Top Place, Well worth a visit! (Gran Canaria)

Member Name: TravelSick

Product:	Gran Canaria
Date:	04/07/01 (309 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: all year weather, only 4 hours from london

Disadvantages: too many germans in some resorts

Gran Canaria is a brilliant place to go on holiday, especially in winter, if you are looking for some decent weather away from the UK. It has an all round summer type climate, which means the winter is usually between 70's and 80's and sunny most of the time.

The main resorts are all in the south, where you have got Playa Del Ingles, Puerto Rico and Maspalomas (which includes Sonnenland). All cater for different holidays:

Playa Del Ingles:
The resort is a lvely Clubby type destination on the same level as most 18-30 resorts but dont let this put you off because its actually Europes largest resort and you can avoid the noise with ease if you choose to. The place is a shoppers paradise, with several large shopping centres such as the Yumbo and Faro 2 (a taxi ride away) and there are also 2 really good water parks in the area. The beach and sand dunes of masplaomas begin at Playa Del Ingles and go on for miles.

+ve points:
-Large choice of Hotels and Accomodation catering for all.
-Brilliant Beaches
-McDonalds is here for those who miss back home!

-ve points:
-plenty of queue jumping Germans
-Timeshare touts (avoid at all costs!)
-beach may be a distance from your hotel because the resort is so big.

Maspolomas:
More subdued than the more lively resorts of Playa Del Ingles and P.Rico. Not much to do except stroll down to the Sand Dunes and get a great tan. There are some classy hotels being built in the area, so expect this resort to get a lot busier over the next few seasons.
+ve points:
-Quiet (if you like that sort of thing)
-great scenery
-nice restaurants on sea front

-ve points:
-Absolutely packed with Germans (especially Sonnenland - hence the name!)
-not good for kids - not much to do.
-not good for nightlife.

Puerto Rico:
really nice resort built into the rock face on the south of the island. Has a marina and beach at the botto
m. Lively resort with bars, clubs and loads of shops and restaurants, although a lot smaller than Playa.
+ve points
-good for all ages
-plenty to do
-safe beach
-watersports
-boat trips
-best weather on the island

-ve points
-very hilly - not recommended for people who dont like hiking!
-beach can get crowded in high season as it is only small

Rest of the Island:

Take a tour up through the middle of the Island and visit Fataga for an authentic Canarian feel. Also, visit the Capital Las Palmas in the north (most cruise ships dock in here)
Hire a car, and take a trip anti-clockwise around the island from the south, up towards LAs Palmas, and then work your way back through the mountains in the middle. Its well worth it just for the views alone!

My personal recommendation would be to stay in Puerto Rico for your holiday at one of the low level apartment complexes (if you hate hill walking!)

Summary: