Royal Palm Resort & Spa

The Royal Palm Resort & Spa was opened in 2015 by the Di Meglio family from Ischia, and Italy's islands show in the names: the buffet restaurant is Ischia, the pools are Salina and Vulcano, the indoor pool Stromboli. It stands at Esquinzo on the east coast of the Jandía peninsula, in the far south of Fuerteventura, a long modern resort running down from the road to the sea, with 317 rooms and 17 suites. It is for adults only, from 16. The rate that matters is half board, breakfast and a dinner buffet, and the evening dress code asks men for long trousers.

Every double is 35 m² with a balcony or terrace, and what you pay for is the view. The Double Standard is sold without a stated view, the Double Lateral Sea View looks at the sea at an angle, the Double Sea View faces it, and the Double Sea View Superior adds a big balcony or terrace with a sun lounger. The suites add a separate living room and both a bath and a shower; the Superior Suite is 57 m², the Royal Suites stand in the front row facing the beach, and the 61 m² Presidential Suite has a balcony with a Jacuzzi and a Balinese bed.

The spa is the reason to choose it. The hotel puts it at more than 2,000 m², one of the largest on the island, and its heated indoor pool, 126 m² with two water jets, a Jacuzzi and its own sun terrace, is free to every guest from 08:00 to 20:00, as is the Technogym gym. Beyond lies the wellness path: four saunas, a steam bath, a Himalayan salt room, geyser, tropical and bucket showers, an ice fountain and a relaxation room with a sun terrace. Ten treatment cabins run from a 25 minute aloe vera peeling to Maria Galland facials and an 80 minute hot stone massage, and a private spa with its own Jacuzzi and steam bath is booked by the three hour slot for €100. Outside, the 941 m² Salina is the main pool, and the heated Vulcano pool sits on the lowest terrace, a gate and a short flight of steps above the beach.

The trade is in the spa's timetable. The sauna circuit costs guests €25 and opens only on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday afternoons, from 15:00 to 19:00, so plan the week around it; treatments are extra too. And this is the far south: the airport is 74 minutes away by car, the Corralejo dunes 100. Book it for a quiet adults-only week of beach, pools and spa on half board, with a hire car for Cofete and Sotavento.