Apartments Atalaya de Jandia

Situated at the southern tip of the Jandia Peninsula, Morro Jable has to be one of our favourite spots for a beach holiday in the Canary Islands. It offers easy access to the soft golden sands of the seemingly endless Playa de Jandia, but unlike the purpose-built resorts that lie further east along the beach, Morro Jable has grown from an established fishing village, and as such has a more authentic feel, where tourism and local life happily coexist.

The word Atalaya means "watchtower", and whilst the building is not actually tower-shaped, its position atop the rocky headland between the beach and the fishing port means that all of its twenty apartments enjoy spectacular ocean views from their terraces. Thanks to large sliding patio doors, the apartments are not only wonderfully light and airy, but offer the same beguiling views from inside the accommodation.

Each apartment has a spacious living-dining room with a sofa bed suitable for a child and satellite TV (limited English language channels), a modern open-plan kitchen with fridge-freezer, ceramic hob, microwave and toaster, and a bathroom with hairdryer. Most of the apartments have one separate bedroom, but a few apartments with two bedrooms are available on request. The terraces of each apartment are equipped with a table and chairs and a pair of sun-loungers, and safety deposit boxes are provided inside each apartment (local charges apply).

There is also a small pool on site, but most guests will want to make the most of the beach, which can be reached on foot in around 5 minutes along a fairly steep flight of steps, or around 10 minutes following a more gently sloping lane. A similar distance leads to the village's assortment of shops and restaurants, as well as a few cosy bars popular with locals and holidaymakers alike. Another sign that Morro Jable is a proper village where local people go about their daily business is the proximity of the village church, whose bell chimes on the hour from 7 am until 11 pm. But for anyone not unduly worried about church bells and the uphill walk back from the beach, it would be hard to find a more appealing base for a thoroughly relaxing beach holiday.