We spent 7 nights in Gran Canaria over New Year 2009. Here follows an account of our trip:
The Journey
We flew out from East Midlands to Gran Canaria with Thomas Cook. Despite the wintery weather in the UK, both flights departed and arrived on time. We didn't bother paying for the in flight meals and it looked like many of the other passengers had done the same. A film was shown in both directions, followed by some TV programmes. As we had booked a late deal, transfers weren't included so we pre-booked a week's car hire through AutoReisen (http://www.arcarhire.com/car-hire/car-hire.php) for 195 Euros and had no problems picking it up or dropping it off at the airport.
The Weather
The forecasts had shown some rain in the run up to New Year so we were prepared for some wet weather. In the end, we only saw rain in the north one morning, the rest of the time it was sunny with occasional cloudy and windy periods. It can get chilly in the mountains due to the altitude though so make sure you take a fleece just in case.
The Hotel
Mogan Princess, Playa Taurito
(http://www.princess-hotels.com/Hotels-Gran-Canaria-hotel-Mogan-Princess-4-stars.htm)
When looking for accommodation in Gran Canaria, we were quite surprised to see that nearly every hotel provoked hugely differing comments from reviewers. The Mogan Princess was no exception, but on balance the reviews were good and the price was right so we booked it via Thomas Cook's website. The hotel is located on a hill overlooking Playa Taurito and is about 45mins drive away from the airport (follow the signs for Lomo Taurito, rather than Taurito Playa/Centre). Because we had a car, the hotel's location up a steep, potholed hill wasn't a problem; in fact it was probably better for us than being in one of the resort hotels as there was plenty of free parking.
Our room was in block 3 which was accessed by 2 lifts and a few stairs and we didn't feel it was too far from reception etc. We had booked a studio room and the best things about it were the sea views and the little kitchenette as we were able to save money by making our own sandwiches and having some of our drinks on the balcony, rather than in the hotel bar. I would consider myself to be a fussy eater but I had no problems with the food choice in the restaurant either at breakfast or dinner, although it would be fair to say that things weren't always as hot as we would have liked. The bar prices were pretty reasonable compared to some other hotels that we've stayed at and the entertainment was varied and of good quality. We found the staff to be generally very helpful and they really pulled out all the stops for the gala dinner on New Year's Eve. We didn't use the swimming pools but a lot of other guests did so they can't have been too cold. Because the hotel is built into a cliff, the main pool area didn't get any sun until late morning every day, but this didn't bother us as we tended to go out sightseeing in the morning and then sunbathe in the afternoon.
Calling Playa Taurito a ‘resort' is a bit misleading as it's really just a small selection of hotels and shops next to a beach. We were happy with it though - it may be very low-key compared to other resorts in Gran Canaria but it had everything we needed. All in all, we really liked Playa Taurito and the Mogan Princess and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them both to anyone who wants a quiet resort that's a good base to see this island.
Mogan Princess, Playa Taurito
(http://www.princess-hotels.com/Hotels-Gran-Canaria-hotel-Mogan-Princess-4-stars.htm)
When looking for accommodation in Gran Canaria, we were quite surprised to see that nearly every hotel provoked hugely differing comments from reviewers. The Mogan Princess was no exception, but on balance the reviews were good and the price was right so we booked it via Thomas Cook's website. The hotel is located on a hill overlooking Playa Taurito and is about 45mins drive away from the airport (follow the signs for Lomo Taurito, rather than Taurito Playa/Centre). Because we had a car, the hotel's location up a steep, potholed hill wasn't a problem; in fact it was probably better for us than being in one of the resort hotels as there was plenty of free parking.
Our room was in block 3 which was accessed by 2 lifts and a few stairs and we didn't feel it was too far from reception etc. We had booked a studio room and the best things about it were the sea views and the little kitchenette as we were able to save money by making our own sandwiches and having some of our drinks on the balcony, rather than in the hotel bar. I would consider myself to be a fussy eater but I had no problems with the food choice in the restaurant either at breakfast or dinner, although it would be fair to say that things weren't always as hot as we would have liked. The bar prices were pretty reasonable compared to some other hotels that we've stayed at and the entertainment was varied and of good quality. We found the staff to be generally very helpful and they really pulled out all the stops for the gala dinner on New Year's Eve. We didn't use the swimming pools but a lot of other guests did so they can't have been too cold. Because the hotel is built into a cliff, the main pool area didn't get any sun until late morning every day, but this didn't bother us as we tended to go out sightseeing in the morning and then sunbathe in the afternoon.
