Travel Guides: All Countries / Europe / Spain / Canary Islands - Canaries / Gran Canaria
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| | | | Review by Philip Rees from Belfast
We are regular visitors to Gran Canaria and enjoy the diversity it provides including excellent beaches, superb mountains, the rugged beauty of the north west coast and Peurto Mogan at night.
Review by Diane Topping from Wigan
My husband and i had a fabulous time in Puerto Rico (Gran Canaria) as this resort caters for families and couples. It your choice, relax or party, we did both.
Something for everyone
I have been to Gran Canaria three times in the last five years always staying at Puerto Rico.
There is something there for everyone whether old or young.The nightlife can be as busy as you want it to be or as quiet.
The man-made beach is roomy with plenty of activity, the waters are warm and clean with undersea wildlife abundant.
I have stayed in self-catering accommodation (which I find less restrictive) because of the varied and inexpensive food outlets catering for every taste. The bars are fun with most providing entertainment on a nightly basis.The locals are friendly and not at all pushy as with other resorts.
The only drawback are the African immigrants who can catch you off your guard if you are not careful. Don't part with any cash to these people as they will try to rip you off.Firmly tell them NO.
Apart from that Gran Canaria is a wonderful place to visit with many places to go to and see.
Travel Guide: Gran Canaria
Perfect for families
I stayed at Meloneras in October and had a great week with my wife and two kids.
We spent most of the week either in the pool or walking along the seaside promenade to the Faro shopping centre.
There's a great choice of restaurants in the area; taxis are cheap and it's a really nice area for families.
Travel Guide: Gran Canaria
A sunshine island
I went to Gran Canaria a year ago and found it completely different from any other place I've been to.
You have your usual holiday staples, sun, sea and sand, but you can immerse yourself into the island culture very easily.
There is a very good nightlife for those who love to party, lots to do for families and shopping for all the girls and not just the usual tack that is associated with holiday destinations but designer items as well.
I found the locals welcome you if you are not yobbish and rude. It is a sunshine island that has got to be visited.
Travel Guide: Gran Canaria
Hot but not much more
It's mid-December in Europe. When you get off the plane you brace yourself for that chill wind, and the best bit is... it doesn't hit you.
Gran Canaria is, undeniably, a safe bet for winter sun, and you can see the attraction in that.
It's just a pity that its best feature is really its only one, and obsessed as Brits are with it, it's not really enough to entertain most people for a week.
Gran Canaria is described as a continent in miniature because of its varied landscape. Really, it's more like two nations; the fertile north - in which the Canarians live and work - and the arid, concrete-covered south where the tourists holiday without a drop of Spanish food, culture, language or passion.
If sun and sand are your only drives, then you can happily spend a week lazing on a sun lounger.
Indeed, families are well-catered for - with a number of fun attractions and plenty of activities. For the independent traveller, it's a complete disaster.
We struggled to keep ourselves entertained, and our only rescue, the mountains, were frustratingly inaccessible. It's worth hiring a car and climbing the snaking passes through the stunning mountains to find where the Canarians are hiding.
But, be warned, the roads are not for those with faint hearts and low fuel.
Certainly worth a visit are Teror in the north, Puerto de Mogan on the southern coast, and the Maspalomas dunes. The rest of the southern coast is charmless and under construction.
Cheap package bargain, yes. Satisfying holiday, no.
Travel Guide: Gran Canaria
Get out and explore
I was a rep there for two seasons and love the place. It is now my second home.
The people are friendly, weather fantastic and the island is beautiful if you are happy to explore.
Travel Guide: Gran Canaria
A guide to the islands
From the Daily Mail
GRAN CANARIA
Not the biggest of the Canaries; it just feels that way when you try to negotiate some of the busiest streets of the capital, Las Palmas.
Most visitors find themselves in one of the purpose-built resorts in the south of the island and fortunately most stay there for the duration, apart from the odd trip into town.
The secret to getting the most out of Gran Canaria, then, is to hire a car and get away from the maddening throng.
While the island can be circumnavigated in a day, it's more fun to push north to explore some of the typical old settlements or into the mountainous centre to visit villages such as Artenara, perched at 1,200m, pausing for lunch on the terrace at the Meson de Silla restaurant to admire its stunning views.
