Venture over to sun-kissed Fuerteventura

GOING ON HOLIDAY WITH YOUNG CHILDREN CAN OFTEN FEEL LIKE YOU'RE PULLED IN ALL DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS. BUT, AS CIARAN JONES FOUND OUT, CORRALEJO'S BARCELO TICKS ALL THE BOXES

- CIARAN JONES

YOU let them stay up extra late one night to see a show or musician, and all of a sudden, they think sweets at 10pm and bed by midnight is a holiday norm. The extra ice cream is suddenly seen as a daily divine right.

When it comes to kids’ clubs, off they go on their merry way to develop their own holiday hinterland for however many hours a day, leaving you free to chill. If you don’t go down the kids’ club route, you're most likely trying to divvy up time between being entertainer and having a good time yourself.

But on the perma sun-kissed island of Fuerteventura, I think I've found the perfect middle ground hotel that gives kids bags of freedom and entertainment, while offering adults the chance to relax - without the need to commit to a kids’ club.

Barceló Corralejo Sands, to the northeast of the year-round holiday isle, now has a direct TUI weekly route from Cardiff Airport yet doesn’t set its stall out as a place geared purely towards families, nor as a bolthole for frazzled grown-ups.

But this place feels like an optimum stay for families, solo travellers, and couples of any age.

The main reason is a fantastic design that maximises its compact footprint by putting the two pool areas within easy sight of the other.

If you’re on a child-free getaway or couples’ holiday, you can lounge by the larger main pool in what we found was generally a very relaxed and quiet atmosphere.

Meanwhile, a matter of seconds away is a genuinely exceptional environment for children.