It’s December and whoever thinks that you can’t swim in this period is greatly mistaken. The Canary Islands, also known as the “Islands of Eternal Spring,” will quickly prove you wrong. Ryanair operates the Bratislava – Las Palmas route non-stop even in winter, and we managed to book tickets for €88. This time we focused on the whole island and the capital city, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Our chosen accommodation is the proven town of Puerto Rico. The 5-day trip is ready to begin.
Contents
Day 1 – Evening Arrival
Day 2 – Island Tour
Day 3 – Maspalomas Sand Dunes
Day 4 – Cocodrilo Park, Bandama Crater, and Las Palmas
Day 5 – Farewell to Puerto Rico
Day 1 – Evening Arrival
Update 2024: We have had a very good experience with the rental company Cicar. No deposit required, full insurance coverage, payment by card or cash accepted.
We will arrive at Gran Canaria Airport (LPA) on Monday, December 5th at 16:25 local time. This time we are renting a car from Goldcar. We opted for a “compact” category and ended up with a red Citroën C4. The final price was slightly higher by 30€ as we purchased additional insurance covering all exceptions such as glass breakage, lost keys, chassis damage, etc. Otherwise, a deposit of 500€ was required. Payment was only possible by card. The fuel tank could be selected as full or almost empty, and we chose the full option. Although I felt like they added a bit to the fuel price, it was more convenient, and 60 liters lasted us until the end of the trip. We drove on the highway to the town of Puerto Rico. It is a three-lane highway that narrows down to two lanes from Maspalomas. We were stopped by the police right at the entrance to the town, but it was just a routine check.
TIP: Maximum speed on the highway is 120 km/h, outside the city 90 km/h, and in the city 50 km/h.
We chose our favorite terraced apartments Apartamentos Cumana. This time we managed to get the top floor apartment where we also parked our car. After checking in, we headed out to explore the town in the evening. The Christmas decorations were already up, and two twinkling trees could be seen in the distance on a hill. I was only wearing shorts and a t-shirt, imagining how people in Slovakia must be shivering. We stopped at a shopping center for a quick purchase and made our way to Puerto Rico Beach. The reflection of lights on the water created a romantic atmosphere. We opened a bottle of wine as the night was still young. We continued along the central passage, with mostly souvenir shops, clothing stores, and restaurants below. Upstairs, there were more bars with loud music. We sat, danced a bit, and then headed to bed. Our balcony offered a view of the entire Puerto Rico. The only downside was that we could hear the music from the center quite loudly. A paradox of this town is that as the night progresses, the noise levels increase, giving you a free discotheque experience.
Day 2 – Island Tour
We woke up to a beautiful sunny day. We got up around 8 o’clock and had our homemade supplies for breakfast: schnitzels with bread and pickles. The Gran Canaria island can be circled all around its perimeter. The east offers a comfortable highway, while the west has winding roads for an adventurous drive. This will be our plan for today.
We are getting into our Citroën and the program can begin. The first stop is the beautiful azure Amadores beach. The parking lot was full to the last spot, so we had to go all the way to the unpaved area at the end. It is true that Amadores is one of the most popular beaches, but we did not expect it to be so crowded in December. There were fewer people in the water, but we dared to swim. We swim to the barriers that separate the beach from the ocean and continue sunbathing on the deck. The sun is really strong and we had to put on some sunscreen, after all, we are not in our geographical latitudes.
After a pleasant refreshing swim, we continue along the winding road to the Puerto de Mogán port and the town of Mogán itself. After that, we turn left and the journey to the highest hills is just beginning. The first lookout isMirador del Balcon. The view of the sun rays piercing through the four sharp peaks is amazing. We are in the area of the Tamadaba National Park.
TIP: TIP: Access to the park is from the inside of the island through the town of Artenara.
For us, it would be quite a detour, as we still have a long way around the island. The road continues through winding curves, offering us beautiful panoramas. The rocks glow in all possible colors. Occasionally, you will also encounter a truck here, and you have to pray it’s not in a bend. Gradually, we have a view of the Puerto de las Nieves harbor, where we stop at the spot of El Dedo de Dios, which translates to “God’s Finger.” The characteristic shape of the rock was destroyed by a tropical storm in 2005.
From the town of Agaete, we headed directly to Las Palmas to make it there before dark. Along the way, we passed an interesting hillside quarter filled with various colorful houses, truly captivating. We parked in front of the building of Alfredo Kraus Auditorium. We took a walk along the Las Canteras beach, which has a nicely laid-out promenade with plenty of shops and restaurants. We strolled all the way to the end just as it was getting dark. We plan to go swimming when we return in two days. We satisfied our hunger with an “All you can eat” Chinese buffet. For a flat rate of €7, in addition to various types of meat and side dishes, they also had sushi, ice cream, and fruit. After filling up almost to the brim, luckily our car wasn’t parked too close, so we could walk it off a bit. The final phase of the road trip on the highway lay ahead, and other than taking a detour through the town of Arucas, nothing serious happened. We reached our room around 11 p.m.
