What to do in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain

ABOUT GRAN CANARIA

Gran Canaria is one of the Canary Islands (Canaries) and these tiny islands, although situated 150km off the coast of Africa actually belong to Spain.  These volcanic islands are a great place to grab some winter sun which is why we headed there in February to escape the long winter in the UK.  The highest temperature was around 20-22C every day and most days it was warm enough to sunbathe on the beach, however, the mornings and evenings were chilly so make sure to bring some layers for heading out to dinner.

HOW TO GET TO & GETTING AROUND GRAN CANARIA

There is one main airport on the island, Gran Canaria Airport, with plenty of international flights but if you’re already in the Canary Islands you can take advantage of the island hopping planes Binter or CanaryFly or the ferries that travel between the different islands.

Depending on what you want to do in Gran Canaria you might want to hire a car.  We did, mainly because we needed a car seat for Nellie and didn’t want to have to carry it around all day if we were going somewhere and returning in a taxi.

However, if you’re less restricted than we were then public transport is really easy around the island.  Taxis are everywhere and are metered and not expensive (the cost from the airport to our hotel in Meloneras would have been about €40 for a 30-minute trip).  The bus system is very easy and comprehensive if you’re travelling between towns, but the road system in the centre of the island is not great so if you want to do some exploring or hiking in the mountains then it’s probably best to hire your own car.

There is also a catamaran system that travels up and down the south coast which is easy to use, cheap, and fun!  It’s called the Lineas Bluebird and it stops off in four different ports along the coast, Arguineguin, Anfi del Mar, Puerto Rico & Puerto de Mogan.  We took the full trip from Arguineguin to Puerto de Mogan one day and it was such a lovely way to travel.  The return cost was €20 a person and took around an hour but it was so nice to be out of the water in the sun.  The boats all have glass-bottomed hulls as well so you can see marine life as you travel and if you’re lucky you can often spot dolphins and whales from them too.  They’re very frequent and you can hop on and off at different places whenever you like.

WHERE TO STAY IN GRAN CANARIA

We stayed in the Lopesan Costa Meloneras which is in Meloneras in Maspalomas on the South of the island.  (Most of the resorts are located on the south of the island along with all the beaches and tourist attractions). It is a beautiful, opulent, 5* resort with countless pools and a gorgeous spa but ended up being a bit too fancy for our needs with a little one. We opted for the breakfast-only option but all-inclusive is available too.  We prefer to head out and eat in local restaurants in the evenings rather than stay in the hotel but it was great to be able to charge drinks and lunches by the pool to the room.

What was really great was the location.  It was right next to the beautiful Maspalomas Dunes Nature Reserve and a stone’s throw from the waterfront and all the restaurants that Meloneras has to offer.  I also had a lovely Mama To Be massage in the spa one day and would have liked to have spent more time in there relaxing but I didn’t get the opportunity.

We did love the fact that they offered a family room that had two double beds in it which was great as Nellie is no longer in a cot.

She loved the resort hot tub but a word of warning is that they don’t really heat any of the pools so when we went in February, most were a bit too chilly to swim in.  We ended up finding one, (the Arbol de la Vida) which was much warmer than all the others so she was able to do some swimming there.

They also have quite a few restaurants on site which were very convenient for us.   It was also, absolutely stunning.  Think marble reception, infinity lakes that stretch out to the sea, beautiful lounges, and fun pool bars.

In hindsight we would probably. have preferred to stay at one of the smaller towns further along the coast, Puerto de Mogan or Anfi del Mar.  The resorts were less fancy and would have been walkable to kid-friendly beaches so we might look at options there if we go again.  There were also plenty of local restaurants everywhere so we would have been spoilt for choice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

I did look at AirBnbs and maybe hiring an apartment but they all seemed to be further away from the beach and not in great locations so it seemed that on this occasion a hotel or resort really was our best option.

WHAT TO DO IN GRAN CANARIA

Beaches – The main reason that people go to Gran Canaria is definitely for the sun and the Beaches (and there are plenty to choose from).  The best beaches that we found were in Anfi del Mar, Puerto de Mogan, and Amadores Beach near Puerto Rico. These beaches were great for Nellie as they were enclosed meaning there were no waves so the water was calm enough for her to paddle and play in.  Outside our hotel was the Maspalomas beach but it was very windy while we were there and the water was quite rough so we headed to the man-made enclosed beaches instead so that Nellie could swim.

