Gran Canaria
On arrival at Las Palmas Airport we were met by a private mini bus and taken to our hotel, the Seaside Palm Beach, which is located in the most southern part of the Island near to the sand dunes of Mas Palomas and the beautiful sandy beach of Meloneras. The hotel was lovely and had been renovated to a contemporary style with large bedrooms and very good size balconies. All rooms are tastefully decorated with everything you will need. After having stayed at this hotel for four nights, I would thoroughly recommend it, especially for the service and the standard of food along with the spa and its location.
The following day, we were taken to the centre of the island, to the Bandama Crater, which was our first taste of the amazing views and different terrain that the island has to offer. We followed this by a trip to the centre of the old town of Las Palmas which was delightful and so full of history! We had the chance to enjoy some delicious tapas in a local authentic family restaurant, where I also participated in some wine tasting…it would be rude not to!
We saw various hotels on our trip, the Sheraton Salobre which is especially suited to the golfers among us. It’s a little cut off and I would recommend a car whilst staying here, but it’s a beautiful modern hotel. We also visited the Gloria Palace Royal and the Gloria Palace Amadores, both overlooking the sea, in two lovely locations at the south of the island and ideal for families and couples alike. Lopespan Maobab, one of my favourite hotels, has an African theme and is large but not over-crowded. It’s very modern with lots of space and I would recommend it to younger families and couples alike. My favourite hotel was the Grand Hotel Residencia, a small hotel of a high standard. It was very tasteful with beautiful gastronomy and in a perfect location.
We visited the area of Puerto Mogan, a port that hosts a number of lovely yachts, with lovely areas to visit. It is known as ‘Little Venice’ of Gran Canaria with an array of attractive bars and restaurants to watch the world go by! We were lucky enough to sample one of the excursions and went sailing in the area of Anfi. It was an amazing experience and certainly one I would recommend. The sea is so calm and very idyllic and it’s perfect for water activities and sports.
The next day of our trip took us to the heart of Gran Canaria, to the top of the mountain area Tejeda, which had some of the most amazing scenery that I have ever seen (and a few hair pin bends!) in the Canary Islands. We had lunch at a lovely “parador” (a luxury hotel) which overlooked the awesome countryside and was well worth a visit. In my opinion, a couple of nights spent in this area combined with a week or longer at the beach would be perfect. I would also suggest a three centre incorporating the old town of Las Palmas, as this is not to be missed.
We had a fantastic time and in four days saw so much of what the island of Gran Canaria has to offer. I would definitely recommend it to so many of my clients throughout the year as the climate is perfect for the sunshine that we miss in the UK, without having too far to travel.