Fuerte may be an island, but there's more to it than just the sun and the sea. Here are eight tips on what to do while the weather is less than great!

YOU work hard all week and finally it’s time for some beach time over the weekend now! Excited and anxious, you are packed for the beach by Friday night; completed with sunscreen lotion, beach gear, buckets and spades.

Alas! You wake up Saturday morning and – it’s raining. How are you going to fill in the day? And what about the children? Are they going to whinge and moan all day?

It doesn’t rain all that often here but there are days when you’ll need an umbrella, especially at this time of year. And there are days that are cloudy so even though it’s warm, it’s not a beach day.  It may even be a bit cool.

Luckily, Fuerte is an island that provides loads of things you can do on these kinds of days. For non-locals, you can hire a car (about EUR 30 – EUR 40 per day or EUR 140- EUR 150 per week for a small car) or it’s easy to travel around by bus.

Just remember to bring along your umbrella so you won’t get too wet going from the car to the place of interest.

•    Check out the Atlantic Commercial Centre in Caleta de Fuste. This centre is part of the Fuerteventura Golf Complex and is just a few minutes’ walk from the beach. It’s open every day and there’s plenty of parking. Apart from shopping, there’s a multiplex cinema with some English language films. There’s a leisure arcade with 10-pin bowling, arcade games and computer terminals.

•    The cinema in Tamaragua just outside Corralejo has Spanish sub-titled films.

•    You’ll find out all you ever wanted to know about Geckos in the Reptilarium on Corralejo main street. It’s open from 11am-22.00 every day.

•    If the evening is wet, visit the Parque Europa, Baku, in Corralejo where there’s bowling every evening from 6pm to 1am. From Wednesday to Sunday, you can play Bingo here from 7pm until 3.30am. Or walk through the Hotel del Terror (Haunted House) if you dare. Nightmares guaranteed!

•    Go to the Cueva del Llano just outside Villaverde. The cave is a lava tunnel formed about a million years ago. When you’ve come back on top, there’s a small museum explaining volcanic activity.

•    Especially for the ladies – pamper yourself at the Mirak Beauty and Spa at Parque Holandes. For just EUR 15, you can have a ‘Day of Relaxation’ and enjoy a Finnish sauna, steam room, cromotherapy sauna, swimming pool and gymnasium. If the sun does come out for a while, there’s a sun terrace.

•    No matter what day of the week it is, Sky Sports is in just about every bar in Caleta and Corralejo. All major sporting events – and not so major – are available to while away a wet day.

•    And not forgetting the large number of museums on Fuerteventura has a large number of museums that works best on cloudy or rainy days. Try La Cilla House Grain Museum in La Oliva; La Acogida Eco Museum in Tefia; Betancuria Museum; Unamuno Museum in Puerto del Rosario or La Rosita Museum in Villaverde. It’s definitely a nice way to spend your day soaking up culture.

Other places of interest include the Antigua Mill Craft centre; Artesania Lajares craft centre; Los Molinos interpretation centre in Tiscamanita and the archaeological site at La Atalayita.

You’ll find information on activities in hotel and apartment reception areas or in the free guides and magazines that are available everywhere. Visit the nearest tourist office and take home the various leaflets and brochures.

text by Jeanne Quigley
photos by Jeanne Quigley and Flickr contributors Bright Meadow and andym_uk

The writer, Jeanne Quigley, is one of Expatica Spain's bloggers whose blogs are published on alternate Fridays. If you too would like to contribute to our special Summer Edition, please email us at  Spain@expatica.com. We would love to publish your contributions and share them with other readers!