Beach Clubs – if you’re looking for a luxury vibe then head to Maroa Club de Mar in Anfi del Mar, Amadores Beach Club near Puerto Rico, or Perchel Beach Club in El Pajar.  They all have that laid-back champagne party style with Djs, day beds, hot tubs, swimming pools, and great restaurants.  A wonderful way to spend a relaxing day!

Dolphin-watching trip.  One morning we organised a dolphin-watching trip on a catamaran as we thought Nellie would love it and we wanted a change from spending every day by the pool or at the beach. The tour cost €40 per adult (Nellie was free) and included return transfers from our hotel.  It was about a 2-hour trip on a catamaran and they guarantee a repeat trip for free if you don’t spot any whales or dolphins.  We only saw one dolphin but they offered a free trip anyway as they felt that wasn’t good enough!  Nellie was happy with the dolphin spot though so we didn’t repeat the experience.

Visit the Maspalomas Dunes made from Saharan sand, blown over from the African Continent.  These Dunes create a huge Nature reserve in the Maspalmonas area and are great fun to explore. Stick to the walking trails or you could even take a camel ride over the dunes instead.  This sounded amazing but unfortunately wasn’t available while we were there.  You can wander around yourselves or take a guided tour on an e-bike or e-scooter.

Palmitos Park – this wildlife park is about a 20-minute drive from Meloneras and is hidden away up in the mountains at the end of a windy road. It felt like a little retreat and on the day we went it wasn’t too busy.  Nellie loved the animals (it’s mainly birds, fish, and reptiles, but they do have monkeys, meerkats, and wallabies) but the main attraction for her was the dolphin show.  She was transfixed by their tricks and hasn’t stopped talking about it since.  You can also purchase the dolphin experience where you can get up close and personal, touch them and get a photo with them.  It’s not a cheap day out at €34 for an adult, €25 for 5-10-year-olds, and €13 for 3-4-year-olds but under 3s go free and there is the option to buy a family ticket.  You can also get a joint ticket with Aqualand if you plan on visiting that as well which will save you some money.

Visit some of the smaller towns along the coast – We took a lot of day trips around the south of the island and visited different towns and beaches almost every day.

Our favourite little town was Puerto de Mogan (otherwise called the Venice of Gran Canaria due to its canal network.  It is a beautiful little coastal town full of whitewashed buildings, bougainvillea, and cute cobbled streets.  They have a market there every Friday and it’s just a cute little place to wander around.  Restaurants line the harbour so you can watch the boats come in and out with a coffee or a sangria and there are lovely seafood restaurants all around the port.  It’s also a place where you can take a submarine ride if you want an under-the-sea experience! There’s also a lovely beach with calm water surrounded by restaurants with the opportunity to hire kayaks, and pedalos, or go on a banana ride.

Arguineguin is another port town and is the hub of the local fish trade with huge indoor fish markets and little seafood shacks where you can eat the daily catch with the locals.  There is also a market in the town on Tuesday with plenty of food and craft stalls.  The beach is a lot more rustic than some of the other places we visited and the water is rougher as it is completely open to the ocean.

We visited Anfi del Mar more than once and just loved the white sand and calm waters here.  Nellie loved splashing in the shallows and there were plenty of restaurants to grab a bite of lunch at.

Other notable places to visit are Puerto Rico, Amadores, Playa de San Agustin, and Playa de las Burras.

So, my personal opinion would be to avoid Playa del Ingles but then I understand that everyone likes to do different things on holiday!!  We wandered around the area one day but for me, it was a bit run down and just full of high-rise hotels, Irish bars, burger joints, and bars/nightclubs.  If you like a wild night out and clubbing ’til dawn then this is the place for you and I’m told that the area around the Yumbo Centre is the place to be.  It has a very inclusive vibe and is heavily geared toward the LGTBQIA+ community.  A place to party the night away!

Las Palmas is the capital city of the island and is worth a visit if you get a chance.  It’s in the North of the island whereas all the more touristy things and resorts are on the South of the island.  For this reason, it’s about an hour’s drive but there’s plenty to do there.  One of the highlights is the Thursday night tapas crawl (or La Ruta del Pincho) in Las Palmas Old Town (Vegueta).  Officially from 8-10 pm, but actually from about 7 pm until late, each bar puts out a selection of its best tapas and you can try them for about €1-1.50 each and then move on to the next.  There is also the Mercado del Puerto which is an indoor tapas market, a bit like the one’s I’ve visited in Madrid where you can try different tapas from different stall holders.

