A Grand Time In Gran Canaria (Colina Mar (Spain))

Member Name: sandyback75

Product:	Colina Mar (Spain)
Date:	28/09/06 (970 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great View, Clean, Good Pool, Large Room

Disadvantages: Away From Main Centre

The Apartment
==========

We were allocated on arrival, we knew it would be in Puerto Rico and three stars and when we arrived at night and shown our room we were pleasantly surprised. The room is spacious with a large bedroom and living room/kitchen. The kitchen is small but has everything you need, including a kettle and toaster.

There is a TV in the room that you can pay for at reception, although we didn't bother as there's much more interesting thing to be doing.

The first thing we noticed was the amazing view, we spent many hours just looking at it. All the rooms face the same way so all rooms should have a similar view.

The room is clean and there is a maid service on what appeared to be every other day. We did have a cockroach in our room on a couple of occasions and used the broom to brush them out, there are a lot of roaches in Puerto Rico.

The apartments are at the top by the Europa centre, there are some bars and restaurants, however we went into the main centre most nights as there is more choice. You can get a taxi for 3 euros or the bus for 90 cents, bargain. Take a look at the timetable in reception, the last bus back up goes at 10.45, that's a bit early. A taxi ride to and from the center costs 3 euros and 20 cents and takes about five minutes.

The main pool is nice, could perhaps do with a lick of paint but is clean. There is also a smaller pool that no one uses because it's in the shade. There is a little shop if you need something and don't fancy walking to the supermarket, a five liter bottle of water costs just 80 cents. The prices are a bit more than the Nettos that are in the Europa centre.

If you want to you can join in with the daily quiz and water sports, such as water polo (that nearly killed me). We even won the music quiz and got a free jug of sangria. There is a large bar in the hotel, but we didn't go in there much as we preferred to try the many other bars in the resort.


The Resort
=======

Puerto Rico is one of my favorite resorts. It's always warmer there than the rest of the island, there is a very nice beach with imported sand and beautiful harbour area. The resort is in a kind of valley so there are quiet a lot of hills and steps.

The Europa centre has some bars and restaurants, however, we preferred the main centre at the bottom. All the bars, shops are restaurants are in one area, and there is a nice atmosphere. All the restaurants we ate in served excellent meals at a reasonable price. A pint of lager in most restaurants costs three Euros. A Chinese buffet cost us 5 Euros 95 cents. The average steak costs about nine Euros.

One word of warning, beware of time share touts (usually by the beach) and African women selling string bracelets expecting money in return (they go for children a lot). Just keep walking and say no thank you and they generally leave you alone.

We found some bars that sell really cheap drinks and have a great atmosphere. In Sinatra's the local brew, Estrella costs just one euro, approx 70p and it's a really nice drink. It's next to Linekers bar.


Sightseeing
========

While you are there it's worth a visit to Mogan. It's a very beautiful little town in the vein of Venice. The bus ride there is like a roller coaster, not for the faint hearted. There is also a ferry boat that costs eight Euros return. There is a beautiful harbour there and you can see the fish swimming in the crystal clear water.

In the other direction you've got Maspalomas, it's got some sand dunes that have been imported and a tall lighthouse. There are also some fine hotels there that are worth a look at, beware of the nudists, not a pretty site, believe me.

Just past Maspalomas is the large resort of Playa Del Ingles. I found this resort to be a bit disappointing, it's very spread out, it is also quite built up.

We took a boat trip to see dolphins from the harbor, it cost 15 Euros each and lasted two and a half hours, we did see some dolphins, not many though and they are very quick so very difficult to photograph.

Summing Up
========

We had a great time in Puerto Rico and the Colina Mar apartments. It deserves its three star rating. Puerto Rico is a compact resort with all you need for a great holiday. In winter there are not many better places to go than the Canaries.

The weather we had in the first week of December can't be faulted. It even got up to 32 degrees one day, so make sure you get some good sun cream.

Summary: Good Apartments With A Great View