Fuerteventura Villas FAQ's

What are the typical Fuerteventura business opening hours?

•	Shopping hours on around Caleta de Fustes and around Fuerteventura vary from place to place but generally revolve around the siesta, when everything closes down for three or four hours from around 1pm. Shops generally stay open until 8 or 9pm, but close on Saturday afternoons and all day on Sunday.
•	In large resorts including Caleta de Fustes, many shops stay open from 10am until 8pm or even 10pm without a break, including Sundays.
•	Banks around Caleta de Fustes and the island of Fuerteventura generally open Monday to Friday from 9am - 2pm (winter) and until noon in summer, and Saturday 9am - noon. Post offices are open from 9am - 2pm Monday to Friday, and from 9am until 1pm on Saturdays.

What is the Fuerteventura electricity supply voltage?

•	Fuerteventura voltage is 220, using two-pin sockets. UK / Irish appliances need an adaptor.

What about money related issues?

•	Local currency on Fuerteventura is the Euro (£ or EUR) which replaced the peseta in January 2002.
•	Euro coins have denominations 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents, and 1 and 2 euros; notes range from 5 to 500 euros.
•	Outside banking hours, travel agents and bureau de change on Fuerteventura displaying the sign Cambio will exchange foreign currency.
•	Cash-dispensing machines are widely available in large resorts including Caleta de Fustes.
•	Major credit cards, travellers' cheques and Eurocheques are accepted at most hotels, restaurants and large shops in Caletta and around the island.
•	It's wise to carry some Euro's, as some places (e.g. some petrol stations) insist on cash. Note that there is a new petrol station at the entrance to the Fuerteventura golf club.
•	Restaurant bills on Fuerteventura may include a service charge of 15 per cent. If you wish to leave a tip for good service, add another 5-10 per cent.

What about phoning or posting home from Fuerteventura?

•	Stamps (sellos) can be bought from post offices, tobacconists and most shops selling postcards on the island.
•	Fuerteventura post boxes are yellow and the slot marked extranjero is for letters abroad.
•	Post boxes are yellow and the slot marked extranjero is for letters abroad.
•	You can phone home from a teléfonica kiosk, where you make a metered call from a booth and pay an assistant afterwards.
•	There are also public telephone boxes on Fuerteventura, but you need a lot of change to make an overseas call.
•	For international calls, dial 00. Wait for the second dialling tone, then dial the country code followed by the area code (minus the initial zero) and the number you want. The code for the UK is 44, and for Ireland it is 353.
•	The cheapest time to call the UK is after 10pm and all day on Sundays.

How can I get around the island of Fuerteventura?

•	Car hire is readily available and cheap on the island, but the choice of car hire firm can be bewildering. Our representative at Dolphin Management Services Fuerteventura can help with this.
•	Always carry with you your driving licence, car hire documents and passport (or a photocopy of relevant pages). Road checks on Fuerteventura are commonplace, and if you can't produce these documents you will receive an automatic on-the-spot fine.
•	If you are not keen on driving, there are plenty of organised tours. Beware of illegal operators offering apparent bargains. Some may be operating without insurance others may simply disappear with your money. It is safer to book Fuerteventura excursions through our Home care representative who may also be able to offer a discount.
•	Taxis in Caleta and around Fuerteventura are relatively cheap and are easily recognisable by the green light on the roof and the official plate marked SP (servicio publico). In the top tourist areas including Caleta de Fustes, boards by the taxi ranks display fixed prices for popular routes.
•	Bus services in large towns are frequent and cheap. The Canarian word for bus is guagua, pronounced 'wah-wah'.

What is Fuerteventura beach protocol?

•	Topless bathing is common and there are several naturist beaches on Fuerteventura .
•	Some popular resort beaches have lifeguards and use a flag warning system: Green means that you can bathe in safety. Yellow is for strong swimmers only. If the flag is red, do not swim under any circumstances.

Is Fuerteventura a safe place to visit?

•	In short Caleta de Fustes and Fuerteventura generally is very very safe but a few tips worth remembering.
•	Theft from cars is the commonest form of crime. Leave nothing of value in a parked car, not even locked in the boot.
•	The best place to keep your valuables is in the safety deposit box provided at the golf villas. The code is easily changed for your stay.
•	Violent crime is highly unusual on Fuerteventura, but watch out for pickpockets and bag snatchers, especially in crowded market places. Always keep your belongings in a bag tied securely to your body.
•	In large resorts including Caleta de Fustes , avoid dark back streets and take taxis at night.
•	Beware of ticket touts on the island of Fuerteventura who may sell illegal trips on the streets and beaches.

Is the Water safe to drink on Fuerteventura ?

•	Tap water on the golf course as on most of the island is produced by desalination. It does not taste very good and its rich mineral content can cause upset stomachs. We do not recommend that you drink it. It is wiser to drink bottled water, which is cheap and readily available.
•	Cooling breezes on Fuerteventura can disguise the heat of the sun, which is very strong all year round. Break yourself in gradually, cover up at midday and in the early afternoon and use a good sunscreen. Drink plenty of liquid to avoid dehydration.

Are there medical facilities available on Fuerteventura?

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There are English-speaking doctors and dentists in most resorts including Caleta de Fustes. Ask our Dolphin Management Services representative. Chemists are recognisable by a large green cross on a white background. Most keep shop hours, but there is always a 24-hour rota system for emergencies; each chemist has the name of the nearest farmacia de guardia (duty chemist) posted in the window.

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