and myself travelling alone.

We have it on good authority that flights to the island can be booked very cheaply through www.cheapestflights.co.uk and are best booked 6 weeks in advance. I would also stipulate on any booking form that I would not, under any circumstances, stay in the dreaded ‘M’ bungalows, which really are as bad as I was led to believe.

As for Fuerteventura itself, car hire there is very expensive – (we paid 160 Euros for 4 days) and is therefore probably better booked through the web in the UK. Illness prevented us seeing as much of the island as we would have liked – although we did get to Corralejo which is very simply ‘Blackpool on legs’ – and the locals are hardened to the tourist, we found the people in Calete de Fuste far friendlier and much more relaxed.

OVERALL RATING – 7/10 (not including the part where we were ill)

CONTACT DETAILS
Barcelo Club El Castillo, Caleta de Fuste, 35610 Antigua (Fuerteventura)
E-Mail (for all Spanish outlets): sac2@barcelo.com
NB: I e-mailed them with a query before departure and the response I got suggested that either they did not read the e-mail, or didn’t understand it – judging by a response I recently had from Tescos to an e-mail, I suspect they simply didn’t read it.

As far as I am aware, the complex is also available through Portland Direct (www.portland-direct.co.uk/) and Airtours (www.uk-mytravel.com).

As for the title - not the hotel itself, but I am advised that Fuerteventura is the natural home of nudist bathers.

Sue 

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