Playa del Ingles; Spain’s year-round sunshine resort
Playa del Ingles is Gran Canaria’s premier sunshine hot spot. Upon landing at Las Palmas Airport, look to the right and typically there may be ominous clouds hanging over the city. Facing you is the island’s volcanic Mount Teide, shrouded in mist. Not looking good! Look left though to unbroken blue skies and the welcome signpost to Playa del Ingles. During your stay, you’ll wonder at and thrill to Gran Canaria’s many attractions. For now though, head south for approximately half an hour and prepare to stay in Playa del Ingles; your place in the permanent sun.
It’s all about the beaches in Playa del Ingles
Hotels in Playa del Ingles will tell you that, throughout the year, it’s unusual for a cloud to form over the resort. Rain is even rarer. With niche-type accommodation, apartments and hotels to please families and all other visitors to Playa del Ingles, the only possible problem is; can you stand the relentless sunshine? Temperatures on Gran Canaria are, after all, similar to those in the hottest parts of Egypt and Algeria. Beaches in this south Gran Canaria region are of fine, white sand. There are, of course, pool facilities at major apartments and hotels. Playa del Ingles’ main beach is, though, spacious with safe swimming areas. Peace, quiet and seclusion are easily found by paddling along this often-busy beach, past the dunes and nudist areas, in the direction of Maspalomas. You can’t miss the towering and still working lighthouse. No! You don’t have to walk all the way back to Playa del Ingles. Just wander through the avenue of shops and restaurants and jump on the bus. Easy! Just like most aspects of life on Gran Canaria.
The marmite city of Las Palmas
You’ll love it or hate it, but you won’t be indifferent to the island’s capital, Las Palmas. Enjoy a café con leche in one of the bars around Parque de Santa Catalina and just sit and watch the world and his partner go by. Add a banana liqueur to the coffee order and you’re in seventh heaven. Las Palmas has a huge branch of the store, El Corte Ingles, as well as lots of top-end speciality shops. Reminiscent of pictures of the sweep of Rio’s Copacabana Beach, the city’s Las Canteras Beach attracts thousands of visitors and locals. There’s something to appeal to everyone in Las Palmas; you can even take a trip to the nearby island of Tenerife. From Playa del Ingles hotels, just catch the local bus or, with a hire car, take the easy journey along the road to the airport, but continue along that route and into the city. The Las Palmas experience is one that shouldn’t be missed and it’s little more than an hour from your Playa del Ingles hotel.
Heavenly views
Including the personnel in your apartment or hotel, the resident population of Playa del Ingles numbers around 8,000. This is a very small number, given the seemingly endless enjoyment generated by the resort. Gran Canaria is enjoyed to the maximum as the result of occasional days away from the beach. The hire car, service bus or organised excursions will take you, for instance, to the top of Mount Telde where there are moonscape-like views of the surrounding areas. You can even see Tenerife and other Canary Islands from up here. Magical! Back down to earth and closer to home, there are horse and camel rides across the magnificent dunes. Taurito Waterpark has bucket loads of fun for all the family; then, there’s more heaven with pampering galore at Thalasso Gloria Palace in nearby San Agustin.
Play-time in Playa
During the day, there are a couple of centres in Playa del Ingles that are universally popular. The well-established Kasbah is busy with daytime shops, bars and restaurants. There’s similar appeal at the Yumbo Centre. Both, though, take on a completely different life at night. The Kasbah’s deafeningly loud music can be a real turn-off for older visitors. The over enthusiastic bar touts don’t appeal to anyone very much. The Yumbo at night appeals to gay visitors. There’s a bar pecking order so you’ll start off at the lower level and gradually float up to the more frenetic bars. It all tends to be good fun but, as drink takes its toll, anyone other than the very broad-minded will probably make an excuse and leave. Staff at apartments and hotels in Playa del Ingles know exactly where the best value restaurants, cafes and bars are located. Just ask; they’re there to help you.