TRAVEL DIARIES
GRAN CANARIA, SPAIN
“With age, comes wisdom. With travel, comes understanding.” – Sandra Lake
Some time ago I visited Gran Canaria. It was my first time flying somewhere that far, and as someone who’s a little scared of flying, it was quite the experience. We flew from Manchester, and the flight took around four hours. Luckily, on the way back I was so tired that I slept through almost the entire flight.
We booked our tickets about three months in advance, which gave us plenty of time to do our research and find the best prices. There are two main cities in Gran Canaria — Maspalomas and Las Palmas — and we decided to escape the crowds by renting a small flat about a 30-minute drive from Las Palmas.
Our flat was located right by the sea, and in the evenings we would sit on the terrace with a glass of wine, watching the sunset. The weather completely surprised me — it was around 28°C in March! Compared to -2°C in Manchester, I couldn’t have been happier.
As you travel further inland, the temperature does drop a little, but it’s still pleasant. When we arrived at the airport, we picked up our rental car and headed straight to our accommodation. After checking in, we drove to Las Palmas for a night walk along the beach. The next day, we travelled to the other side of the island to Maspalomas to see the famous dunes. It was my first time seeing dunes, and I absolutely loved it.
On our third day, we spent the whole day surfing! Let’s just say I’m not as good as I thought, but I’ll definitely get better next time. On our last day, we went for a quick walk before heading back to the airport. Even though our stay was short, the island isn’t that big, and I feel really satisfied with how much we managed to see and do.
Here are my tips if you’re planning to travel to Gran Canaria:
1. Rent a car. It’s an absolute must for getting around the island. Public transport is quite limited, and having your own car makes exploring so much easier.
2. Take some cash. We had a few moments when card payments weren’t accepted, especially in smaller places. It’s always good to have some cash on hand just in case.
3. Book your stay through Airbnb. Hotels in the main cities can be quite expensive, while apartments just a few miles away often offer much better value. For a lower price, you can have an entire place to yourself.
That’s everything! I hope you found this post helpful and enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed creating it.
