Gran Canaria in a Nutshell

Should you visit here?  Absolutely!

It’s not a top ten destination for Americans but could become so.  Europeans, particularly vacationers from mainland Spain visit the Canary Islands in mass.    The eight main islands in the Canarian archipelago are Spanish provinces. Tenerife is the southernmost and largest most populous of the all and Gran Canaria is the second.  Gran Canaria is 230 kilometers from Morocco but also is the one nearest to Spain and Portugal.

The islands are volcanic with stunning beaches that lay all around the island, particularly on the north, east and south coasts.  Rocky shorelines make lava tide pools, like natural swimming pools. When the tide goes out, huge pools form in the stone lava pits in which people swim or wade looking for fish and crabs that make these pools their homes.

We spent our time in Gran Canaria. Beach sand is not white.  Sometimes it is dark even black, but in most locations is sandy-colored,  In Maspalomas, the sand on the nature-made dunes is the finest I’ve ever seen.  It’s finer than the finest grain of salt – almost powder.

During our week here we visited eastern beaches in Las Palmas and northern beaches like Playa del El Puertillo and Play de San Andres on the northern coast.  We took detours to inland towns of Arucas and  Banaderos.   Maspalomas and Puerto de Mogan showed us sea sides and dunes to the south.

The islands rely on tourism but they are also strong in agriculture, and Las Palmas’ huge container port is important for all the islands. The islands grow bananas, tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, potatoes, aubergines, and tobacco for domestic use and the European market.  Olive oil and coffee are making inroads as well. Delicate delicious Canarian wines and cheese are earning good reputations locally and abroad.  Here fine wines are inexpensive and here is a foodie delight.  Some of the best chefs in the world cook here and the food is fantastic – whether it is steak, ropas viejas, or pork knuckles—all imported, or any variety of fish and seafood caught earlier in the morning is right here in Gran Canaria.  And guests are met with utmost kindness and appreciation.  The service cannot be topped.

My recommendation for a wonderful beachside vacation for families, couples, girl groups, men groups, singles, and LBGTQ  is Maspalomas and Puerto de Mogan.  Maspalomas is a quite large resort area and Puerto de Mogan is a bit smaller and a little quieter.  At Maspalomas, the very long and wide beach has fine sand, and just to the west are the dunes.  You will think you are the Sahara.  Just off the beach are an unlimited number of resorts for any type of taste . . . exclusive, romantic, secluded, hyper-rich, kid-friendly, and even budget-minded.  At Maspalomas in addition to a multitude of luxury resorts, restaurants, bars, and shops, there are several huge digital and real-deal roller-coaster amusement parks.  The locale has the longest, most challenging go-kart track I’ve ever seen.  Lovely beaches are at both Maspalomas and Puerto de Mogan, and food for any taste is easy to access.  Pastries and cafes are easily offered in the morning and early afternoon, lunch service begins at about 1 pm and dinner begins after seven.  Most people dine at about 10 pm.  All the food is the best you might ever taste because everything is fresh and prepared at the moment.

Normally sunny and cloud-free, the island is very windy during the summer months which is great for windsurfers and kite boarders but the wind does not seem to bother sunbathers at all.  In fact, on hot days the wind is a saving grace.  But sometimes a high cloud over the Atlantic covers the whole island and is too high up to burn off.   And sometimes the wind changes and tropical clouds come up from the south. And then again some other times, a dusty cloud blowing over Gran Canaria comes from the Sahara desert.  I’m not sure why it happened this week, but our skies were full of dark haze and windy every day.

History abounds here. Because of the flow of the Trade Winds, Las Palmas was the last stopping point for sailors and explorers seeking fortune in the new world. In the Renaissance period, Christopher Columbus spent some nights here on this island in the 1400s.

But this place is so much more than an island of history, food, and beach towns.  This is a very civilized place!   I sometimes meet people who were born and have lived their whole life there.  My mind says they must be sheltered on this island, uninformed and isolated.  But no, they are well-educated, and are clued in and well aware of world happenings.

Canaria cities mirror cities in the USA  with posh stores, bars, restaurants, historical buildings, beautiful streets and small quaint ones, old architecture, and new architecture.  Las Palmas has every convenience, exclusive shopping opportunities, technology, health care, and finance.  The city has wide thoroughfares for cars and closed-off streets for pedestrian walkways.  The city also has clean, reliable public transportation to get a person anywhere they care to go – with apps to assist.   My thanks to the very clever geeks who figured all this out!  I salute you!  But I must say . . . in the countryside, there is a little work to be done on improving and mapping tiny, squiggly hilly roads/cart paths from Artenara to Las Palmas. 

My last word . . . just come.