Gran Canaria (Spain) > Reviews > My Ideal Weather

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Value for Money
Sightseeing
Shopping
Nightlife
Ease of getting around

Advantages:	Splendid weather .  Duty - free .  Plenty to see and do
Disadvantages:	All year season leaves no "down - time" for accommodation maintenance

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Mention the Canary Islands to anyone; even someone who hasn’t been there and they will probably list the promise of decent weather all year round as a major attraction. Having just spent Easter in Gran Canaria, they wouldn’t be far wrong either. Each day was greeted by clear skies, with temperatures rising to about 30C by lunchtime. Evenings were cool enough to use at least some bedclothes, and not a "mozzie-quito" in sight! As near to perfect weather as you can get, in my book.

Strangely enough we are not beach people (my wife suffers from what used to be called “prickly heat” or polymorphic light-reaction, which involves her in using factor 99, or she would if it existed). That is not to say we don’t like the sun, we just don’t want to lie around in it.

So you may ask, what on earth were we thinking of, winding up at Playa del Inglés, GC’s principle sea and sand resort? Along with many other people, I prefer to use a package operator to supply the bare bones of my holiday, because I still feel they offer good value for money, i.e. flights and a roof over your head, plus airport transfers etc.

Where I, or rather we, part company with the tour operator is straight after the welcome meeting, sometime around when we ask the rep about car hire. I am a great believer in the G.O.Y.A. principle, or a “fundamental shift”, as it’s sometimes known.

Our most recent accommodation was a bungalow situated with 11 others around a pool in a leafy residential suburb of Playa del Inglés, with enough catering facilities to get our own breakfasts and keep beer cold. This we booked through Virgin Sun, which appears to have sold us off while we slept to First Choice. Presumably, “Beardie” needs the cash to prop up his train set.

Rather than give an account of the facilities afforded by Playa del Inglés, which has no doubt been done elsewhere by other writers, I thought I would give you a run-down of how our week went, in particular our days out, which, was in fact all of them. Then, if you happen to be there for two weeks and can only stand one week of doing nothing, then some of what I am about to write might come in handy.

Firstly, Gran Canaria is the island that gives its name to the Canaries, although Tenerife appears to be equally important. Unlike the latter, which is roughly triangular, GC is roughly circular, with the capital, Las Palmas in the northeast, the airport in the east, and Playa del Inglés in the south.

Driving Out For The Day

The south is linked via the airport to the north by motorway GC-1, so getting around the eastern half of the island at 120 kph is a fairly rapid affair, unless you take to the mountains, that is!
This is where the fun starts. The road that heads due north from Playa heads into the central mountains of the island. These are only one third the height of those in neighbouring Tenerife but equally rugged.

On the way to the middle, you pass “Mundo Aborigen” (more of which later) and further on, a village called Fataga, which is a sensible point to stop and sample the air, coffee, toilets, or what have you. We were about to have a restful cup of excellent Spanish coffee, when it became clear that today was Kango Hammer Day, which was being celebrated 10 feet away. Oh, well, onward and upward! To be fair to these mountain roads, which twist and turn like....er twisty-turny things, they have, almost without exception excellent tarmac surfaces, so the many hairpins are not too fraught and the car tends to go where it’s pointed rather than skitter sideways on potholes. Also, there is plenty of strategically placed crash barrier, so don’t worry on that account. The only major tension comes from not knowing if there is an idiot round the next blind corner, but heh, you get that at home!

The best part of the corners is the new vista that opens up with almost every one, getting lusher and greener as you head north. The few houses that do line the road are a riot of spring colours and rambling foliage, and I lose count of the number of times I looked for a safe spot to stop and photograph them. I must admit that I view the mountain drive as a one-way affair, using GC-1 to get back. You do feel as if you should be awarded some rally-driving soubriquet, “King of the Mountains” or some such. My wife thinks that the nearest I will ever get to being a rally driver is to change my name to something Finnish like Hari Oldfartonen.

