With a flight time of just four hours from London, Gran Canaria is one of the best places to spend a sunny weekend, any month of the year.
Temperatures in Gran Canaria hover in the low 20 degrees Celsius throughout December and January, and by August reach the high 20s – day in, day out.
But that’s not the only reason to visit – with diverse landscapes, enviable food, see-it-to-believe-it beaches, a forward-thinking art scene, and much (much!) more, there’s truly something for everyone on this small island, just off the Moroccan coastline.
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The size of the island – roughly 45 miles both north to south and east to west – makes it easy to navigate too, meaning you can spend a day relaxing in the spa, followed by an evening dining at one of the island’s best restaurants. Or a morning in a museum, an afternoon wine tasting, and an evening gazing at the stars.
All of this makes it an ideal girls’ getaway destination. This is how to see the best of the island while making sure that your entire group has a brilliant time.
Spa and Wellness
Gran Canaria has long been considered an important spot for wellness, with travellers from all over the world visiting since the mid 19th-century to take a dip in its spring waters, believed to have medicinal benefits. The natural sand, sun and sea water is therapeutic enough or, if you’re visiting to take rest, relaxation and rejuvenation a bit more seriously, check into a wellness hotel. Seaside Palm Beach, set within a nature reserve, boasts a wellness pool, brine pool, salt cave, a Finnish and bio sauna, alongside a list of massage and facials based in aromatherapy and thalassotherapy. In the centre of the island, and set within a forest of pines, discover a spacious hydrothermal pool, outdoor solarium and Turkish baths at Parador Cruz de Tejeda. On the south coast, the Be Aloe Centre at Salobre Hotel Resort & Serenity will wow with its wellness circuit featuring a Finnish sauna and oxygen therapy booth alongside massage, facials, meditation, a gym and yoga sessions.
Foodie Escapades
Long dinners spent lingering over good food with good friends are always a highlight of a girls’ getaway. With a mix of influences – including Spanish, North African and South American – as well as home-grown Canarian flavours and dishes such as potaje de berros (a vegetable stew), cuisine in Gran Canaria lives up to the task. Restaurante La Marinera is one of the most popular seafood restaurants on the island: try their catch-of-the-day with a side of seafood paella and you’ll soon see why. One Michelin-starred Tabaiba by chef Abraham Ortega is a must for Canarian dishes that are as innovative as they are tasty, or head to Fuji for Japanese dining; it’s been proudly serving sushi to islanders and visitors since the 1960s (did you know that Atlantic tuna and red tuna are island specialities?). If you really want to dig into the island’s foodie scene stay in the north – we love Santa Catalina, a Royal Hideaway Hotel by Barceló , the adult-only Hotel Cristina by Tigotan and the ever so stylish Emblematic Hotels VENTIUNO. From here you can delve into the local way of life at 1891-founded Mercado del Puerto, picking up fresh ingredients and hanging out with the island’s creative set at one of its restaurants, or make a 15 minute drive to the historical town of Arucas where you can try honey rum at the historic Arehucas Distillery, and discover everything you never knew about bananas at the banana museum, Hacienda de la Rekompensa. Further inland, visit Quesería La Caldera, to taste test one of the island’s most-loved cheeses, Flor de Guía, straight from the source (sheep).
Wine Tasting
With rich, volcanic soils, Gran Canaria boasts Denomination of Origin (DO) status, and popular wines include the red Frontón de Oro Tinto from San Mateo, and the white Agala 1318 Altitud, produced in the highest-altitude vineyard on the island, Bodegas Bentayga. The most authentic wine tasting experience in Gran Canaria is to seek out a bochinche, also known as a guachinche. They sell the year’s wine harvest alongside homemade dishes and are only open for as long as the year’s produce lasts; once it’s gone, it’s gone, and the small, family-run spots close down for the season. Bochinche-Bodega La Montaña is one of the best, and generally opens from November until early spring (even more reason to book now). The Gran Canaria wine route tours will really help buff up your viniculture knowledge. If wine tasting is the true focus of your trip – and no-one wants to be designated driver – then your best bet is to stay close to all the action: Casa del Molino, a (more than) 200-year-old traditional Canarian house with two double bedrooms, a swimming pool and a spacious patio is a wonderful option, as are Pepita de las Flores and Mondalón in Bandama.
