The old part of Corralejo is still there.    There is still the ferry stage from where there are regular sails to nearby Lanzarote and the islet of Los Lobos and there is the old harbour where young boys dive through the fish into the crystal water or young hopefuls dangle lines holding pieces of broken bread or bacon.

The nearby old square once had a fountain, but is now adorned with tables and chairs where visitors can enjoy a quiet meal and some wine or listen to live entertainment under the stars and the rubber trees.    The old streets are still there where the older men sit smoking outside their homes, slightly bemused by all the visitors and putting the world to rights whilst their wives work inside the hidden, whitewashed houses adorned with green or blue shutters. 

Life for many of the locals goes on in Corralejo, much as it has for many, many years, but Corralejo HAS changed.    The old Corralejo is now just a very small part of the new Corralejo.    There has been much building.    There had to be. In general the building is low rise and very tasteful, spreading south of the village and hugging the coast.    There is accommodation to suit all tastes and groups.    There are hotels of all sizes and qualities, large, basic apartment groups offered by the tour operators and smaller, groups or individual villas and apartments owned and let privately.    Most of the present building, however, is taking place north and west of Corralejo, further away from the spectacular sandy beaches which have made this north east part of the island and the resort of Corralejo so famous and popular.

The new Corralejo has provided much of the facilities expected these days of a developing resort.    The standard of most accommodation is now good to exceptional.    Facilities now include most sporting activities such as tennis, horse-riding, golf, windsurfing, diving, deep sea fishing and gymnastics.    The list is growing.    There are alternative therapies including yoga, reiki, meditation, massage and many more.    For the family market there is now a waterpark.   The restaurants and bars cater for absolutely every taste and nationality.    Most are situated adjacent to the beach or in the older part of town and are therefore quite unobtrusive.    The local currency is the Euro, credit and debit cards are accepted in most places, there are ATM machines and if you were to have a medical emergency the facilities are excellent.    There are sound-proofed discos now (we are told!) and the shops are numerous, varied and excellent.

In the centre of Corralejo there is a large supermarket called Hyperdino (we think that it means "big dinasaur") where it is easy to "stock up" for your stay and then, maybe use a local supermarket for the "top-up" items, such as milk and rolls.    As far as food and personal items is concerned, most ‚ but not quite all ‚ familiar items can be found in Corralejo.    Often they may be a slightly different brand ‚ eg. teabags are often different to our local "brew".    The brave visitor can hire a bicycle or motorbike, although great care is advised as the roads can be very fast and we are unused to traffic driving on "the wrong side" of the road.    Car hire is easy and not expensive and, these days, the vehicles are usually roadworthy.