In this post I want to give you a complete look and comparison of all the different holiday destinations in Gran Canaria so you can pick the right one for YOUR holiday in Gran Canaria.
The first resort is the Bahia Feliz. This you will find as the first resort when you drive South from the airport towards where you will find most of the holiday resorts in Gran Canaria. The Bahia Feliz is a small little holiday destination with just about 5 hotels or something like that. There are some stone pebble beaches and a sandy one just a bit outside the resort. In the smallish shopping center here you will also find a selection of restaurants. This place is great for a relaxing holiday in Gran Canaria but has no busy nightlife or something if you are looking for that. A bit further down but within walking distance for most people is San Agustin. Some people will claim this is already part of Maspalomas, some will say it is not and a completely different destination. San Agustin is similar to Bahia Feliz as it has also only less than 10 hotels however, San Agustin has some very nice sandy beaches and a bit more choice of bars, restaurants and shops. However, if visiting San Agustin and eating outside of your hotel I would very much advice reading reviews before going into a place as many of the place I drank and eat served Pepsi when asking for coke, served dripp coffee when asking for espresso and some even served instant powder coffee for 3 euro price.
I am not saying other places in Gran Canaria, Spain or the world don’t have this and maybe I was just unlucky in picking places but I would just like to give you a quick warning about this. Especially be aware of this for the places next to the beach. Otherwise San Agustin is a great place for a holiday on the beach. Next up and within Maspalomas is Playa del Ingles. By far the best known area in Gran Canaria and also the oldest and biggest. This resort has been around since tourism started on the island about 50 years ago. It is best compared to such places as Palma Nova in Majorca and Playa de las Americas in Tenerife. It’s big, busy, pr people everywhere trying to get you into bars and restaurants, much about the nightlife and 2 for 1 deals all day every day. Most of the restaurants and bars you will find on the front line but also some very large open air shopping centers spread out over the area. The beach is a nice sandy beach and very long but depending on where you are staying, you might need to take a lot of stairs up or down to get to it.
In some places they also have elevators going to the beach to make it more easy. Playa del Ingles is great for people who want sun and beach but still all the comforts from home like international pubs showing your football games and to speak your own language and be understood. In the resort you will find a mix from 1 star hotels to 5 star hotels. Playa del Ingles is very big so I would advise you to have a quick look on Google maps or something where your hotel is before booking if it is important for you. Next to Playa del Ingles is the new Meloneras area. Well actually it is not new but recently many new hotels have established themselves here. All of these are very big hotels and all of them have great reviews and 4 or 5 stars. One even has 5 star GL. so basically 6 stars. It is much more quieter and relaxed there and a bit more upscale. There are 2 great beaches like the beach of Maspalomas and the Meloneras beach, both are on the outside of the resort but that is just 1 or 2 minutes walking from the center.
. centrally there is no beach. Meloneras is great if you want a nice relaxing holiday and you stay within the hotel most of the time and once and a while like to go to the beach. This area also has great all inclusive hotel options. Next up is Arguineguin, this is just a typical small Gran Canarian village with just a few hotels. Pretty much everything here is Spanish but a large community of Norwegian people has found there way here, especially pensioners who like to come here in winter. There is a nice sandy beach and during my last stay they were even in progress to add another beach. A bit further down is Anfi, well known for the timeshare hotel there. It has one of the nicest fluffy sandy beaches in this area and great relaxed vibe. In the evening there are also live shows and mini disco each night in the harbor area.
Where To Go The Beach Resorts In Gran Canaria – Gran Canaria Travel Guide Photo Gallery
Another big resort is Puerto Rico in Gran Canaria. There are many hotels here on the side of the mountains in all price categories and star ratings. All of these are surrounding a centrally located shopping center where most of the bars, restaurants and nightlife are in the evening. The resort is very popular with Scandinavian people, especially in winter when the temperature is still nice here compared to most Scandinavian countries at that time. This resort has a nice beach and since recently there is now a walkway to the neighbouring beach of Playa de Amadores as well, so if you want a change, it’s just a nice walk away. This resort is great as it offers everything you could wish for on holiday however it is not so big you would get lost. Everything is easy to find because of the layout. Keep in mind that depending on where your hotel is you might have to walk a bit uphill or take a taxi each time. Also, when I was last here there were a lot of people on the strip asking or advising people to come join a timeshare presentation. so be aware of that. If you have time and you are interested. do it, but it might take an entire day even tho they say you can leave at any time.
This has nothing to do with Puerto Rico of course, just saying so you are informed. Playa del Cura in Gran Canaria is a nice little chill resort for an “escapist feel” holiday. There is just a few hotels here set up against the hill and a few in the front near the beach. Just a small walk away is the new Tauro beach what has recently been constructed and added sand to, to also have a sandy beach in this area. There are not very many shops, bars or restaurants but enough. Since you can find hotels here at very good prices compared to the more popular and well known resorts in Gran Canaria it is also a great place to explore the island from by car. Also because of its central location between all resorts and great connection to the highway. Taurito is best described as a mini Puerto Rico. It has the same layout and nice beach. All the hotels are set up against the mountain side with most of the restaurants and bars in the center and beach in front.
In the center you will also find the water park, mini golf and all the nighttime entertainment and mini disco for the public. Next is Puerto de Mogan, well known for its postcard worthy houses in the harbour area. This used to be a quiet little fishing village but recently has seen expansion and construction of 2 very large hotels in this area. Also construction of a large shopping center is on the way. Puerto de Mogan is a great place, however I hope it does not get over commercialised in the next coming year. If you wanna visit here, I would visit as soon as possible. On the other side of the island you will find Agaete, a typical spanish fisherman village that has not been commercialised anything. Also for this reason it is very cheap. There are only 3 hotels here, 1 with pool and 2 city style hotels. It’s a really great and surprising place.
If you want to visit Gran Canaria but don’t want the mass tourism, this is one of your best choices. Also from here it is easy to pop over to Tenerife with the ferry that arrives here. Next up is Las Palmas or Las Palmas de Gran Canaria as some people call it. This is the capital of Gran Canaria and the place where you will find most of the culture, museums but also a great beach. The Playa de las Canteras. When I first visited Gran Canaria this was actually my first stop as I need to buy some gear for posting in Gran Canaria. While I was looking for the shopping center, getting a bit lost in the city, I suddenly stood face to face with the Playa de las Canteras and could definitely not believe that a busy capital could have such an amazing, long and awesome beach. So if you are worried that since this is the capital, it is not a great place to have a beach holiday. think again. This beach is also very popular with surfers and surf schools. On top of that there is also a great shopping center and prices here are often lower than most European countries. Be a little bit careful booking a hotel in this area tho as many hotels are not near the beach, but further away on the other side of the city where there is more busy traffic and less “holiday-ish vibe”.
I really like however that Las Palmas is not know as a summer holiday destination since because of this you won’t find any PR staff trying to constantly sell you something or try to get you into bars or restaurants. If you want to find all my posts covering Gran Canaria even more easy, then don’t forget to comment. Hope this post helped you and that you will have a great holiday in Gran Canaria because of it! All in all Gran Canaria has some great resort and holiday destinations, just make sure you pick the right one for you.
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