Beaches
Whether you’re visiting Gran Canaria for its spas, wine, cuisine or something else, we’re sure that one thing the whole group will agree on is spending a day or two on the beach. And you’re in the right place: with 60 kilometres of sand gracing its shores, you’re spoilt for choice. Some of the best known beaches include Maspalomas and Playa del Inglés in the south of the island, or Las Canteras, in the north. We love Amadores for its silky-soft sand and the charming, quieter beach Puerto de Mogán – also known as Little Venice, for its pretty marina filled with tropical flowers and plants. There are plenty of coastal bars and restaurants here, and the water is clear and shallow, making it a top spot for snorkelling. If you’re looking for something really adventurous, then a two-hour hike from Tasartico leads you to neighbouring beaches Güi Güi Grande and Güi Güi Chico, where you’re all but guaranteed the sands to yourself. If a beachfront game of golf is on the cards, there are plenty of PGA courses right next to the sand: in the south, the ninth hole of Maspalomas Golf Course is beside the dunes, and nine of the 18 holes at Meloneras Golf Course are beachfront. In the north, visit the 19th-century Royal Golf Course of Las Palmas, Spain’s first golf club, designed by Philip Mackenzie Ross. Most of the top beach hotels are in the south of the island: Seaside Grand Hotel Residencia, Lopesan Baobab Resort, Gloria Palace Royal, Radisson Blu Arguineguín and Paradisus Gran Canaria by Meliá, are among the best.
Arts and Culture
Casa de Colón (Columbus’ House) in Las Palmas
It’s no surprise that there’s such a wealth of culture to be found in Gran Canaria; its location, south of Europe, just west of Africa and the last port of call before crossing the Atlantic to reach the Americas means it’s seen plenty of different people from different places visit over the years. It’s impossible to miss the rich culture of the island, no matter where you go – you’ll find it everywhere from small villages to the capital city. In Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, make a beeline to Vegueta and wander its 15th-century cobbled streets before stopping at Casa de Colón (Columbus’ House). Or head to the great outdoors to discover important archaeological sites including Maipés de Agaete, an ancient burial ground dating back 1300 years, or Cueva Pintada where pre-Hispanic villages have been excavated. Galleries and museums across the island showcase everything from modernist poets such as Tomas Morales to 20th-century art at Centro Atlántico de Arte Moderno, and the Canarian Museum is home to the most complete archeological collection in the Canary Islands. Best of all, no matter which season you visit, there’s a festival to be experienced. With activities dotted around the island, your choice of where to stay is wide (though most of the festivals are centred around Las Palmas de Gran Canaria). LIVVO LUMM, Bull Reina Isabel & Spa or Boutique Hotel Cordial Plaza Mayor de Santa Ana, are all good options. Handmade arts and crafts are also a big deal here, and span lace, pottery, basket-weaving, leather and jewellery – all worth seeking out for a special souvenir to take home.
Stargazing
There’s perhaps nothing more special (or humbling) than taking in the night sky, and with little light pollution plus sheltered peaks, Gran Canaria is a fantastic place to do so. Astro GC will pick you up from your hotel in the south of the island – try design hotel Hotel Bohemia Suite Hotel and Spa – roughly an hour and a half before sunset and take you to the best location to see them, depending on the day’s weather, light pollution and planet positions, or join one of Astro Educa’s scheduled tours, which take place in the centre of the island throughout the year. To make the most of Gran Canaria’s night skies, you’d be wise to base yourself at Casa Rural de la Molinera which is close to two of the island’s best viewpoints – Fundación Canaria Observatorio de Temisas and Pico de las Nieves – or at Casa Rural Bentayga, close to Viewpoint of the Presa de los Hornos.
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