Back to results

Cotillo beach, Spain

Stay in El Cotillo: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of El Cotillo

All 22 on El Cotillo's map

Watch this spot We email you when Cotillo beach is worth the trip.

December Atlantic Ocean Beach El Cotillo - Fuertaventura Photography 1991 - panoramio
Cotillo beach. Photo: pictures Jettcom, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Cotillo beach

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces W (256°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (76°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 6–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 13). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 19°C in February, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 23°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is El Cotillo, 1.4 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 23°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

Save this trip A link to come back to, or to send to the group.

Book the trip

From Chicago: about 19 h 10 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to FUE, changing at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD). About 7 flights a week that month.

    See flights ORD → FUE · Skyscanner from about £410 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 50 min from the airport to Cotillo beach.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in El CotilloAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in El Cotillo · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in El Cotillo · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Cotillo beach on Google Maps · Directions

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

Cotillo beach does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

The score for experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct184 ft10 shollow330kJ24°C
Mon 19Oct367 ft8 shollow490kJ24°C
Tue 20Oct386 ft8 shollow385kJ25°C
Wed 21Oct204 ft7 shollow110kJ25°C
Thu 22Oct163 ft5 shollow52kJ27°C
Fri 23Oct274 ft9 shollow275kJ26°C
Sat 24Oct144 ft10 shollow328kJ24°C
Sun 25Oct144 ft9 shollow244kJ25°C
Mon 26Oct243 ft10 shollow232kJ26°C
Tue 27Oct213 ft10 shollow191kJ26°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for expert surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly ORD to FUE, changing at MAD, then 50 min by road. About 19h 10 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Escalera

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 6 ft at 8 s, offshore wind.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to FUE, changing at MAD, then 50 min by road. About 19h 10 door to door

The plan picks the best of 4 spots near El Cotillo each day: Cotillo beach, El Cotillo, Escalera, Playa de Esquinzo.

The trip from El Cotillo, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £960–£1,815 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to FUE, estimated from distance and season, changing at MAD, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£410–£855
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£80–£130
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£185–£310
Food7 days eating out£175–£330
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£75–£125
Total£960–£1,815

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near El Cotillo

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.