A few other things that we didn’t get the chance to do but come highly recommended are Cocodrilo Park, a crocodile park that is also a rescue centre and has some rescued tigers, monkeys, etc, and is home to Guancho, the biggest crocodile in Europe.  The Poema del Mar Aquarium is in Las Palmas and is huge with three different zones, Jungle, Reef & Deep Ocean. Aqualand is a huge water park with loads of slides and a kiddie splash pad bit for the younger ones!

Gran Canaria is definitely a family resort and there is so much on offer for kids.  Apart from the obvious theme parks, there is mini golf, a moonlight cinema, watersports, and surfing lessons. There is also a little seaside train in Playa del Ingles that travels up and down the seafront.

Gran Canarian Wine is unknown but gaining popularity and we tried some great ones on our trip.  There are vineyards and craft breweries in the hills that you can visit.  You can take an organised tour which is probably your best option as wine tourism hasn’t really kicked in there yet so they’re not all geared up to accepting tourists for tastings!

For the more active travellers, golf courses are everywhere so you’ll be spoilt for choice if that is your thing.  Gran Canaria is also hugely popular with cyclists who like the mountainous terrain and nice weather.  There is also the option to go hiking in the interior.  It is much more rustic than the touristy resorts on the coast and you can visit some of the hillside towns or climb up the mountains – there are lots of routes and trails to follow and something to suit all abilities.  We always love to rent a little (no licence required) boat when we travel so if that’s your thing then you can hire a boat in Pasito Blanco and explore the coastline at your own pace.

If you want to do a day trip to some of the hillside villages then Tejeda and Artenara come highly recommended.  There are lots of lovely little tavernas where you can sit on the terraces looking out of the hills and valleys and enjoy some wine and tapas with a view.  There are also a few restaurants such as Restaurante Tagoror (built in a cave) and Mirador La Cilla (the best view of the mountains in Gran Canaria) which are not to be missed.

Agaete is also a popular place to visit as it has natural rock pools that you can swim in but it is up in the North West of the island – about as far from Maspalomas as you can get so it’s definitely a long drive (but not far at all if you’re staying in Las Palmas).

For evening entertainment head to Cafe del Mar, just on the promenade, on the seafront outside the hotel. every night there are live cabaret acts, anything from singers to magicians to acrobats, etc served up alongside great cocktails and a fun atmosphere.  Alternatively, you could spend an evening at Garbo’s dinner show, a live cabaret show, and dinner where your waiters are the performers!

Find plenty of ideas on What to do in Gran Canaria here.

WHERE TO EAT IN GRAN CANARIA

In the evenings we tended to eat in and around our hotel in Meloneras (mainly because we didn’t want the hassle of driving or getting taxis) and also because once we’d eaten we were close to the hotel to get Nellie to bed.  This limited our options but we still had a great meal every night and in nearly a different restaurant every night!

We ate in three of our hotel’s restaurants:

La Toscana – This was the hotel’s Italian restaurant which was elegant and fairly upscale.  The food was delicious and definitely on the fine dining side of Italian Fayre.  I thoroughly enjoyed my meal but Dan thought the portions were quite small, although he admits that he probably just chose badly.  They made us feel very welcome and Nellie had a great time with her Spaghetti Bolognese but it felt like the other diners were there for an adult meal and gave us some looks when we walked in with a toddler.  Luckily she was very well behaved.

Nihao by Kabuki – I booked this one night as it had a Teppanyaki table and I thought the theatre of the meal would be really interesting for Nellie.  They made us feel very welcome and she enjoyed watching the food cooked right in front of us, however, I found the whole experience a bit lacking as there was no theatre involved in the evening.

El Churrasco – This ended up being our favourite of the hotel’s restaurants.  It was set up above the promenade so you could see the beach and the waves and we got a perfect view of the sunset from our table.  It is an Argentinian restaurant specialising in meat with plenty of different cuts of steak on the menu and the meat definitely took a starring role.

If you exit the hotel at the sea end there is also a huge promenade that is lined with bars and restaurants, all of great quality.  Facing the sea, if you turn right the restaurants are a bit more upscale, with many different cuisines and tastes catered for.  If you turn left the restaurants are slightly more rustic and tend to do more traditional Spanish tapas-style food and fresh seafood.

