Travel tips: a Canary Island break, plus cut-price deals of the week

Take me there: Fuerteventura

Why go?
Sunshine and surf are the island’s two biggest commodities, and there’s plenty of both to go round. Fuerteventura may be the second largest of the Canary Islands, but it gets only a fraction of the tourists seen by Tenerife and Gran Canaria. As a result, development is relatively low key, with some attractive boutique hotels opening in the past year. From 13 December, British Airways (ba.com) launches twice-weekly direct flights to the island, making it the perfect short, sharp cure for the winter blues.

What to do
Stiff winds and a year-round Atlantic swell make the island a hotspot for windsurfing and kitesurfing. The Quiksilver Surf School in Corralejo has lessons and surf camps all year (quiksilver surfschoolfuerteventura.com). Take a boat trip to snorkel in the clear waters off the tiny island of Lobos or to spot whales and dolphins. Visit the mountain village of Betancuria, which has some of the best views on the island. Learn to navigate Fuerteventura’s famously starry night skies on a stargazing evening which combines local gastronomy and astronomy (€60 including meal, starsbynight.es).

Where to eat
Casa Marcos in Villaverde makes creative use of local produce – chickpeas, goat’s cheese, tomatoes – to serve some of the best tapas in the Canaries. Try the goat stew (Carretera General 94, 00 34 928 868 285).

Where to stay
Decked out in dazzling whites and blues, the Avanti in Corralejo is the island’s newest boutique hotel (avantihotelboutique.com). It’s adults-only, so families should head for the equally slick Katis Villas, by the same designer (katisvillasboutique.com).

Insider tip
“The place I love is called Buen Paso,” says Karen Moore, director of Stars by Night. “It’s a tiny freshwater lake surrounded by boulders and palm trees and there’s a little chapel. It’s very tranquil and has a lovely energy.”

Give me a break

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Home: cut-price Dartmoor The Ilsington Country House Hotel on Dartmoor has started work on a new spa and gym which are scheduled to open in February. Guests staying at the 25-room hotel while the work takes place will receive a 30% discount off the regular room rates, bringing the lead-in price for a standard double room this winter to £105, including breakfast (ilsington.co.uk).

Away: New Year skiing in Andorra See in the new year on the ski slopes with Inghams and you could save up to £200 per person. A seven-night break in the lively village of Arinsal in Andorra now costs from £899pp, for departures leaving on 28 December, including three-star half-board accommodation, a lift pass, ski and boot hire and return flights from Gatwick to Toulouse (inghams.co.uk).