I travelled to Gran Canaria with my family. There we lived in a bungalow complex with two big swimming pools next to the bungalows. I think this complex was really amazing for kids because the parents can lie in the sun and the children can play in the pool for the kids.

We stayed in a city called Maspalomas. This town is situated on the east coast. Maspalomas is famous for its dunes and the beach.

I image that we have rent a car because we explored the isle on our own. However there they offer special tours to visit some wonderful places of the isle in a group.

Sometimes in the evening when it’s not so warm anymore we went to the shopping malls next to the city. They aren’t only interesting for the women.

I can only suggest a trip to Gran Canaria to YOU. Such a journey could be a remarkable adventure and it would be amazing. So check the offers for YOUR next holidays on the Canaries.

As I was hungry, I went downstairs for breakfast. The buffet was many-sided and very tasted. I like typical British food for breakfast, so I ate bacon and eggs and had a glas of orange juice as a drink.

Afterwards I went to the car-rental agency to get a vehicle as I wanted to be independent from public transport. Hiking is one of my great passions, and I wanted to reach a few corners you do not get into with a car. For that reason I left my car somewhere in the mountains to cross a few narrow paths and enjoy being alone with nature for a while. My personal highlight was to see a barrier lake.

After I had finished my trip and given back the rental car, it was time for a short refreshment in the waves of the beach in front of my hotel. The weather was not that hot, but water is always a good idea after an exhausting tour.

In the evening I wanted to get in touch with other young people, so I started to look for a place I could do that. Unfortunately there was no evening program in the Sahara Playa hotel. However, Playa del Inglés has a very lively centre of amusement which is called Kasbah. Finally I ended dancing in a club called Zig Zags where I had a few bottles of beer , met a nice group of football fans from London and had lots of fun with them. We stayed there until the DJ finished playing the last song at 6 in the morning. It was one of the greatest vacation nights of my life.

When I landed at the airport in Las Palmas, the capital city of the island, a few days later, the first impression was the fabulous climate. When I stepped on the tarmac, sunshine and a gentle breeze greeted me, letting me forget about snow and ice that I had left behind just a few hours ago.

There was a shuttle bus available from the airport to my hotel in Playa del Ingles, but I had decided to rent a car so that I could be independent from the start.

Picking up the rental at the airport was easy and soon enough I was off for a taste of Las Palmas traffic. I found a bustling city full of contrast. The old town, Vegueta, holds many historical sites and invites to a leisurely stroll.

Playa del Ingles is located on the other side of the island and I soon left the city behind in order to arrive at my final destination.

It is quite an experience crossing the island. I found the changing scenary astonishing. So many different landscapes on a realtively small island gave me the impression of travelling in a miniature world, where there is a little bit of everything on limited space. The only theme that seems to be omnipresent is bananas. Wherever you go there are bananas growing or being trucked from one place to another.

San Agustin, Playa de Ingles and Maspalomas share the most beautiful sand beach I have ever seen. The Maspalomas dunes at the southernmost tip of the island reminded me of African deserts and the beaches, though crowded, are fabulous for walking.

Gran Canaria offers a unique vacation experience and is well worth a visit.

Gran Canaria offers a total of 21 surfspots for beginners and andvanced windsurfers. The isle of Gran Canaria is very famous in the surfer scene and became an important place for championships and masterships in different disciplines in windsurfing. On Gran Canaria different masterships and other competitions are draged out.

Another famous windsurf beach is the beach of Playa del Ingles. Here also find place different competitions and masterships.

Other windsurfspots on Gran Canaria are Bahía Feliz, Ojos de Garza, Playa del Águila, San Augustín and Puerto Rico.

Round the spots you find a good infrastructure and windsurfing schools, which offer boards and accesory for rent. The windsurfing schools offer courses and lessons in windsurfing for beginners and advanced windsurfers. During your holiday on Gran Canaria you can learn windsurfing and enjoy a huge variety of windsurfing spots. On Gran Canaria you can rent a room in a hotel or book a holiday apartement directly only.

There’s a wide range of accommodation ranging from luxury air-conditioned apartments in Puerto Mogan with a swimming pool to economical self-catering apartments in Puerto Rico or perhaps you’d like or somewhere with a stunning sea-view in Playa del Cura.

Apart from basking in the sun on one of the beaches, there are lots of other things to do on the Costa Mogan. For the energetic there are activities such as sport-fishing and diving, hiking in the mountains, golf, tennis and other sports. Visit local attractions and galleries, take a trip along the coast by ferry or see the underwater world by submarine – you’ll find plenty to occupy your time. And of course, shopping – there are lots of facilities for your regular dose of retail therapy, including markets in Arguineguin and Puerto Mogan.

If you like to relax over a meal and a drink you’ll find a vast array of bars and restaurants. With such a choice the question is where to go? There are restauramnts serving Spanish dishes and Canarian specialities, traditional English fare, a Indian curries, a Chinese, Italian, German or Greek food or French cuisine – the choice is yours!