But even those who fail to make it that far from the sun-lounger usually manage a glimpse of Las Palmas's most distinctive stretch of sand, the amazing desert-like dunes of Maspalomas. And no, that camel train crossing it is not a mirage; it's a tourist attraction.
LANZAROTE
A favourite with generations of British tourists, Lanzarote takes pride in its extraordinary volcanic landscape. Black ash becomes a manicured garden, jagged tiny peaks a carefully tended rockery, while the lunar landscape of the island's Mountains of Fire is its most popular natural attraction.
Arrecife is the main town, Puerto del Carmen the principal tourist resort.
Both used to be small fishing ports and, though they attract crowds these days, there are still boats in their harbours and good fish restaurants to visit after the evening passeo.
Those of a cultural disposition should enjoy the troglodyte home and surreal art of Cesar Manrique; those who prefer the seaside will find the best beaches in the south of the island, along the bumpy tracks beyond Playa Blanca.
FUERTEVENTURA
For many people, this is little more than a windy desert just 50 miles from the Sahara. The upside is that at least the sand is good and the windsurfing is among the best in the world.
Corralejo in the north is the best-known resort and is good for families.
One of the highlights for day-trippers is a jaunt inland to Betancuria, founded in a fertile valley in 1405.
However, the best beaches are in the south, particularly the magnificent stretches on the Jandia peninsula.
You will need a four-wheel-drive car to reach the loveliest stretches, such as Playa de Barlovento.
On the way back north, stop for a meal at one of the restaurants in the traditional fishing village of Las Playitas.
Travel Guide: Gran Canaria
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| | | | La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro
LA PALMA
The most tropical and fertile of the Canaries, La Palma, the Green Island, has arguably the best-looking landscape. This is not a place for beach lovers - there are only a handful of black beaches round its shores. Rather it attracts nature lovers looking for some peace and quiet on one of the least-visited islands.
Top on their list of attractions is the great Caldera de Taburiente, a massive, beautiful volcanic crater, which is ideal for hiking.
The town of Santa Cruz has a wealth of old colonial atmosphere and architecture, as well as a lively seafront promenade of cafes and restaurants.
The main draw in the north of the island is the town of San Andres, which is the home of the island's most sacred spot, its 17th-century church.
LA GOMERA
A favourite destination with walkers and hikers, with trails criss-crossing its 370 square kilometre area, La Gomera is, in shape, like a great volcanic meringue pie, with peaks and troughs and an indented crusty coast.
An immensely fertile land, with a thousand different shades of green on every slope - pale young vines, darker banana plants and everywhere the dread-locked silhouettes of date palms dancing on the jagged horizon.
Accommodation options are limited to a couple of hotels and smaller guesthouses, and there's little to attract the beach lover. Instead, the island draws a loyal following from visitors who appreciate its laid-back ambience and a certain innate quirkiness.
La Gomera's best hiking is in the Garajonay National Park at the heart of the island.
EL HIERRO
Definitely a getaway-from-it-all destination - as long as you don't mind the fact that there's not very much when you get there. It's more of a day-trip island really. Once you have admired the view over El Golfo Valley, visited the old church in the capital Valverde, there is not much left to do except to stand by the lighthouse at Orchilla, once the most westerly point of the known world.
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| | Available rental properties in Gran Canaria |
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| |  | | Duplex Villa 4 Anfi Tauro Sea Golf Gran Canaria
Eco chic styled Villa. Marble tiled, air conditioned, jaccuzi, luxury specification in a sea, golf and mountain setting. 115m2 Living +52m2 Terraces
|  | | Duplex Villa 1 Anfi Tauro Sea Golf Gran Canaria
Eco chic styled Villa. Marble tiled, air conditioned, jaccuzi, luxury specification in a sea, golf and mountain setting. 115m2 Living +52m2 Terraces
|  | | Beachfront apartment, Playa del Ingles
Stunning sea and dune views. Apartment in very quiet complex of only 21 private owners, heated pool and direct access to the beach and promenade.
|  | | LAS CASAS
Luxury two bedrooms, in a quiet community. Sleep max 4. Kitchen fully equipped. Satellite TV .
Shared swimming pool with Jacuzzi.
Large terrace and common BBQ area
|  | | Apartamentos Lenamar
A one bedroom apartment in central Playa del Ingles between the beach and the Yumbo centre on Avenida de Tirajana.
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Holiday Rentals in Gran Canaria |
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