Often referred to as a ‘mini-continent’, the Canaraian Island of Gran Canaria welcomes family holiday visitors to its wonderful beaches, a volcanic crater, beautiful flora and a climate that is largely sub-tropical.
Most of the beach resorts can be found to the south of the island, especially around the Maspalomas to Playa del Ingles shoreline where four miles of beach and sand dunes can be found. Maspalomas has a good family feel to it, and offers a waterpark, golf and shopping. Playa del Ingels is popular with younger visitors and is lively, packed with bars, restaurants and clubs.
A short distance from both of these resorts is San Agustin, which is much more quiet and relaxed, with pleasant beaches and a range of watersports.
On the south-western coast are the neighbouring resorts of Playa Amadores and Puerto Rico, both of which offer plenty to the family holiday with an Aqua Park and welcoming beaches. Puerto Rico has most of its hotels built into the hillside so expect a fair degree of walking!
The island is not especially huge and is easy to get around in a hire car. Sights include Bandama, the only visible crater to be found in the north west of Gran Canaria. The port town of Puerto de Mogan is a great place to find an appetising fresh seafood dish and the capital, Las Palmas, boasts plenty of history with its Old Town, museums and cathedral.
The southerly resorts on the island are typically 45 minutes to an hour from the airport – with a major road the skirts around the eastern and southern side of the island, nowehere in Gran Canaria takes much more than an hour to reach from the airport. Flight time from the UK is around 4 hours and the temperature and number of hours of sunshine is pretty constant from April to October!