Calling Playa Taurito a ‘resort' is a bit misleading as it's really just a small selection of hotels and shops next to a beach. We were happy with it though - it may be very low-key compared to other resorts in Gran Canaria but it had everything we needed. All in all, we really liked Playa Taurito and the Mogan Princess and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them both to anyone who wants a quiet resort that's a good base to see this island.
Things to do
Having driven on some rather narrow and scary roads on our previous holiday to La Palma, we were interested to see how different the roads would be on a much bigger Canary Island. The GC1 motorway turned out to be a godsend as it allowed us to reach the north of the island in an hour and most of the other urban roads were wide and reasonably well signposted. Driving in the mountains was a completely different experience however, with some incredibly windy and narrow roads perched precariously on the mountain sides. Autoreisen gave us a very basic map of the island which was pretty much useless so we bought a better one from a shop for only 4 Euros. We also had a copy of the ‘Rough Guide Directions' guidebook for Gran Canaria which had some useful maps in it as well. The excursions available through Thomas Cook were very expensive so we were definitely glad we had chosen to hire a car instead!
Because the weather was generally quite kind to us, we were able to do a lot of outdoor things while we were there. There is not a huge amount of stuff to do in the resorts other than shopping if the weather is bad - something to bear in mind if this is likely to spoil your holiday. It is also worth noting that most museums close completely on public holidays and often operate reduced hours the previous day as well. Here's a list of what we visited in the space of a week:
Puerto de Mogan - This was just a short drive from our hotel and is a lovely place to wander around. Parking can be quite expensive near the beach/docks but you can park for free nearer the main road, which isn't far away.
Barranco de Guayadeque - this can be approached from Ingenio or Aguimes. The Visitor's Centre is well worth a visit first - it's open Tuesday-Sunday and only costs 2 Euros (and has toilets). You can them drive up to the top of the ravine visiting the cave villages and restaurants along the way.
Museo de Piedras y Artesania (Rocks and Crafts), Ingenio - this is a really odd place which is like a cross between a souvenir shop and a junk shop. It's free to look around so would be worth a visit if you're passing. While we were there, they had a big Nativity Exhibition in an annexe which was bizarrely fascinating and only cost 1 euro.
Casa de Colon, Las Palmas - this is a really interesting free museum in a lovely colonial style house. There are information sheets in English in every room which tell the story of Columbus' voyages to the ‘New World'.
Museo Canario, Las Palmas - this suffers from a lack of info in English but is nevertheless worth visiting to see the sections on burials etc including a room with hundreds of skulls in it. Current entrance fee is 3 Euros.
Centro Atlántico de Arte Moderno - unless you really like Modern Art or want to make use of the free toilets then this is definitely one to miss!
Museo Elder - We tried to go to this on New Year's Eve but were foiled by them deciding to close early that day - this info wasn't on their website though so probably best to ring and check their opening hours around public holidays to avoid disappointment.
Arehucas Rum Factory, Arucas - the Rough Guide indicated that there was a museum here and also the chance to go on a guided tour of the factory. Either they got their info wrong or were given special treatment because when we visited there was no museum and we were only able to visit the factory by tagging on to a German tour group. Definitely not worth the long trip it took to get there!
Roque Nublo - It took us two hours to get here from Playa Taurito on the winding mountain roads so we were not pleased to get to the car park and find there were no toilet facilities there! The walk up to the Roque Nublo itself took us about 1 hr each way at a slowish pace - there are some narrow and steep sections though so make sure you wear appropriate shoes.
Roque Bentayga & Visitor Centre - unfortunately they didn't have any info in English at the Visitor centre but at least there were some toilets. The walk up to the top took under an hour each way with some narrow and steep sections.
Cocodrillo Park - we never made it here as the direct GC-104 road from Cruce de Arinaga was closed off and there were no diversion signs. They run a bus from the resorts on Fridays so that might be an easier way to get there.
Museo Castillo de la Fortaleza, Santa Lucia - this is another place which is like a cross between a souvenir shop and a junk shop. It's only 2 Euros to look around so would be worth a visit if you're passing and Santa Lucia is worth a quick look around too.
Overall, we had a great time in Gran Canaria - if you can, it's definitely worth hiring a car to visit some of the less touristy areas of the island. There are plenty of things to do for a week and probably enough for 2 if you don't mind the extra cost/driving. The island is much greener than we expected, having already been to 3 of the other Canary Islands. But the best thing has to be temperatures of 25c in December - bliss after a cold UK winter!
