City and beach appeal for holidays in Gran Canaria

We have avoided the busiest parts of this lovely island in favour of Maspalomas in the south and Las Palmas and Arucas in the north. It’s an island of sudden changes of landscape from great beaches and sand dunes to rich agriculture, harsh mountains to tranquil village squares. Peace or excitement are here too. Parts of Gran Canaria have been declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO recognizing its environmental importance.

Gran Canaria is alive with varied natural beauty, from the stunning sand dunes of Maspalomas, the volcanic mountainous interior to the world-famous fabulous golden sand beaches.

To explore, you don’t have to stick to the roads. A well-signposted network of tracks and trails will lead you to nature reserves on foot or by bicycle. With more than twenty locations with excellent conditions for surfing, windsurfing and kite-surfing Gran Canaria is without doubt a perfect destination for the watersports enthusiast. Scuba divers will be amazed by the beauty of marine life; great ship wrecks; lots of sheltered shores; night dives; boat dives and snorkelling.

If golf is your game you won’t be disappointed, with ten magnificent courses, all developed by top designers, the island is a golfer’s paradise, whether you are a beginner or a budding master.

Canaries cuisine is excellent and local wine well worth a try.

The locations of our selected Gran Canaria hotels are:

Las Palmas

Surprisingly for an island, Las Palmas is the 7th largest city in Spain and the largest in the Canary Islands and even though it is a vibrant commercial city and port the long golden sandy beach, Las Canteras, gives it a more relaxed holiday feel too. It is a town full of history to explore and has many festivities and cultural events to entertain visitors.  It also has very good shopping and plenty of restaurants and bars.
Parque Santa Catalina is full of outdoor cafes, popular during the day and the evening, and has on one side of the park, the interesting science and technology museum, Museo Elder, while a pedestrian area leads to the modern and colourful commercial centre El Muelle, which has shops, cinemas and more cafes and restaurants.  Playa de las Canteras, the long sandy beach, is only a few minutes away on the other side.
The most historical area of the city is the Plaza de Santa Ana which is where the Cathedral of the same name is located.  The church is a mix of the Gothic through to the Neoclassic, due to the length of time it took to complete.
The older part of Las Palmas is known as Triana and there is a long pedestrianised street, renown for shopping, called Calle Mayor de Triana, even if you are not interested in the shopping the facades are very attractive art nouveau. Also in Triana is, Puerto de la Luz, this is where the port and the beach of Alcaravanera is and the nightlife in this area is wide ranging and typical of a large city.  We list some of the things to see and do on our What to do and What’s on pages.

Arucas

While in the north we should mention Arucas, which is where our most rural of our Gran Canaria hotels, La Hacienda del Buen Suceso is located.  Situated between mountains, valleys, farmlands and the coast  Arucas is  west of the capital city about 20 minutes by car. This area if full of history, for example many of the original inhabitants lived in caves in the hills and tended their lands and livestock and today some of these caves are still occupied, though admittedly they have been modernised and have many of the conveniences of a house.  Agriculture is still the main industry of the area and to a lesser extent tourism. The original main crop was and still is, sugar cane and rum was made here long before Cuba or the Carribean, today banana plantations are also much in evidence.  The church in Arucas is very distinctive and well worth a visit, for its architecture and the paintings and sculpture housed here.

On the edge of town, en route to La Hacienda in fact, is the peaceful and attractive Botanical Gardens started by the Marquis of Arucas and contains one of the most complete collections of tropical and sub-tropical flora, over 2,500 species, many of which are now extinct elsewhere and much of their survical is due to the microclimate in this area and of course to the Marquis who collected them in the first place and created these lovely gardens.

A stay here gives you more of an insight into how the locals live and makes for a peaceful and interesting holiday, we include a car for guests staying at La Hacienda as an essential to enable you to really benefit from this area.  Do visit the top of Mount Arucas, the view from here are spectacular and you can even have lunch before returning to the hotel or going to the coast north of the town

Maspalomas

In the south these two resorts are popular for Gran Canaria holidays. Maspalomas is famed for its fabulous sand beach and dunes.  Hotels are mostly along the coast here and shopping centres and restaurants and found between them.  The coastal waters here are clean and in some part nicely shallow offering safe bathing for the young and several of the beaches have blue flag recognition.  These things contribute to making it popular with families and others alike.
Maspalmas is separated from the busier resort of Playa del Ingles by the spectacular sand dunes (about 4 sq kms) and has the islands largest golf course and luxury hotels in Gran Canaria.  The dunes are a protected area and have some rare plants only found in the Canaries, you can only cross them on foot or by Camel!  At one end of this long stretch of desert dunes and beach is an area known as El Oasis this is where our hotels are and nearby is La Charka, a sea water lagoon surrounded by palms that migrating birds stop off on their way to Africa.
As this area is dependent on tourism there are many attractions for visitors of all ages including the biggest water park on the island, Aquasur and various theme parks.

San Agustin

San Agustín is less known and more residential which makes it a quieter and relaxing experience.  The amenities of the other resorts are nearby but if you don’t feel like making the journey to say Maspalomas beach then there is a dark sand beach in front of the Melia Tamarindos.  There is also a Casino here for those that would like to try their luck! San Agustin is good for those wanting the reliable weather and access to the facilities without them being on the doorstep, giving you an opportunity to unwind.

" The representative in Gran Canaria was excellent and most helpful – enough to make me feel that your company is the only one I would like to travel with again..."

Mr and Mrs Campbell booked by Deva Travel

Getting around on holiday in Gran Canaria

For shorter trips in the city or the resorts taxis are probably the easiest, though the bus service is also very efficient too. But for exploring further a field a hire car is a definite asset, with a good map and plenty of time enjoy some of the stunning scenery this island has too offer.  But if going into the hills take your time as some of the roads are very bendy and the views very distacting.

What to do on your holiday in Gran Canaria

Nightlife is very varied in Gran Canaria holiday resorts and in the city and the usual clubs and discos can be expected.  Cultural and historical attractions are plentiful, as are water and land sports.

Local best buys include: Rum from Arucas, leather goods and genuine local arts and crafts.

Prestige Plus in Gran Canaria

Private taxi transfers to your hotel

Welcome fruit and water or wine in your room on arrival with our compliments

Travel Guide to the Canaries

The excellent support and services of our local representatives and handling agent