We were keen to return to Morro Jable after out first visit eight years ago. Back then we stayed in the XQ Palacete, this time we stayed in the Riu Palace. XQ Palacete is the smaller of the two and the more expensive nowadays. As I recall the food was very good there, though the rooms were smaller than those in the Riu Palace. Both are 4* and have pools overlooking the enormous beach.
They are situated in the Morro Jable end of Playa Jandia, but on neither visit did we spend any time in what you might call the resort of Jandia because it is rather charmless and built up. Effectively, it is one long shopping centre. In contrast, the ‘tourist area’ of Morro Jable is laid back and relaxing. It has a few bars, some great restaurants (so don’t book full board at the hotel), and a lovely view of sunsets over the sea which you don’t get from Jandia’s watering holes.
TOP TIP! After checking the hotel website, my wife cancelled then re-booked it three days before we arrived. This saved £360. She switched the room from a full to a partial sea view. After one night in the room we switched that back to a full sea view (because of slight traffic noise) and paid £200 extra. But we still saved £150. It is worth checking prices as long as you can cancel your original booking for free. The new room was superb and the sound of the waves breaking on the sand was our soundtrack for the week. Heavenly.
I can recommend the Riu Palace, it’s a great hotel. The welcome was superb. We got there at 10.00 pm after a long, tiring 14 hour journey. The transfer from the airport took two hours. Reception was ready for us with a glass of fizz (ok, 2 for me) and we were directed down to the restaurant. There, a solitary table was set up with a fine seafood salad, fruit, bread, and water. All free. It was a nice gesture and helped us wind down.
Some reviews have pointed out that there are a lot of steps for some rooms. It is a fair point, the hotel is built into a rocky slope and it would be tricky to put a lift in. We were in room 4113, low down, with sixty steps up to the reception, restaurant, pool and bar area. But it was such a lovely spot, and so peaceful. Okay, quite a few steps involved but, try and see it as exercise! Only the rooms on the lower levels have this issue. All the staff were professional and friendly. The hotel bar was fine and drinks reasonably priced. I got poured a honey rum the size of a builder’s mug of tea. For the first time in my life I begged a waitress to stop pouring. God bless ‘em! I changed my mind five minutes later…
We didn’t have an evening meal in the Riu Palace. The cost of the evening buffet was €45 per person, without wine. Generally speaking it was less than half that in Morro Jable. I’m sure the food would be good if the breakfasts are anything to go by, as the selection there was very impressive.
The visitors to Morro Jable are mostly, not exclusively, German retirees. There’s not an awful lot to do and I’d call this a ‘chill out’ resort. In the daytime most folk are lying by the pool or on the beach, reading. I went for a three mile walk along the promenade and back through Jandia most days. Nudism is legal on the beach, but there is an age limit and you have to over 75 to join in. Or, so it seems. It’s comical. Why do some old wrinklies want to display their old wrinkly bits? And ‘display’ is the word. There was a definite, self conscious air of ‘hey, look at me’ in their posing. Clearly, antiquity doesn’t bless us all with wisdom. I wasn’t tempted to display my furry dangly bits and I’ve got one hell of a fine physique.*
A few recommendations for drinks and food. Morro Jable seafront is quite small, maybe 150 metres long. There are bars and restaurants all down this narrow front strip. We always stopped at Vesubio for early evening drinks, partly because the promenade is a little wider there. The other bars looked fine.
Restaurante da Marty and Davide is a good Italian, set in one of the back streets behind the seafront. At busy times you would wise to book. Service was fine, drinks and a free dish of olives came quickly. Pizzas were slower to arrive but came straight out of the oven. The dough was very light, perfect texture, and they were very generously sized. My Romana, anchovy and capers, was spot on, not too much cheese. I must mention the house wine. €8 for half a litre and, to my surprise, it was real rioja. Smashing stuff. The bill was very cheap at €48 for two pizzas and two half litre carafes of wine. Indeed, we didn’t eat in every place, but low prices and great house wine are a feature of Morro Jable.
Restaurant Laja has a good ambience (i.e. no irritating music). Again, big portions, and our two starters plus fries were gorgeous. The garlic deep fried prawns were delicious and the prawns in batter excellent. Everything was clearly homemade, portions were fulsome and we could barely eat it all. To top it off, the house wine was my favourite tipple; Marques de Caceres. Priced at €8.50 (£7.30) each for a red and a white, the total bill was €64.50. Hello.
We had one meal at the southern end of Jandia, in the Restaurante Chinatown. The portions were massive. If you go, share one starter between two, and share the rice that you order with the mains. The chicken wings were first class and the salt pepper ribs were good. The free postprandial liquor was very welcome. €48 for two people, two courses each, including half a litre of nice red.
The most popular restaurant in Morro Jable is probably La Bodega de Jandia. The TripAdvisor reviews are outstanding. You HAVE to book in advance, it might be an idea to pop round there at the start of your holiday. We ordered Chef’s tapas selection. Our waiter, Ramon, is the owner and something of a character. He’s certainly passionate about his business and the food. Here’s what we got for two people:
Round 1. Cod something or other with onions and potatoes. Canarian potatoes, sausages in red wine and honey, melt in the mouth pork cheek with mash and coarse apricot jus. Round 2. Pigs in blankets, peppers stuffed with pork mince, pork ribs in honey bbq sauce, fried aubergine rings with salt, honey, breadcrumbs and herbs. My wife didn’t like the aubergine so (as he had promised he would) he replaced that with another tapas, a plate of 3 cheeses, one of which was so absurdly strong it was inedible. Ramon ate that. To wash it down, and (naturally) maintain hydration, we had bottle of wine each. There were complimentary Spanish brandy and Sicilian limoncello to finish. I casually mentioned that I’d enjoyed the brandy, so he brought me another, a Gran Duque D’Alba.
Anyway, it was €87 for 9 or 10 tapas and 2 bottles of wine, plus after dinner drinks. Bring it on. My only tiny criticism is that four of the dishes had honey in them. Fine, if you like honey and I do. But it didn’t work on the aubergine slices. It wasn’t so much a meal as a feast.
Should you go?
Although both hotels I mention in this blog claim to be in Jandia, if you ever go there you’ll see that they are, in reality (and thankfully), somewhat outside it. I wouldn’t claim there is that much to do or, as usual, we didn’t do it. I went for a walk every day along the beach, the promenade, and around Jandia sea front. There are some pleasant sculptures, a lighthouse and a skeleton of a sperm whale. The Parque Natural de Jandia is nearby but, to me, it didn’t seem to have much to see in it. Don’t take my word for that however, I am lazy and ignorant by nature.
If you want a mellow week, I can recommend Morro Jable. It’s relaxed vibe reminded me of Gran Canaria’s Puerto de Mogan, though it is a smaller place than that. I wouldn’t be surprised if we returned before too long.
Our return fights were with Ryanair; beware. Their staff at Fuerteventura airport were very keen on checking cabin bag size. I’ve not really seen that before and we fly Ryainair often enough. I didn’t see anyone being charged extra, but they came close. It’s a money making racket. They don’t weigh them, so it’s not a safety issue. Many cabin bags have plastic wheels that stick out and that seemed to be the problem.
If you liked my blog, there’s every possibility that you’ll like the comic novel I’ve recently published. As much as I enjoyed teaching, and respect those who do the job, there’s plenty to laugh at. I spent 30 years giggling 😊. It’s a bargain at £2.21 for the Kindle! Click on the image for the Amazon link.
*Sadly, this statement is a lie.
Should I Go 2 
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