I tried TUI’s new 4 hour UK route to island with ‘year round summer’ | Europe | Travel

I was lounging by the pool in mid-20s April sunshine when a suggested post appeared on my feed asking: “Why have one summer when you could have 12?”

What followed was a list of a dozen destinations, divided by month, showcasing the enviable temperatures on offer should you possess the means to chase summer around the globe for 365 days.

Setting aside the geopolitical concerns, the other glaring issue was the eye-watering cost of many of the proposed destinations.

However, there are budget-conscious ways to enjoy the sunshine virtually whenever you fancy throughout the year, and within convenient reach of the UK. With TUI’s new year-round service between Cardiff and Fuerteventura, you can flee the Welsh weather for virtually guaranteed beach vibes any weekend that suits you.

The flight takes under four hours, meaning you can arrive at Cardiff Airport in the morning and find yourself poolside with a sundowner whenever you please, on an island that even during its ‘coldest’ winter months experiences average daily highs of approximately 20C.

Beyond the relatively brief flight duration, which allows enough time to watch a film on a tablet but isn’t so lengthy that passengers become irritable, if you’re travelling from South Wales, it saves you the extra hour or so of journeying across the bridge to Bristol or further afield. Another bonus is Cardiff Airport’s comparatively modest size. The walk from even the most remote parking spot is short, and the terminal lacks that disorientating sensation of being deposited in a round-the-clock shopping centre.

We departed on a Saturday morning during the Easter holidays and, with the new EU entry/exit system being rolled out and rumours circulating of significant delays at other destinations, we feared a lengthy wait upon landing.

The reality was quite the opposite – we sailed through the airport in just a few minutes and were promptly aboard a coach for a seamless transfer to our resort.

While there were plenty of staff on hand to assist, I also discovered you could simply locate your bus stop using the TUI app and head straight there. With free wifi available throughout the airport, it’s a clever trick, particularly if you have a family who all need the bathroom before boarding the coach.

The island itself is a masterclass in capitalising on the natural advantages its location provides.

The imposing, mighty volcano craters – many of which can be hiked by the more adventurous visitor – loom majestically alongside the well-kept main roads. The towns bustle with all the familiar tourist offerings of restaurants, bars and ice cream parlours, while the sandy beaches stretch out towards glistening turquoise waters. The journey northwards across the island takes you past Parque Natural de Corralejo, first revealing the blood-red craters before they transition into the vast natural park which boasts the largest dune expanse across the entire Canary Islands. Should you find yourself exploring on foot during a particularly blustery day, the regular stone circles, particularly near the coastline, provide an excellent spot for shelter.

Such examples demonstrate the considerate manner in which everyone adapts to the persistent breezes and winds. Hotels are typically constructed as low-rise structures that shield pool areas, meaning unless conditions are especially severe, it’s unlikely to prove bothersome.

In fact, it’ll help moderate the warmer days, particularly if you’re travelling with young children or visitors who struggle with extreme heat. This will undoubtedly prove advantageous during the summer months, when temperatures typically range between 25C and 30C, frequently climbing into the 30s throughout August.

Should you prefer not to spend every day relaxing on a beach or beside the pool, and scaling a mountain or conquering the dunes feels somewhat ambitious while on holiday, TUI Musement provides an extensive selection of activities encompassing everything from luxury catamaran excursions to snorkelling, surfing, and visits to water parks or wildlife attractions.

We embarked on a two-hour dolphin-watching excursion aboard a glass-bottomed boat (from £40 for adults and £26 for children including return transport from resorts) and it proved to be amongst the standout moments of our week-long break. After dropping off some guests for a trip to Lobos, we ventured further out to sea and experienced the sheer delight of spending the best part of an hour spotting various pods of dolphins.

As they tended to be most visible from the bow of the vessel, we positioned ourselves either on the upper deck or the main deck, where those at the front in particular enjoyed a front-row seat to some spectacular aquatic displays. Moving around was effortless and the crew were brilliant at ensuring everybody had ample opportunity to take it all in.

It was difficult to comprehend, after a thoroughly miserable Welsh spring where any respite from the relentless rain felt like a precious gift, that we were fewer than four hours from home on an island boasting nearly 150km of beaches, relaxing in short sleeves in early April.

The only drawback of such a wonderful break is the harsh reality of returning home and facing decisions far weightier than which ice cream to choose on any given day. Fortunately, following another perfectly punctual transfer, Fuerteventura airport proved to have numerous children’s play areas that made the departure considerably less painful than it might have been.

On the flight home, I cast my eyes once more over the list of year-round sunshine destinations I had been promised while away. Yes, the Maldives is on my bucket list, but right now I don’t have a kidney to sell to fund it. Long-haul travel, beyond the expense, can be challenging if you’re restricted to school holidays or eats into a significant chunk of your annual leave for just a week away. And, as previously mentioned, recent global events have cast something of a shadow over certain destinations.

This new TUI Cardiff to Fuerteventura route, however, has just opened the door to year-round affordable summer weather with something to suit everyone, from the adventure traveller to the person who wants to fly and flop.

So now that the decision’s made, all I have to think about is which ice cream I’ll have first.

Book it

TUI offers a seven-night holiday to Corralejo, Fuerteventura, staying at the 4T Barcelo Corralejo Sands on a half board basis from £847 per person.

The price is based on two adults and two children sharing a Suite with Balcony or Terrace departing with TUI Airways flights from Cardiff on June 6, 2026, with 20kg hold luggage per person and transfers included. To find out more about this holiday or to book go to tui.co.uk, visit your local TUI holiday store, or download the app.

If you fancy leaving later in the year the same trip can be booked for departure on September 19, 2026,. from £871 on a half-board basis or £1,086 for all-inclusive.

TUI Musement offers a two-hour dolphin-spotting cruise from Corralejo along Fuerteventura’s north coast from £132 for a family of four*.

*price is based on two adults (from £40pp) and two children (from £26pp)