September 2025. Mission: explore some of the beaches of Fuerteventura and Report back.
Playas Costa Calma, Esmerelda and Sotavento.
This Captain has never been to the Canaries. Fuerteventura stood out as it is the most naturist-friendly of all the islands, with more clothing optional beaches than all the rest put together – or so he is told.
He had a week in Costa Calma, staying at Beverley Hills Hotel (BHH) for the week. This is a clothing-optional villa, run by the lovely Karie. More about BHH later.
BHH is located in Costa Calma, which is in the South East corner of Fuerteventura – about an hour’s drive South of the airport and the Capital.
Costa Calma
You don’t go to Costa Calma for the grand architecture, or the nightlife. You will be lucky to find anything open past 10pm. Whilst the Captain went, effectively out of Season in September, the place did have a bit of a jaded feel to it. It is a place that has had a lot of development and many more plots where the development has not started, or that have just ground to a halt. Even its Wikipedia entry is succinct, noting that it was developed as a Tourist Resort in the 1970s and there is not much else written about it on the page.
The good thing about Costa Calma is its access to a wide range of fantastic beaches. A hire car is recommended, however if you are a regular walker, it is not necessary. The Captain walked everywhere, apart from making use of the local taxis to bring shopping back to the villa. He achieved two clothes-free long walks, one across the island to the West Coast and one down to Sotavento and beyond.
Whilst Costa Calma beach itself is nothing to write home about, you can get to some good beaches within 20-30 minutes walk and some excellent ones in 1-2 hours. That is its benefit.
Beverley Hills Hotel (BHH)
BHH is located on a hill, about 10-15 minutes walk out of Costa Calma Town Centre. Taxis to and from the Town Centre are plentiful and cheap (about €5-7 each way).
BHH is a privately owned villa that is clothing optional. The owner, Karie lives on the top floor and there are two ground floor self-contained double rooms, two more in the basement and two pods to the rear, accommodating up to 6 singles or couples. The Captain was there during a Singles promotional week in September 2025 and there is one planned for September 2026. Karie also organises other promotional weeks such as ‘couples wellbeing’ and ‘ladies only’ weeks. Check out the website and/or subscribe to her Newsletter.
The villa has a pool with plenty of seating around it in various forms from dining tables and chairs to a 4-poster bed (don’t read anything into that, BHH is strictly naturist / clothing optional and nothing more). Two dining tables mean you can take meals outside and to the rear is a pizza oven, Barbeque and pop-up bar. There is a small library downstairs and a couple of games boxes for those evenings in. The pool didn’t feel heated, but wasn’t so cold. The Captain ventured in a few times. There is no shallow end, so non-swimmers beware, however it does mean you can do lengths without hitting the bottom.
Karie can arrange transport to and from the airport for non-drivers (for a fee) and the Captain made use of this excellent door to door service.
The Captain travels a lot and rates the hotels he stays in by the quality of beds and showers. The bed was fine and the shower was superb.
All in all a lovely place to use as a base. There were a mixture of singles and couples coming and going whilst the Captain was there. Most alternated days out with days chilling by the pool. If you want activity and nightlife, then neither BHH nor Costa Calma will be for you. If you want to decompress, the Captain would definitely recommend BHH.
Beaches
Here are the beaches that the Captain explored from Costa Calma. They are all within walking distance, however the furthest was the best part of a 2 hour walk. Most you can drive and park somewhat nearer – Esmeralda has a massive free car park amongst the dunes a 2 minute walk from the beach.
Fuerteventura is very naturist friendly and all beaches are clothing-optional. The Captain found that beach visitors were well over 90% textile but he found clusters of naturists and encountered no issues being naked on any beach. Whist you theoretically could be naked elsewhere, he did not witness this and in general people covered up away from the beach.
All of the beaches mentioned below (apart from Playa de Agua Liques) flow into one another, merely separated by rocky outcrops. You could probably walk between many of them (The Captain did so from Costa Calma to Esmerelda to Sotavento with no problem) but do keep an eye on the tides as this is not an option once the tides start to come in. You will also need footwear to transition between beaches as the rocks are, well, rocky.
Costa Calma beach
This was the logical place to start. Costa Calma beach can be accessed via several paths down from the main roads in the Town Centre. The main strip is a mixture of sand and shingle and the central section has many loungers and parasols that can be rented by the day. It is very popular with families due to the Hotels along its edge.
Hit the beach and turn right (South) and walk towards the end before the rocks. It gets sandier and there is usually a cluster of likeminded naturists there. If you want something to eat, then Beach Bar Aureola comes highly recommended for its friendliness and standard of food.
Playa Esmerelda
At the far end of Costa Calma, from the point at which the Town stops is Playa Esmerelda. If the tide is out(ish) you can walk along the shoreline over the rocks between the two beaches (you will need footwear), otherwise you will have to go up to the road, navigate towards the Esmerelda Hotel and head down to the beach just before, or just after the Hotel. There is a large, free car park the other side of the Hotel and from there it is a short stroll to the beach. A ramp is present to aid accessibility.
This is a really lovely beach and not too busy. Plenty of sand. Naturists tend to spread themselves regularly along the beach, again a cluster at the South end. Nearer the Equator perhaps.
Half way along is the snack bar Palmita. Not tried by the Captain, so cannot comment.
Playa Esmeralda is certainly worth a visit.
Playa de Sotavento (de Jandia)
Playa de Sotavento (de Jandia) is the next beach South after Playa Esmerelda and is, in the Captain’s opinion, the best. The beach is massive, so big it surrounds another beach – Playa de la Barca. Google maps measures it at 4km (2.5m) end to end. The beach is very wide and gradually sloping. There are dips and as the tide goes out, water and fish remain trapped in lagoons until it comes back in again.
It is very popular for kite surfing, so do watch out for the kites and their wires lying on the ground.
It took the Captain about 2 hours to walk from BHH to Playa de Sotavento, setting off when the tide was still going out. This is the best time if you can achieve it as you get the tide at its lowest, and the beaches and lagoons at their finest, as well as getting in the longest beach walk.
Photos don’t do it justice, you do need to be there to appreciate it. 10/10.
The Captain didn’t venture further South. There are plenty more beaches to walk to but he still had a couple of hours walk back home again that day!
See Captain’s travels – South Fuerteventura part II for a trip to the rugged West Coast and Playa de Agua Liques.
