PLAYA del INGLES
Area: Gran Canaria
Country: Spain


Location:
On the S coast of this almost circular island, 10 miles E of Puerto Rico, 35 miles S of Las Palmas, 18 miles S of the airport.

Telephone code from UK:
34

Position:
The extended resort occupies hilly ground, flat and gently sloping in places, in a broad belt between the motorway and the sea.

Description:
Heading along the coast from the direction of the airport, the first part of the resort reached is San Agustin. Compact and select, it has something of the atmosphere of a smart residential suburb. This merges with Playa del Ingles which is altogether given over to holiday good-living and has the densest concentration of accommodation, restaurants, bars and nightlife. Some areas, especially around the Kasbah commercial centre, can be rather seamy with several aspects of modern life openly visible that may offend certain people. This Bacchanalian area broadens and merges with Maspalomas, an extensive area of lower-density residential estates.

Suitability:
A good-time resort for those who do not mind crowds but insist on beaches, entertainments and nightlife. Packed with Germans and Scandinavians but with a fair number of British as well.

Accommodation:
Mainly apartments, the majority in the middle price range. Fewer hotels, but some of good quality, especially in San Agustin.

Shopping:
More than a dozen commercial centres provide a big range of gift shops, boutiques and fairly cheap electronic goods. They are scattered, but the most numerous are in Playa del Ingles, including the area known as the Kasbah.

Beach:
An incredible expanse of wind-blown Sahara-like dunes (popular with the nudist fraternity) in the Oasis of Maspalomas extends for a mile to the sea, where there is a splendid sandy beach. A pedestrianised palm-fringed promenade leads from here a couple of miles to San Agustin. Along the way are more crowded, but nevertheless broad and sandy beaches separated by a few rocky stretches. All are well-equipped with recliners and parasols.

Entertainments:
Daytime: golf at Maspalomas; horse riding, tennis, water park, kart racing, camel rides. Various water sports such as windsurfing, diving (couple of schools), deep-sea fishing; surfing is possible though not spectacular. Nightlife: dozens of unsophisticated bars, discos and clubs (some of them gay haunts), heavily concentrated in the commercial centres. Casino in San Agustin.

Eating:
Predictably swamped with eateries; cosmopolitan and varied: pubs, fast food, Chinese and other exotic fare, beside the more traditional Spanish.

Public-transport:
Town bus service, as well as regular coastal routes. Taxis are a convenient but more expensive alternative.

Local-excursions:
Gran Canaria has a circular coastal highway with a number of roads striking inland into the central mountains which reach an altitude of 6,400 feet. In the N, green valleys are filled with an abundance of subtropical flora, pine forests and plantations. By contrast, the S is dry and desert-like. The island's 538 square miles can be explored by tour bus, jeep or hired car. Various theme parks including Sioux City, just outside Playa del Ingles, a Wild West theme park open 6 days a week. Cruising in yachts or old schooners can be organised as well as a day's sailing around the whole island. Las Palmas, a sizeable city and port, offers the best shopping opportunities and has some good duty-free bargains. La Vegueta is the historic quarter where Columbus called en route to the New World.