A Canary Island with star quality: Fuerteventura’s breathtaking landscapes have featured in the films of Ridley Scott and Brad Pitt – and now it’s even easier to get to thanks to new direct BA flights

As we arrive to land at Fuerteventura airport, I am intrigued by what awaits us. From the air it looks barren: arid, rust-colored, rocky and mountainous, with the occasional pyramid-shaped peak.

I think of Martian landscapes, which seem to contradict this popular holiday island’s promise of golden beaches and turquoise waters. But as I’m about to discover, Fuerteventura’s scenic diversity means it appeals to a wide range of people.

Surfers and parasailers take advantage of the island’s strong winds and rolling Atlantic waves; nature lovers come here to spot Barbary falcons, Egyptian vultures and the ubiquitous chipmunks; hikers and cyclists follow steep paths through stony terrain; and yes, winter sun seekers who don’t do much at all.

Oh, and the A-list movie stars.

Over the past decade, Fuerteventura has been used as a filming location for some big budget films. Think Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods And Kings, starring Christian Bale, and Brad Pitt in Marion Cotillard’s World War II drama Allied, in which the island doubled as North Africa.

Many of these exalted actors checked into a popular hotel during filming – which also happens to be where I’m staying.

A few years ago, Bahia Real Resort & Spa was also called ‘el hotel de las estrellas’, or ‘the hotel of the stars’. It is a honey-colored building with 242 rooms, located on a stretch of sand on the northeastern tip of the island in the seaside town of Corralejo.

Hopefully Pitt and the gang were as impressed as I was, with its stylish bars and restaurants, well-appointed spa and wellness area and beautiful outdoor pool set amongst lush trees and plants.

Laura discovers that Fuerteventura’s ‘scenic diversity’ means it appeals to a wide range of people. Above, a sea cave on La Solapa beach

You can eat everything from luxurious sushi to delicious local dishes. Luckily for this carb lover, this includes the island’s signature dish: papas arrugadas – small, boiled potatoes with skin on, served with garlicky mojo rojo dipping sauce, as well as fresh fish.

And now, thanks to British Airways’ first and recently launched route from Gatwick, getting here is easier than ever.

Eager to understand the island’s history and geology, I set off by car along the winding, steep roads that wind through the interior and along the steep, dusky hills to meet Antonio Gallardo, director of the Fuerteventura Biosphere Reserve.

Laura sets off by car ‘via the winding, steep roads’ that wind through Fuerteventura, ‘eager to understand the history and geology of the island’. Above the bright flora of the island

‘Nature lovers come to spot Berber falcons, Egyptian vultures and the ubiquitous chipmunks (photo)’, reveals Laura

Due to its diverse ecosystems and marine life – from dolphins to turtles – the island was recognized by UNESCO in 2009.

We meet outside the small village of Vega de Rio Palmas to start the Barranco de la Penitas hiking trail, which follows the bottom of the long-dried namesake Palm River.

“Fuerteventura is the oldest of the Canary Islands,” says Gallardo. ‘The landscapes were formed by volcanic activity up to 30 million years ago.’ The ‘newest’ part, it turns out, is in the north, where the volcanoes last erupted just 50,000 years ago. And the island’s warm climate is because it is closer to Africa than to Spain.

Fuerteventura, he adds, is also one of three designated Starlight Reserves in the Canary Islands due to its lack of light pollution. The best time to watch is between January and March.

After our walk we drive south to the fishing village of Ajuy, on the rugged coastline with deep caves. Hidden behind a headland is a natural stone arch at the edge of the ocean called Arco del Jurado.

Then there’s another contrast, as Gallardo steers us toward a path lined with towering palm trees. It leads to Madre del Agua, the tributary of a bubbling natural spring covered in bright green algae – something rare on this island where most usable water must be desalinated.

Laura visits Calderon Hond (photo), a dormant volcanic crater. “The views are sensational,” she says

The next day I go to the Calderon Hondo, a perfectly circular and long dormant volcanic crater with a depth of 70 meters. The wind blows around me as I climb the smooth stone, but the views are sensational: rolling red mountains and conical hills, with the ocean just behind.

I choose the ocean road back to the hotel, driving through the windswept dunes of Parque Natural de Corralejo.

Legions of surfers and parasailers gather along the coast to take advantage of the conditions. It is a beautiful wild, untamed scene. Celebrities may have come here, but the real star of the show is Fuerteventura itself.