Gran Canaria/Fuerteventura/Tarifa

[nealpar]

Looking for ideas from those who've been there.

Which place and why? There are a million "rentals" on the internet but it's difficult to tell which is lame and which is cool, so I'm hoping to narrow it down.

[madspaniard]

what time of the year are you looking at?

[nealpar]

Summer. July-Aug.

Google Earth is just amaaaaaazing!!! It answered a lot of questions at least with respect to topography differences between all of these places. Seems like Tarifa and the Canary Islands are apples and oranges. Among the Canary Islands too, one could go to Tenerife or Gran Canaria, or the lesser known (at least in the U.S.) outer islands.

All I need now is a rich boyfriend.

[rationalnational]

Nealpar,

I have been to the canaries a few times and it's not as expensive as it looks.

Fuerte is nice. Flag beach is where the PWA is. Windy small to medium waves. Slightly sideoff breeze.
Pozo is rad. Windy with bigger onshore waves. Shitty & rocky launch.
Tenerife is excellent. Great beach windy and an awesome centre for hiring gear. www.otc-windsurf.com.

there are more spots but these are where I have been. Tenerife was my favorite.

all of them are port tack jumping

good luck if you go. I have always heard Tarifa is good but not as reliable as the canaries

[madmax7]

I went to Tarifa in July a few years ago and spent quite a bit of time sightseeing (low winds). Not what I had in mind.

The experience was great but not the sailing and the fact that it's Mediterrenean beaches not that exciting without the sailing.

Been doing the Carib a lot more but will try my luck at the Greek islands this summer, hope for wind (which there should be, as a friend stated there is so much wind the give them names) but if not can go island hoping.

Will probably go back to Cabarette next year, the Dominican is cool.

Best wishes,

Max.

[madspaniard]

[nealpar]

[nealpar]

[altaboy]

[madspaniard]

The first thing to say is that you will be traveling during the busiest time of the year. July and August are the official summer vacation in Europe and especially in Spain. People take the whole month off, inland places like Madrid shut down, closed stores and offices, everybody moves to the coast and the islands. Expect to pay high dollar for rentals, flight tickets, accommodations, etc. and at the exchange rate of today 1€=1.5$ you know it’s gonna hurt. Also, make car, room and equipment reservations in advance.

Tarifa: located in the southern part of the peninsula which means easy access by road from all points and Europe. Great nightlife, bars, clubs, pretty people, boutiques, big crowd in general, kiters paradise. Plenty of rentals, not a lot of waves. About the wind, it’s been said, when it goes it’s a lot of fun but that is not guaranteed although it usually happens during the summer. As you move to the west along the coast, beaches are les crowded, few people, more pretty, more waves at some spots. Caños de Meca, Zahara de los Atunes, are very special and have a different vibe. If you decide to give Tarifa a try after this I’ll recommend you rentals and places to stay.

Gran Canaria: one of the Canary Islands. And for most of us it only means one thing, Pozo Izquierdo (Pozo) which means well (water well). Located in the southeast part of the island, near the town of Vecindario. This place goes off in July and August, very reliable and it is not a typical vacation destination for non-windsurfers so you will only breathe windsurfing here, not even kiters show up at the beach. Beach is pure gravel, it will hurt your feet. Expect 3.5 to 4.2 and 68 liter conditions for most of the summer with nice waves like in Kanaha, not big in the summer. Winds are usually side-on shore. There are also other spots like Vargas with bigger waves or easier like Maspalomas. Most people will book everything (car, gear JP/NP, house/hotel) through www.cutre.com where you can also find a lot of info on the spots and conditions. Another alternative is www.pozo-ciw.com also known as Hullon with rentals (North) and a youth-type hostal with bunker beds in big rooms. Recommended places to stay are La Ola (http://www.gran-canaria-info.com/nightlife/laola.html) where the locals usually stay, Sideshore Bungalows in Playa Del Aguila next to Surfcenter Dunkerbeck (www.sideshore-es.com). Also in Bahia Feliz you’ll find Club Mistral (www.clubmistral.com/grancanaria) where you can rent and stay at the Hotel Catalina. Another place to stay is Hotel IFA in Maspalomas (http://www.clever-hotels.com/en/Hotel/IFA%20Catarina/).

There is also a lot of accurate information here:http://windsurfingmag.com/article.jsp;jsessionid=6565A0FE7A4740AB17BC124FE60F2FF3?ID=30785&typeID=172&categoryID=100

Most of my friends rent and book everything at Cutre and stay at La Ola, through Cutre, or the bungalows.

Fuerteventura: another Canary Island, more touristy, good balance between beauty and windsurf. Lots of Germans and British in the island. Northeast winds, you can windsurf in the north shore or the south shore. The north has good winds and better waves. Spots like Cotillo have excellent waves and the place can be challenging. Also in the north you have side shore and flat conditions for freestyle at Corralejo and Flagbeach and El Burro and Punta Blanca. The only rental that I know in this area is in Flagbeach (www.flagbeach.com) with Fanatic and North. They also provide car rental and places to stay, usually apartments by the beach.

The south shore has more to offer, conditions are usually windier than the north shore but waves are smaller. This area is generally called Sotavento. Check out Rene-Egli (http://www.rene-egli.com/2008/html/index.php) for tons of info including wind statistics, gear (F2 and JP/NP) and car rental. This place has been called the biggest windsurf center. Most people stay at the Hotel Melia Gorriones and sail at the Pro Center II with flat water and up to 6 feet mellow waves.

If I were you I would probably mix it up here with waves in the north at Cotillo and chill-out sessions at Sotavento.

Tenerife: uff I'm getting tired here, gorgeous island, tons of things to do, this place is getting more attention now. check this out for more info www.windsurfingtenerife.com. El Medano and el Cabezo are two excellent spots. People usually stay and rent here www.otc-windsurf.com

Hard to choose where to go, most reliable winds are Pozo but the place is really challenging, I'd love to try El Cabezo and El Bunker in Tenerife http://www.windsurfingtenerife.com/index.php?content_left=spots

Hope this helps.