Forget the Alarm clock! (Gran Canaria)

Member Name: jo@145

Product:	Gran Canaria
Date:	03/06/05 (2440 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Climate, Good food, Lovely wine

Disadvantages: Noisy parrots, Lack of paths

This was to be our last holiday for 2004 and we wanted some sunshine and a relaxing time, to be fair we had not long returned from Sardinia which was fabulous but we did a lot of sightseeing. Last year we visited Malta in December and although the weather was horrendous (floods) we had a fantastic time, all because of the hotel and the Spa facilities.

Gran Canaria had some apartments available through our timeshare Getaway breaks at very reasonable prices, so we decided to check it out as we had never been to the Canary Islands. The apart/hotel was called the Airtours Beach Club Hotel at San Agustin, which was in the south of the island east of Maspalomas.

Gran Canaria lies about 186 miles west of the coast of Morocco. There are 7 islands in the archipelago, it is the third largest island in the Canaries and has the largest population. The islands belong to Spain, and although in most hotels English is spoken, we used Spanish whilst shopping and often when ordering drinks. “Hola!” is sure to get a response and a smile from the friendly staff, and I always think we should try and make an effort to speak the local language. The island is almost circular in shape and is about 28 miles in diameter. The locals refer to it as a continent in miniature, as it has such a wide variety of scenery. The central mountains were volcanic in origin and give an austere look to the scenery, but fertile valleys produce wonderful banana plantations and pine trees grow well, with huge cones, reminding me of home. Cactus’s flourish and I was amazed to see the fresh dates which had fallen off the trees in the hotel gardens.

We flew from Glasgow and it took about 4 hours, we arrived late (about 6pm) as the inbound flight had been delayed and found the sun has almost set and the wind was cool, not what I had imagined! The airport was like many other airports and eventually our cases arrived on the carousel, by the time we got through we were nearly 2 hours late and there was no sign of the taxi we had ordered! Plenty of drivers trying to get business approached us, but as we had a taxi booked we tried to contact them. Things were not going well! My mobile wouldn’t work, and by this time the airport seemed to have cleared. Eventually someone contacted the firm for us and a stretch limo took us to our destination! Things were looking up at last.

We saw the hotel perched high on a cliff, strange we thought this was a Beach club hotel! It’s amazing how you can be tricked by photos, showing a couple on their balcony with the sea behind them, they were obviously on a higher floor with a huge distance between them and the sea! . A strange building as the entrance was on the 5th floor, which was road level and lifts whizzed you up or down or for exercise you took the stairs! Every apartment faced out to sea, but those on a lower level only had garden views, we were lucky and had a magnificent view so could watch the wind surfers from just around the bay and the boats of all sizes going by. The hotel had covered tiled walkways facing onto the wooded area which had been dug out beside the road, making a cool area as you walked to your apartment. We got glimpses of sand dunes in the distances.

The Atlantic Ocean surrounds Gran Canaria and over the years the powerful waves have eroded the volcanic rocks and we looked forward to walking along the beach. But we were disappointed as access was limited. There was a locked gate from the pool gardens and we escaped and went down some very steep steps onto the beach, but to the east it was virtually impassable as there were high cliffs and I wasn’t dressed for rock climbing, and although we walked to the west it was hard going over a very pebbly beach which resulted in some people with sprained ankles as the pebbles slid about on the slope. We discovered if we went through a block of apartments further down the hill we could reach a small bay, but it was very crowded and popular with windsurfers. Everyone seemed to be Swedish so they were all very tanned and healthy looking!

It didn’t take us long to discover that we were not in San Agustin, or I should re phrase that after walking for nearly an hour we realised we were not in San Agustin! We were much further along the coast right beside the Aeroclub de Gran Canaria! What a surprise, so much for a quiet relaxing holiday, but we did enjoy watching them taking off and landing, and occasionally aborting landing and hastily circling around to come in at a better speed. To be fair the winds were really strong some days, and it must have been difficult with the small planes. When we walked to the west we ended up right beside the runway, fortunately no one landed or we would have been covered in sand! One day we were entertained by a helicopter lifting a plane off the runway!

San Agustin is a largish town in the south of the island, which has been split by the C812 road. There is a bridge to cross over but people staying north of the road have a long walk to the beach. We stopped at the one hotel to pick up people when we went into Playa del Ingles and the roads were steep and narrow north of the main road, but the views were great, so you have to weigh things up if you stay there. There is about 2 km of sandy beaches and a lovely promenade to walk along. The beaches had been raked and were free from litter, with large bins available. Lots of hotels and cafes to choose from and there was a shopping centre and lots of market type stalls, selling shoes, clothes, table linen and general holiday souvenirs etc. We stocked up at the larger supermarket and then got a taxi back.

Playa del Ingles, the place to go to I was told by people at work. Oh you’ll love it etc. As the coach drove through the packed streets I thought No I do not love it, it’s absolutely heaving and this is November! Later when I read the guide book I discovered this is the liveliest and most popular resort, a fact I would agree with! We were dropped off near an entrance to the promenade and we headed for the beach. My first impression was hundreds and hundreds of umbrellas and beds in organised lines and a moving crocodile of people at the waters edge. We joined the walkers and paddled along the waves breaking over our legs and cooling us down. We had quickly discovered that due to the strong wind it was impossible to walk along the fine sand as it stung your legs and got in your eyes, so that was why everyone was in the water. This was more like it sun, sea and sand, I just had to ignore the million other people. We had enjoyed the beach at Costa de la Luz a few years ago and didn’t see another person for miles! We could see the dunes and were impressed to see First Aid places and the occasional cafe, never seemed to be toilets though!