Day 3 – Maspalomas Sand Dunes
Waking up in the morning was tough after such a strenuous day. Quickly shopping at Hyperdine, and by the time we left the city, it was already lunch. There was an accident on the highway, so we were delayed for another half an hour before arriving in the resort of Maspalomas. We parked the car at the Riu hotel. The sign showed 24°C, but today it probably won’t be suitable for swimming; the wind was blowing, and there were large waves. We walked through a passage of restaurants to the 68m high lighthouse, which dominates the Playa de Maspalomas beach. The beach extends alongside the sand dunes, and if you walk a bit further, you can even reach a nudist beach 🙂 We headed to the middle of the sand dunes to admire this natural wonder. The Dunas de Maspalomas have been a UNESCO protected reserve since 1989. We drive by car to the other end of the dunes to the Playa del Inglés beach. Again, due to strong waves, we didn’t swim. There’s a large parking lot and souvenir shops, so we bought some souvenirs. The idea of going to the thermal baths, which we saw in the center of Maspalomas, came up.
The idea was nice, they even gave us a free tour of the gym, sauna, and pool, but the water temperature was only around 20°C. In the evening, we stopped by the lighthouse again for dinner and ordered some fish. It was quite funny when they offered us a fish that was about half a meter long, they even brought it out to show us since we were a bit indecisive. In the end, we chose grilled salmon with potatoes and salad. We also had some Red Bull to help with the drive back. After a good meal, we took a walk through the luxurious shops we discovered further away from the lighthouse. We returned to our room pleasantly tired and went straight to bed.
Day 4 – Cocodrilo Park, Bandama Crater, and the capital city of Las Palmas
Today’s plan includes a visit to one of the two main cities of the Canary Islands, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The other one is Santa Cruz on the island of Tenerife. But what would a program be without stopping at more attractions along the way? The first stop is the crocodile park.Cocodrilo park.
TIP: The park is located in the Los Corralillos area, so you will not find it in the town of Aguimes, even though there are signs there.
The park opens at 10:00 and admission is €10. When I asked how many crocodiles they currently have, the answer was over 200. It is essentially a small zoo with a thematically designed environment. In addition to the many crocodiles, we had the opportunity to see parrots, a tiger, deer, monkeys, a horse, pigs, turtles, and a cactus garden. The specialty is the crocodile and parrot show, which usually takes place around lunchtime.
We didn’t want to linger any longer and continued further north on the island to the Bandama crater. We ascend spirally almost to the sky, as the road by car leads along the edge of the crater all the way to the highest point, Pico de Bandama. According to the sign, we were at an altitude of 569 meters above sea level. We had a view into the interior of the gigantic crater and from the other side, it was possible to see all the way to Las Palmas.
In less than half an hour, we’re there. We managed to park the car at Plaza de Espana square. The city is quite crowded overall, with narrow streets, so we didn’t want to risk getting closer to the beach. We arrive at the beach Playa de Las Canteras and we lay down on the blanket. The sun alternates between being hidden behind clouds, but the beach is relatively crowded. The water feels colder at first impression, after all, we are in the north of the island, but it would be a sin not to take a swim.
TIP: A large part of the beach is protected from the Atlantic waves by a natural rocky barrier, while surfers will appreciate the rest.
I can rate Las Canteras as one of the best beaches in Gran Canaria, even though it’s a city beach. For comparison, we also went to see another beach on the east coast Playa de Las Alcaravenas. It’s more of a place for sports activities rather than beach volleyball. The ocean here is slightly dirtier because there is a large port nearby.
At the end of the day, we stop in the oldest part of Las Palmas – Vegueta. We visited the beautiful house Casa de Colón, where Christopher Columbus allegedly stayed before discovering America. The main square is adorned by the Cathedral of St. Anne and at that time also many Christmas trees and lights.
The journey home passed quickly on the highway and our stay is slowly coming to an end.
Day 5 – Farewell to Puerto Rico
In the morning, we bought baguettes and went for a walk on Puerto Rico beach. Time is running out and we are slowly heading to the airport. The fuel tank shows three out of twelve bars, so it worked out just right for us. We return the car around 11 a.m. We were supposed to leave the keys in the box, but Goldcar employees were seen around, so we gave them the keys. Our flight departs at 13:15 local time.