Having driven on some rather narrow and scary roads on our previous holiday to La Palma, we were interested to see how different the roads would be on a much bigger Canary Island. The GC1 motorway turned out to be a godsend as it allowed us to reach the north of the island in an hour and most of the other urban roads were wide and reasonably well signposted. Driving in the mountains was a completely different experience however, with some incredibly windy and narrow roads perched precariously on the mountain sides. Autoreisen gave us a very basic map of the island which was pretty much useless so we bought a better one from a shop for only 4 Euros. We also had a copy of the ‘Rough Guide Directions' guidebook for Gran Canaria which had some useful maps in it as well. The excursions available through Thomas Cook were very expensive so we were definitely glad we had chosen to hire a car instead!
Because the weather was generally quite kind to us, we were able to do a lot of outdoor things while we were there. There is not a huge amount of stuff to do in the resorts other than shopping if the weather is bad - something to bear in mind if this is likely to spoil your holiday. It is also worth noting that most museums close completely on public holidays and often operate reduced hours the previous day as well. Here's a list of what we visited in the space of a week:
Puerto de Mogan - This was just a short drive from our hotel and is a lovely place to wander around. Parking can be quite expensive near the beach/docks but you can park for free nearer the main road, which isn't far away.
Barranco de Guayadeque - this can be approached from Ingenio or Aguimes. The Visitor's Centre is well worth a visit first - it's open Tuesday-Sunday and only costs 2 Euros (and has toilets). You can them drive up to the top of the ravine visiting the cave villages and restaurants along the way.
Museo de Piedras y Artesania (Rocks and Crafts), Ingenio - this is a really odd place which is like a cross between a souvenir shop and a junk shop. It's free to look around so would be worth a visit if you're passing. While we were there, they had a big Nativity Exhibition in an annexe which was bizarrely fascinating and only cost 1 euro.
Casa de Colon, Las Palmas - this is a really interesting free museum in a lovely colonial style house. There are information sheets in English in every room which tell the story of Columbus' voyages to the ‘New World'.
Museo Canario, Las Palmas - this suffers from a lack of info in English but is nevertheless worth visiting to see the sections on burials etc including a room with hundreds of skulls in it. Current entrance fee is 3 Euros.
Centro Atlántico de Arte Moderno - unless you really like Modern Art or want to make use of the free toilets then this is definitely one to miss!
Museo Elder - We tried to go to this on New Year's Eve but were foiled by them deciding to close early that day - this info wasn't on their website though so probably best to ring and check their opening hours around public holidays to avoid disappointment.
Arehucas Rum Factory, Arucas - the Rough Guide indicated that there was a museum here and also the chance to go on a guided tour of the factory. Either they got their info wrong or were given special treatment because when we visited there was no museum and we were only able to visit the factory by tagging on to a German tour group. Definitely not worth the long trip it took to get there!
Roque Nublo - It took us two hours to get here from Playa Taurito on the winding mountain roads so we were not pleased to get to the car park and find there were no toilet facilities there! The walk up to the Roque Nublo itself took us about 1 hr each way at a slowish pace - there are some narrow and steep sections though so make sure you wear appropriate shoes.
Roque Bentayga & Visitor Centre - unfortunately they didn't have any info in English at the Visitor centre but at least there were some toilets. The walk up to the top took under an hour each way with some narrow and steep sections.
Cocodrillo Park - we never made it here as the direct GC-104 road from Cruce de Arinaga was closed off and there were no diversion signs. They run a bus from the resorts on Fridays so that might be an easier way to get there.
Museo Castillo de la Fortaleza, Santa Lucia - this is another place which is like a cross between a souvenir shop and a junk shop. It's only 2 Euros to look around so would be worth a visit if you're passing and Santa Lucia is worth a quick look around too.
Overall, we had a great time in Gran Canaria - if you can, it's definitely worth hiring a car to visit some of the less touristy areas of the island. There are plenty of things to do for a week and probably enough for 2 if you don't mind the extra cost/driving. The island is much greener than we expected, having already been to 3 of the other Canary Islands. But the best thing has to be temperatures of 25c in December - bliss after a cold UK winter!
Excellent reports. Thanks for the info. I love Playa Taurito and Mogan..We stay at the Taurito Princess..its always nice to gain additional info.
Great review and glad you enjoyed your time in Gran Canaria
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