Rubber-Necking In The Capital

Las Palmas is the largest city in all of the Canaries. It is a thriving seaport on or near the main shipping lanes to the Cape and South America. Its continued success is partly down to the duty-free status of the Canaries. This encourages cruise ships to dock here, (or in Santa Cruz de Tenerife). Also, ships needing running repairs don’t have so much paperwork to complete if the cargo doesn’t have to go into bonded store whilst the repair is carried out. There is one point that is worth making here. Since the Canaries have a similar customs status as our own Channel Islands, only the stingy foreign duty-free limits apply (not the EEC ones). Everything that’s bad for you and therefore heavily taxed is cheaper here, since Spain’s VAT does not apply. The shops tend to be cheaper than the airport, so don’t leave it till the last day to stock up on Issy Miyake or whatever.

Las Palmas is a fascinating city of contrasts, old buildings side by side with modern office blocks. Possibly the most famous seriously old building in town is Christopher Columbus’ House (La Casa de Cristobál Colón). The whole building has been lovingly restored and turned into a museum dedicated to the discovery of the New World. I just enjoyed walking around the open courtyards in the sun, wondering how busy they were when Chris was in town. What’s more, entry was FREE!

More recent monuments to enterprise include the famous department store “El Corte Inglés” and even “Marques y Spencer”.

The side streets of Las Palmas seem to have a Latin American feel to them, looking a bit like Havana with a better paint-job. Since the islands were colonised by Spain, rather than having always been part of Spain, maybe this is the connection.

For cowards with no head for strange cities’ road systems, park after following the first “Centro de Ciudad” sign, which by happy accident puts you by the market and close to the Columbus House and the cathedral. It’s also a straight slip road back to a relaxing drive south on GC-1, putting Playa and that beer in the fridge only about 40 minutes away! Since the city is so heavily linked with the discovery of the New World, I thought that it was poetic justice that the first hoarding you see as you enter the place is for MacDonald’s! 15-all, new balls please!

Eating Out In Playa Del Inglés

Yes, I know we said we were self-catering but I only meant breakfast!

Playa is laid out around a road system leaning heavily to towards roundabouts, and I half-expected to find it was twinned with Basingstoke or Milton Keynes. However, they do allow for the town to be identified in logical chunks, as do the “CC’s” – Centros Comerciales, or Shopping Centres. These tend to be a bit more than your average mall, containing food courts and other eateries. Being keen on eating what the locals do, we ascertained from the rep that the “San Fernando” area was where most locals lived and ate out. I was tempted to ask when the last train was, but thought better of it. In this area, we settled on the Bar Capaco and the Al Andalus Tapas Restaurant. Both were excellent value for money, serving mainly mainland Spanish dishes. They don’t seem very keen to serve Canarian delicacies, unless of course there aren’t many. The exception is “Papas Arrugadas” which you get just about everywhere – wrinkled “taters” to you, served with a salty skin and with a spicy dipping sauce called “mojo” – I managed to get mine working!

Of course, with the Atlantic Ocean just down the road, meaty fish like char-grilled swordfish is a good bet and delicious with those spuds..mmmmmm!

Bar Capaco had a resident guitarist - it was great fun trying to spot the transition between tuning up and playing! The Al Andalus has a more formal couple of Flamenco artists. It was quite an event when they were forced to play "Feliz Cumpleaños" on request (Happy Birthday!)- even they had to crack their faces for that one!

Getting Browned-Off In Playa Del Inglés

The beach here is truly superb, but then you’d know that if you came here for “normal” reasons i.e. without one of your party having been a mole in a previous life! From San Augustin in the east to Maspalomas in the west, it’s one long strip of sand for about 8 kms. Why not at least go and sit on a different bit every now and then? The Maspalomas sand dunes are world famous, both as a bird sanctuary and as somewhere for humans to offer themselves to the sun god. First sight of the water’s edge with it’s thousands of umbrellas was enough to put me off, but obviously someone likes it, and they take their friends there too!

