Family Fun in the Canarian Sun
It's just a short hop away with a flying time 3.5hrs making it a great short haul holiday destination as well as an all year round destination with average annual temperatures of 24 degrees, perfect for winter sun too.
The currency is the Euro and the Time difference in the summer months is +0 hrs!
Life's a beach! With a coastline of 236km, 60kms of that is beach so you will never be stuck for choice when finding a beach that is right for you, weather your after sweeping golden sand dunes, small pretty bays or more secluded rocky bays, Gran Canaria has it all.
Our favourite beaches: Maspalomas for the stunning sand Dunes and Anfi Del Mar for its smaller gorgeous white sandy bay, cafes and greenery.
An island of natural beauty Almost half of the island is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and offers dramatic differences in terrain throughout. The North of the island is green and leafy, the interior is mountainous and the South offers spectacular golden sand beaches. (Our highlight was visiting the Maspalomas Sand Dunes) Contrasting with this is a rugged coastline with white sandy beaches dotted throughout.
Where to stay: There are many types of accommodation throughout. The most popular being along the south coast. From 5 star boutique spa hotels to self catering apartments there's something to suit all budgets. We stayed in a private villa in the area of Mogan a beautiful village In the mountains yet only a 5 minute drive to the sea in Puerto Mogan. Mogan is nicknamed ‘Little Venice’ and it is not difficult to see why. With its canals and abundance of floral canopies encompassing the streets, it feels more like being in Venice than it does just off the coast of Africa. The waters are so crystal clear you can see schools of fish swimming by. There are gift shops aplenty and a large selection of delicious seafood restaurants, tapas restaurants and pizzerias. Sit and have a coffee or an ice cream and watch the world go by
If you'd like any restaurant recommendations please get in touch
The Great Outdoors With the all year round warm weather, there's so many different sports and activities to take part in throughout the year. There's 7 golf courses within 50km radius, it's been named Europes top golf destination by IAGTO Awards. If you prefer to walk there are many hiking trails that cross the island as well as cycling routes. If you like your surf the Atlantic is great for fab waves. There's also amazing marine life to discover.
Fun for the whole family There's lots to keep the family entertained. We spent a day at Aqualand/ Maspalomas, Gran Canaria's largest waterpark. Palmitos Park Zoo and Friday morning at the popular Mogan Market.
Aqualand: Tips: * Arrive early to get a sunbed in a good spot and car park space if coming by car.
* Take a picnic if you don't fancy long queues and want to save time Buy a fast pass, queues for the slides can be long, fast pass queues were very quick as you get priority of all the slides as well as the rings needed for some of the slides. You will definitely get more out of your day.
* Flip flops/sliders can be taken on rides, people tend to slide them over their hands to keep them safe. We put ours in the lockers but the ground was extremely hot, so keep footwear with you. You can leave at the end of each ride if you prefer.
*Prebook tickets online and print out the confirmation beforehand to take with you to save money and also queuing on arrival. You also get a better deal by booking 2 park tickets, Aqualand tickets with Palmitos Park.
*You can cover the park easily in a day, it's not that huge but queues can be long.
Palmitos Park A great family day out. We loved it here. The park is set in a tropical forest in the mountains. There are your usual zoo animals, flamingos, birds, butterflies, giant tortoises, Komodo dragons, monkeys, and parrots but you also have the amazing dolphinarium too, where you get to see a dolphin show and /or take part in an experience of getting up and close with the dolphins.
We paid 90 euros each for a 30 min experience to get in the water with the dolphins, we got to cuddle and stroke them and teach them tricks, the kids and the grown ups had an amazing time. There's also the option of a 30 min poolside experience for 60 euros. At the end the kids were asked to take part in the show. My eldest was on a boogie board and pushed along by the Dolphins whilst my youngest and her cousin were in a canoe and pushed to the Centre of the pool whilst the Dolphins jumped over them! Such an amazing experience and well worth the money. They loved it!
Tips: * Pre book tickets and print of confirmation before you go to save money and queuing on arrival If you want to do a dolphin experience you need to arrive early as there are limited spaces and they're not bookable in advance.
* The zoo can get very hot so don't forget water, sun cream and a hat.
* With the dolphin in-water experience you will be given a towel, hat and a wet suit, so wear your swim stuff underneath.
* Keep luggage light - it can be quite hilly especially when walking up to see the birds of prey display. You can buy refreshments on the way.
* The zoo is very manageable and not huge so you can do most of it by mid afternoon if you arrive first thing. It's a really great day out.
Getting around: we hired a car from the airport. I would definitely recommend this if you want to explore the island and take a few day trips. The main road GC1 is pretty simple but we did find we needed a sat nav to negotiate our way around once on the smaller roads and in the other resorts, but maybe that's just us! We used our iPhone sat nav.
Taxi boats and buses are alternative ways to travel as well as organised days trips.
If you're thinking of visiting the Canary Islands and would like help and tips to plan your next holiday, please get in touch.
Speak soon, Kate x