October - November 2022
I've been going to Gran Canaria for an autumn break fairly regularly since 2005. A place of seemingly perpetual sun, golden beaches, warm people, some stunning places to visit and eat, and endless possibilities for the traveller.
Back at the turn of the century, a colleague used to swear by going there each winter. At the time, I was doing a lot of far-flung travel and couldn't see the attraction of going to the same place year in, year out for a (relatively) short haul package holiday. I asked him why. "Well every mile flown is a mile south [from the UK]; there is no jet lag involved [the Canaries are on GMT]; the weather is guaranteed [it is: a UN report said Las Palmas, the Canaries' capital city, has the world's best climate] and there are no hurricanes, tornadoes or earthquakes to deal with" [although the smaller islands do have volcanos!].
My older and wiser self knows that down-time to relax and recharge the batteries in warmer climes is essential. I usually go in mid autumn or just before Christmas to escape the change to more autumnal weather and loss of daylight here in the UK. On this occasion, when I returned home this time the sun was setting just after 4PM in the UK, whereas in the Canaries it was closer to 6:30PM.
I travelled with Jet2 Holidays and I was worried given all the negative press coverage earlier this year about travel chaos generally. Firstly, Manchester Airport has sorted all the problems of earlier this year I'm pleased to say. And Terminal 2 has had a rather nice makeover * (see below) during its closure time due to the pandemic . There are now also some nice places to eat. Jet 2 make the boarding passes available via QR code to download to Smartphones for those that want to, and you can also check in online prior to departure. When you arrive at the airport, you scan the QR code, print the luggage labels, drop off the luggage - all within 10 minutes. Going through security was similarly painless, around 10 minutes as well (this was around 6am in the morning late October). I arrived 3 hours prior to departure, but really 2 would have sufficed for this flight.
Jet 2 departed on time from Manchester. They have reasonably good leg room relative to other airlines travelling there from the UK but the food to purchase in-flight isn't great so I always buy my own packaged food from the airport . If you sit on the left hand side of the plane (and are lucky with the weather!) you are treated to a stunning view of the Jodrell Bank radio telescope as you fly out south. The flight time of four and a half hours sits in that grey area between short and long haul travel: too long to skip eating, but too short to class as long haul and therefore a meal is not included in the ticket. I booked the package with Jet2 Holidays too: staying at the hotel which for me has become my favourite over the years (Gold by Marina in Playa del Ingles) and also booked an excursion with them as well - the highlight of my trip (more later). Jet 2 really have captured and excel in this niche market in my opinion.
There is a real chilled-out vibe at Gold by Marina which starts from the moment you arrive when you are served with a complimentary glass of Cava as you check-in. If only all hotels made such a mundane process so enjoyable! It is also an adult-only hotel, so for couples or the solo traveller wanting peace and quiet and just understated chill-out music : this is the place. For me, the design, food, cleanliness and service all combine to produce an outstanding and relaxed experience. On Mondays you are invited to a mini party serving complimentary tapas and Cava, where the manager meets and greets the guests and asks for feedback directly. The hotel itself is unusual for the Canaries in terms of exceptional design, and would not look out of place in either LA or Miami's South Beach, and has the exemplary service to match.
The food is great too. Both the poolside bar and restaurant serve up some amazing snacks. Firstly their smoothies are wonderful: whether simply detoxing or attempting to recover from the excesses of a previous night partying (no comment!) A particular highlight are the Spanish Omlettes made freshly by the chef to your chosen ingredients each morning at breakfast. At lunchtime the culinary greatness continues with a great range of cuisine from Canarian Salads, local fish, and burritos, alongside more traditional snacks such as pizza, burgers, nachos or sandwiches. All made with locally-sourced produce where possible, and beautifully presented.
The hotel has two pools, air conditioning, a sauna, a jacuzzi and two very small gyms - the last point being the only criticism really - it is too small for a hotel of this size and my only suggestion for improvement. It's spotlessly clean throughout: they even have an automated rover cleaning the base of the swimming pool each morning. I've tried 3 different hotels over the years ,as well as self-catering on my very first trip, but this hotel really is the experience for me to revisit again and again without hesitation.
The real find for me this trip was the small town of Arucas, which is situated about 6 miles west of Las Palmas, the capital, close to the northern edge of the island of Gran Canaria. I often do an excursion mid trip to break up the stay and I found this to be a photographer's delight. Stunning traditional Spanish architecture contrast against the huge Church of San Juan Bautista which appears to look much older than it actually is: partly because of its Gothic style and partly because it was created from the local volcanic stone. Started in 1909 this amazing neo-Gothic church was completed in 1977. There are also some amazing examples of stained glass. It was closed when I arrived just before lunch but it did open up around 4pm and thankfully I was able to take a quick look around before a service started at 4:30PM.