There’s plenty of nightlife – shows, karaoke and discos, especially in Puerto Rico. You can enjoy a wide range of live music including traditional Canarian and Spanish folk, blues and rock, and we’re pleased to be able to tell you that Elvis has NOT left the island!

If you are a fitness fanatic then there are several gyms and fitness centres so that you don’t slip behind with your training schedule.
There is a whole range of complementary therapies available in the locality, including reiki, thalasotherapy, acupuncture and various kinds of massage, and if you require herbal or homoeopathic remedies there are several health food shops (herbolarios).

Arguineguín

Arguineguin is the main commercial and residential town of the Costa Mogan. It has a busy fishing port and two beaches with the local sand. Market day here is on a Tuesday.

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is the largest holiday resort on the Costa Mogan. It has a sheltered beach, two marinas and excellent facilities for water-sports and other activities. The two main centres have shops, supermarkets, restaurants and there is live entertainment at numerous bars, clubs and discotheques.

Taurito

Taurito, with its beach of native sand, is in a spectacularly steep-sided and narrow barranco (valley) and has an excellent lido and a recreation area.

Veneguera

It’s a long way to the beach at Veneguera, but worth the journey if you don’t mind driving down the long unmade road past banana and papaya plantations. The track is pretty rough in places but once you arrive, this undeveloped beach is ideal for a picnic and a quiet lazy time. Take everything you’ll need with you – it’s a long way back to the shops!

Playa Amadores – “Lovers’ Beach”

Amadores beach, with its white sand and beautiful blue water is one of the most popular beaches in the area. There are plenty of bars and restaurants and pedaloes can be hired hire.
There are showering facilities, lots of parking and a frequent bus service.

Tauro

The beach-front at Tauro is relatively undeveloped, though big changes are on their way as the new golf resort just inland is developed. Currently there are just two beach-side bars serving seafood and local specialities.

Mogán

This typical small Canarian town, in a spectacular setting with a backdrop of mountains is the administrative centre for the municipality of Mogan and is less touristy than the resorts on the coast. There are several bars and some excellent restaurants, serving mainly traditional Spanish and Canarian dishes.

Patalavaca – “Foot of the Cow”

Patalavaca is a resort linked to Arguineguín, many of whose hotels are built on the face of the cliff below the costa road, and so one enters many of them on the top floor.

Puerto de Mogan

Puerto de Mogan, on the south-west coast of Gran Canaria is the most picturesque resort on the island.

The original fishing village of Playa Mogán with its narrow passageways and steps is a jumble of houses and apartments clinging to the cliff and the Mirador at the very top has one of the best views of the resort.

The harbour area, known as the "Venice of the Canaries", is a pedestrianised development of two-storey apartment blocks with roof terraces bursting with bougainvillea and other gloriously colourful plants and is dotted with gardens of banana and papaya trees, palms and bird-of-paradise plants.

The new development on the beach-front and stretching back up the valley includes new hotels and luxury apartment complexes, some with great views up the valley or over the beach and of the sea, cliffs and marina.

Puerto de Mogan is packed with excellent restaurants serving local fish landed at the fishing harbour and other Canarian and international specialities. It has several banks and supermarkets, and shops selling clothes, souvenirs, jewellery and much more. If you want a haircut or a tattoo, there is a choice of salons or studios, and if you need to send an email or surf the web, there are several places where you can get connected.

The golden beach, of sand imported from the Sahara, faces south and is protected by a rocky mole, which makes it ideal for safe and easy swimming, and there are sunloungers, parasols, pedaloes and canoes for hire. Outside the enclosed area is good for those who are more adventurous and like to snorkel.

For those who want a bit more excitement, there are jet skis for hire, parascending, scuba diving lessons, sport fishing excursions. And if you’re not feeling so energetic you could try a submarine trip round a local wreck, a dolphin spotting trip or taker the ferry to Puerto Rico, Anfi del Mar or Arguineguín.

On Fridays there is a large open-air market which fills the two plazas on the marina side of Puerto Mogan and the area behind the beach. There are stalls selling shoes, clothes, leather goods and watches, many bearing designer logos – try your hand at getting a real bargain. You can buy African carvings and drums, cheap and cheerful jewellery, second hand books, fruit and vegetables, beach towels, sarongs and swimwear.

Only some of the highlights of nature are idyllic bays and marvellous beaches, imposing cliffs, hidden paradises, majestic mountains, impressing volcanic craters, breathtaking ravines mixed with a subtropical vegetation. The isle of Gran Canaria sustains many nature reserves and national parks.

Due to the consciousness of tradition of the Canary Islands the origins of some of these events, or so called fiestas, lead back even to the time of the aborigines.

Most of the religios celebrations are in honor of a certain protection saint, givings thanks and heralding the end of the harvest time.

The southwest and west is dominated by rocky cliffs, the coast is very varied in the north and northeast with numerous beaches and little bays. The centre of the island is hilly with a couple of high peaks and many ravines which lead to the sea.