We walked and walked and found ourselves passing through an area with nicely bronzed naked people! So this was the naturist beach! We could have saved getting our clothes wet with the waves and joined them, but as I’m so white I didn’t want to get my bits sunburned! No one seemed embarrassed as they frolicked in the sea, walked along or lay on the beach, mostly older people who didn’t seem to mind that their muscles had passed the sell by date and forgotten how to work, but also families with pre teenage children. OK so I did look as I walked along, who wouldn’t? My mother always told me there was no harm looking, but don’t touch! Didn’t see anything I fancied anyway!

After nearly an hour walking along the beach we realised we weren’t going to get to the more up-market resort of Maspolamas, so didn’t see the camels or the nature reserve where migratory birds can be seen. After queuing to rinse the sand off our feet we left the beach with the cooling winds and explored some of the shopping areas before leaving the crowds and hot streets behind and returning to the peace of our apartment with air conditioning.

We were actually on the outskirts of Bahia Feliz, it was disappointing that there wasn’t a promenade all the way along, it seemed as if hotels and apartments were responsible for their section and it meant a detour through a building area or over rough ground to the next section. We did enjoy our walks along to the shops though and watched a local fisherman bring in his catch, and with the help of friends and pieces of wood move his boat up the beach, the old ways are often the best. The local ladies must have heard he had landed and came along with a carrier bag or a bucket to buy their fish. Certainly nice and fresh.

Eating out – there was a large choice of restaurants of every type in Balia Feliz but as it was dark we choose to eat at the hotel. We ate very well and sampled some of the Canarian specialities. We forgot the low salt diet and sampled “Papas arrugadas” small new potatoes boiled in very salty water so they float! The skin goes all wrinkly and they are served with a garlicky sauce. Delicious, but salty which then encourages you to drink more! Soup is popular and we sampled lots of fish, including sword fish and sea bass. Rabbits are popular, but I loved the lamb. I confess I love sweets and wasn’t disappointed, a favourite is crème caramel or flan as they call it. But usually you can find a delicious almond dessert, and twice we had Crepes Suzette cooked at the table with local liqueurs added the one night and served with lovely ice cream! There are a few local wines but I can’t remember the names now! Hic! Sangria is available and the local beer called Tropical is quite refreshing. A must is the rum liqueurs, “Ron Miel” has added honey and is lovely savoured with a cup of coffee in the warm dark evenings sitting outside and listening to the entertainment! The other popular one is a Banana liqueur, but do remember spirit levels are larger than at home! The meals were similar priced to at home for a good class of restaurant. One evening was a local Canarian buffet and they had a group of local singers.

The airport had a very well stocked area with local produce and samples were available, so wines, liqueur, cheese and ham could all be purchased. But a word of warning though, Gran Canaria is not in the EU and there are limits in what you take back unless you pay duty!
We found eating out was all part of the evening’s entertainment, as you were never rushed and often things were cooked in the dining room and I always love watching food being flambéed. As we enjoy people watching it was fun! One rather posh looking couple (German) ordered and when their pre dinner drinks had arrived lit up cigarettes. The waiter acted quickly and asked them not to smoke as it was a no smoking restaurant; he said “Even we have to go outside to smoke!” They downed their drinks, settled the bill and left without their meal!

Some people never seemed to leave the hotel, there was everything you needed including a well stocked supermarket, drinks and snacks were available all day, a club for young children, tournaments for older children and adults and entertainment every evening. A lovely pool, a gym, massage etc.

Due to the lovely warm climate flowers seem to grow in abundance and we admired the lovely bougainvillea, hibiscus and strelitzias. Eucalyptus flourishes and cork oak is common. The Dragon tree is seen growing here believed to be from the Ice age and has a red sap believed to be a cure for leprosy and wards off evil spirits! Flowers can be bought to take home and seeds are available to grow your own plants at home, great for Christmas presents! In fact this delicate blossom had to go in for a siesta most lunch times as it proved too hot for me, but the outdoor pool was gorgeous to swim in because of the heat. We had a shower one day but it dried up instantly and out at sea must have had rain as there was a lovely rainbow, I’ll try to add the photo later. We often expected rain as a cloud came down which is brought by the trade winds, but it burned away and turned hot. Rainfall is light so this is a popular winter holiday destination.

To go back to the title! I expect you wondered why you don’t need an alarm clock, well each morning we were woken by the loudest squawking I have ever heard. No gentle “cock a doodle doo” here! As dawn broke the Parrots in the huge trees outside our door started, as the bedroom overlooked the walkway we couldn’t get away from them. It is said that they escaped from the local Palmitos Parque and have bred successfully over the years. We believed they go into work each morning at the park as we never heard a peep out of them until sunset when they screeched and squawked for ten minutes and remained quiet all bar one night when something must have disturbed them.

This was to be a relaxing holiday so we didn’t spend our days travelling all over the island, hence the review is only on a small part, but there were bus trips available and we could have hired a car, although parking in towns is always a stressful time, so we enjoyed our walks and relaxed in the sunshine.

Would we return? Probably not, unless we found somewhere more suited to what we want from a holiday. We loved the climate, the people and the food, but the resort was not best suited for the beach holiday we had planned, and Playa del Ingles was definitely not our scene! Not Gran Canaria’s fault more the careful missing out of details by the Time share people! But as holidays go we returned with a suntan, relaxed and well fed, so certainly benefited from our holiday in this busy island.

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