The G.O.Y.A. principle applies here – all you need to find some solitude amongst the dunes is to move about 100 meters inland to your very own dip in the sand. I found one and was immediately reminded of pushing an Army ambulance up one side, having promised to stand a round of Carlsbergs when we get to Alexandria!

I am told that various sections of the Maspalomas beach have been segregated to allow for nude sunbathers, both gay and hetero. Yes, how do you sunbathe in a gay way? Just remember to make plenty of noise as you top the next dune, otherwise you could get put off chorizo for life!

If all this heaving glistening biomass is too much for you, there are quieter places you could go. Read on.

Other “Half Days”

Moving west along the coast, you arrive at Puerto Rico (phew, that was quick). This has a harbour from where many of the “fun” sea trips begin. There is a catamaran to take you out whale watching. We did this, it takes two hours, and if you’re really lucky, you’ll see a dolphin or two. Be warned – it’s easy to forget that there’s an Ocean out there, not the “Med”. After an hour out to sea, the swell is quite significant, and the top deck of the cat swayed around quite alarmingly.

There is also a typical Jolly Roger-type booze krooze galleon, where everyone gets off jolly, and presumably resume rogering when they get back to their apartment. Yes, what about those flats. The two hillsides that overlook Puerto Rico are literally covered in terraced apartments, so much so, that in places, you can’t see any rock. I dare say the view from the balcony is great, but from the ground – what a way to ruin two perfectly good cliffs!

Heading further west, you come to Puerto de Mogán. After here the road turns inland to Mogán. The southwest sector of the island is practically road-less beyond here. This place is the alter ego of Puerto Rico. Even the development is low-key and in character. Within the harbour, there is a newly built but mature looking enclave of two storey houses. Since they are built out into the water, they are also criss-crossed with waterways rather like “back streets” in Venice – just one Cornetto……..

It is a very nice spot to stroll around and see how the other half, or the Germans as they are sometimes known, live.

If you are looking for somewhere to amuse children rather than yourself, there are two water parks near Playa del Inglés. One’s called Aquasur, and the other one escapes me.

Also in the family entertainment arena, there is Palamitos Parque – a short drive into the hills (and valleys) north of Playa. This is essentially an aviary set in wonderful hillside grounds. The speciality here is parrots and the rest of their family, macaws etc. Needless to say, you can get photographed covered in birds if you want – at a cost of course. I thought the adult entry fee of £9 was a bit steep, but it’s in a lovely setting. Get there early. I’m not that keen on zoos these days, but the birds all had full sets of feathers, which is a sign that they are not distressed, so I’m told.

I mentioned Mundo Aborigen earlier. This is an attempt to recreate a Guanche village on a mountainside a few clicks north of Playa. The Guanches were the original inhabitants when the Spanish arrived. Needless to say, there aren’t any alive now! A logically laid out plan allows you to get an insight into everyday life and death, Guanche style, including the embalming process which involved leaving bodies out in the sun.(a bit like over at Maspalomas, except the Guanche in question had to be dead first!) You can even see a Guanche execution staged – believe me, Willie Whitelaw’s short sharp shock was nothing compared to this headache cure!

There is a free drink included in the entry fee of about £8 per adult. Sorry, I didn’t take a note of kid’s prices – I sold mine into the white slave trade.

Inevitably in the Canaries, there is a Wild West Town theme park, this one being called Sioux City. This is about the third place I have come across claiming to be the home of the spaghetti western. All good clean fun though, with staged gunfights, lasso displays etc. Sorry, I didn’t go so I don’t know how much it costs. – I really must stop glazing over when the rep starts his/her spiel.

If hiring a car is not your thing, the local buses run all along the coast from Puerto de Mogán in the west through all the main resorts to Las Palmas. There is no railway, but at least this means that there is nothing to be late.

Anyway, that’s about it from me. I hope that, even if you are a beach bum, you will see that if you get off yours, there is also a whole world of other “stuff” to do and see.

Don’t forget.

G.O.Y.A.!!

There, that should be at least 120 words - Ciao!