Turning right, you hit:

Restaurante Grand Italia – This was the only restaurant that we actually went to more than once and we chose it for our last night in Gran Canaria.  The menu was extensive (every kind of pizza and pasta you could imagine) but also lots of fresh carpaccio, and seafood, and the meat looked great too.  We mainly chose it because Spaghetti Bolognese is Nellie’s absolute favourite meal and she loved the one here.  The staff were also fabulous with her and bought her special ice creams and even gave her a little toy at the end! Happy kid, happy mum!  Dan had a great dish one night of the tagliatelle with Salmon and Caviar and I can’t recommend the Beef Carpaccio with truffle enough! It was absolutely amazing and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

Ceniza Restaurante – This restaurant has quite a traditional Spanish style of menu, but is a bit more upscale than traditional tapas restaurants.  They have a fire burning in the kitchen and make a big deal out of their fire-cooked specials.  We had the mussels to start and then I chose the turbot and Dan had the slow-cooked lamb shank and everything was cooked perfectly. They were very knowledgeable about and served great local Canarian wines too and we had a really lovely evening there.

K1 Food & Lounge – this restaurant has a relaxed chill-out vibe and is great for lunches or sundowners.  The food was much better than we were expecting – the tuna tartare was definitely something I’d go back for – and the salads were delicious too. They have a DJ in the evening and the place becomes more of a lounge bar serving dinner and great cocktails.

Pitos y Flautas – This restaurant was one of the first that we tried along the promenade and we really enjoyed its traditional tapas menu.  They had all the usual; Jamon Iberico, Padron peppers, croquetas, Canarian potatoes – (papas arrugadas meaning wrinkled potatoes which are little salted and baked new potatoes served with a smoky red pepper, mojo sauce) as well as pizzas, seafood, meats, and salads.  They even made Nellie’s pizza in the shape of a tiger which definitely impressed her!

Turning left at the lighthouse gets you to Maspalomas beach and the following restaurants:

:Restaurante El Senador – This seafood restaurant is a beach club during the day with a terrace with sun loungers, day beds, and a DJ.  At night they have live music, and a Mojito bar and the food is really great.  Their specialties include paella, roast suckling pig, and fish cooked in a salt crust and you can see all the fresh fish in their chiller cabinets and choose your own dinner. Nellie was especially taken with the parrot kept in an aviary at the back of the restaurant!

Restaurante Escaleritas – This is a traditional Spanish restaurant based on Maspalomas beach and served some of the best fish that we ate all holiday.  We ordered the sea bass in salt and were not disappointed. It was the juiciest, tastiest fish I’d had in a long time (but to be honest I didn’t get much of a look in as Nellie polished off most of my portion).  They also did a grilled vegetable plate as well which was a welcome addition as the Spanish don’t seem to offer many vegetables on their menus and I had been craving some!

Restaurante Velero Casa Antonio – This restaurant is similar in style to Escaleritas, traditionally Spanish, and again serves great tapas and seafood.  Make sure to request a table in the main restaurant as when we booked this was full so we were eating out back in their overflow restaurant which had no view and was much more cafeteria-like!  Again, the salt-cooked fish was incredible and we loved the Gambas Al Ajillo here too!

We also ate out in other towns – mainly for lunches and these are some places we would highly recommend:

Maroa Club de Mar in Anfi del Mar – this was an upscale beach club with day beds, and hot tubs and I’m sure would have a champagne party vibe in high season.  We had a lovely lunch at the restaurant here which was very chilled and laid back, much more informal than we were expecting.

Puerto de Mogan – There are plenty of cheaper cafe/brasserie-style restaurants situated around the beach promenade with the nicer restaurants all set around the beautiful port.  We had fantastic seafood at  Restaurante Fragata but I also like the looked of Restaurante Mogan and Casito Mediterraneo.

With Nellie in tow we didn’t go anywhere too fine dining but if that’s what you’re looking for then these restaurants come highly recommended:

Lovin’ Food (Maspalomas), Los Guyares – Michelin* (Puerto de Mogan), La Aquarela – Michelin* (Anfi del Mar), Restaurant 360 (Playa del Ingles), Rias Bajas  (Playa del Ingles) & Taste Restarant  (Arguineguin).

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