Hotel Dunas Club

Hotel Dunas Club isn’t big on looks. The lobby is a simple, white-tiled affair leading out to a sunny courtyard backed with vending machines for cigarettes, candy, and soda. Just beyond that, a smallish freeform pool is circled by loungers topped by guests sunning themselves to a copper hue. And while it’s nothing remarkable, guests seem quite happy simply basking in the sunshine or taking in the waterfront views from the restaurant or some of the rooms. (Views stretch out to Isla de Lobos -- the island just off the northern tip of Fuerteventura.) Several value hotels seem to equate affordable rates with loud entertainment -- blaring sound systems or screaming animation teams -- by contrast Dunas Club is far more tranquil, and apart from a little piped in music in the courtyard or the restaurant’s TV playing sports, there’s plenty of serenity, which is just how the guest prefer it. Dunas Clubs tends to draw families with young children and older retired couples.

Directly across from the waterfront, Hotel Dunas Club faces incredible views of the water and the Isla de Lobos just beyond. (The ferry for the island, which is famed for swimmable lagoons and sea lions, stops in front of the hotel.) A waterfront promenade is right outside the property and offers a shoreline path bordered by benches. But reaching a sandy beach still requires a five-minute walk. Following the shore, guests can also walk into the center of town in six minutes, where a glut of restaurants, bars, shops, nightclubs, and other entertainment are on offer. The larger sand-dune beaches of the area (the Grandes Playas) require an 11-minute drive. It's a 41-minute drive to reach the local airport.

As with the rest of the hotel, rooms are simple to the point of being basic, but they’re tidy, clean, and offer furnished balconies. Wood furniture with gray laminate surfaces and coffee-colored sofa beds furnish the spaces. Rooms come in six categories varying in size and view, with sea-view ones being the most desirable. But all rooms share the same amenities including safes, blackout curtains, and fans. (There’s no air-conditioning.) Flat-screen TVs are tiny, and they’re not always placed at the best vantage points. Rooms in all categories also include kitchenettes that are incredibly well-stocked with burners, microwaves, toasters, mini-fridges, electric kettles, coffeemakers, cookware, dishes, even dishwashing supplies. Bathrooms trimmed in pretty floral tile, offer shower/tub combos, but lower categories aren’t stocked with toiletries. Some guests also complain of maintenance issues (like leaky toilets) and hard beds.

One unexpected feature at the Dunas Club is its squash court. It’s the only hotel in the area that offers one, and several hotel guest come just to take advantage of this feature. It even draws squash-players staying at other hotels. The court sits next to a modest gym with a handful of dated weight-lifting equipment (though little in the way of cardio). Still the feature that gets the most use is the hotel’s pool, a simple, smallish freeform body of water divided in two, with a kiddie pool on one end. Below the pool, a café offers beverages and light snacks with courtyard seating. But the on-site restaurant offers more dining including all meals, bar drinks, even ice cream. Breakfast is included in some rates. Two public computers are available for guest use (although on our visit, one was out of order). Vending machines, a small gift shop, and a dive center, and guest laundry round out the amenities. Free Wi-Fi is available for limited hours in reception, but in-room Wi-Fi costs an additional fee.