Be sure to arrive as early as you can in Arucas because things do tend to close around 2PM (this applied to both the distillery and the botanical garden). I was lucky arriving at 1PM (the journey from Playa del Ingles takes just under 2 hours if travelling by bus with a change in Las Palmas) and so was just able to catch the last guided tour at 1:30PM around the Arehucas Rum Distillery (cleverly spelt to bypass a local by-law preventing any business using the town's name). One of Europe's oldest rum distilleries, you get the full tour around the various stages of turning sugar cane - produced on the island- into rum. The tour starts looking at oak barrels signed by various celebrities. The rum tasting itself was mixed - those with a sweet tooth will love it; I found I liked some of the aged darker rums and of the sweeter ones the 'Canafruit' - a great banana flavoured rum which was more of a sweet dessert liquor. As I love bananas (which are grown all over the island of Gran Canaria) this was a big thumbs up from me, despite its sweetness.
My first restaurant recommendation comes in the form of lunch in Arucas: at La Catedral Bisto . Tucked away in the far corner of square behind the Church of San Juan Bautista, as well as sitting inside there are tables on the piazza itself. The staff were very welcoming, even ensuring my waiter spoke English (which is not essential given the onus is on me I always think when travelling but welcome all the same). The food I chose was a mix of local tapas - Canarian style and local seafood. Whilst there I was treated to some classical Spanish guitarists as part of filming for a promotional video. The food itself was wonderful: beautifully cooked in the case of the fish and served in a wonderful local sauce. I highly recommend this bistro - it made my afternoon.
Some other culinary recommendations. Two personal favourites: Mana264 is rightly praised on TripAdvisor as being an excellent tapas restaurant in the heart of the Yumbo Centre in Playa del Ingles. Tucked away in a little corner next to the large trampoline, it is now split between a cocktail bar and tapas bar. When I travel, I always look for authentic local cuisine - I want to savour something new and learn something I can take back with me. This hits the mark. Tapas with a Canarian twist - I particularly recommend their take on the Spanish Omelette, the sliced Chorizo, and the fresh olives. For dessert I had the flambéd bananas with ice cream as a treat - that was really delicious. The owner recognises me every year and so must have an amazing memory for faces given I go there only about one (or twice on some trips) a year!
Misbah is one of the few Indian restaurants in Maspalomas. The owner comes from Greater Manchester and I was delighted to see this unchanged after the last few years of the pandemic. A new addition to my favourite restaurants, I only discovered this one fairly recently in late 2019. It's located on Boulevard El Faro - about half way up the strip of restaurants that run parallel to the beach from the lighthouse, where many of the best restaurants in Maspalomas can be found. I particularly like their Peshwari Naan - fruity without being overly sweet; and I love their chicken Jalfrezi - full of chillies. Full of flavour and great service and if you like you can sit watching the sunset over the Atlantic Ocean in their outside area.
Last but not least, the highlight of my trip: dolphin watching. I've always wanted to do this so not sure why I waited until 2022! Booked via Jet2: they handed out a booklet upon landing in the plane, and I booked with my representative at the hotel. An air-conditioned coach collected, in my case, from just outside my hotel for the one hour drive to Puerto Rico, where these tours depart. I opted for the boat with the glass viewing deck below, but in practice I got all my best shots of the Dolphins from the main deck.
The boat goes out about 5 miles to sea. Another boat had already stopped and once we had joined them and stopped the Dolphins seemed to enjoy swimming alongside the boat. Curious and intelligent mammals , they are one of the very few mammals (along with apes and elephants) who exhibit self-awareness by recognising themselves in a mirror in tests. They also have a developed form of communication in the form of clicks and whistles. Every member of the pod has their own name, taking the form of a series of clicks unique to themselves but derived from their mother's name, which is spoken at the start of each sentence to announce who is speaking. Their brains are thought to be the second largest only to humans relative to body size which has allowed them to develop many of the emotions and traits we would recognise in our selves . They have also demonstrated the ability to learn human sign language, and when working with other dolphins they relay this information onto their pod in their own language. I got plenty of good photographs although be mindful others will be wanting to do the same and be patient - your time will come for a good vantage point.
To answer my original conundrum at the top of the article: although the weather is wonderfully constant, every trip to trip to the Canaries is fantastically different! Over the years I've gone off-road driving through the sand; gone on a boat party; visited the house where Christopher Columbus started his voyages of Discovery to the New World; seen the local wildlife in Palmitos Park; seen the dolphins' curiosity first-hand. Every trip is what you make it, and Gran Canaria has endless possibilities to offer under a perpetual blue canopy.
