Maspalomas

Maspalomas is located on the south-east coast not far from the busy resort of Playa del Ingles and is well known for its dunes and 6km long golden sandy beach. Maspalomas is separated from Playa del Ingles by impressive rolling sand dunes, which is a protected area and home to some rare species of flora and fauna, and is very popular with naturists. The promenade along the waterfront stretches to Playa del Ingles and is bustling with bars, shops, restaurants and entertainment venues amid luxury hotels and villas.

The main shopping centre in Maspalomas is the Faro 2 complex, full of designer stores and boutiques. The surrounding area is packed with shopping complexes of a similar sort. Maspalomas has an abundance of restaurants of which most are inexpensive, with a choice of International dishes. Live entertainment can be found in many of the restaurants/bars.

Nightlife in Maspalomas is fairly lively with an overabundance of entertaining bars with karaoke, jazz, salsa, and live bands to add a little zest, or theme pubs with happy hours. The Maspalomas Plaza offers a great choice of bars.  There are a range of clubs and discos, two popular dance venues are located in the Holiday World amusement park.

The dunes begin just a few yards from the sea and roll back just over 3km, and are around 4km in length. The beach, especially the sun bed area, becomes really crowded during high summer. Between the dunes that are nearest to the beach is a popular area for nude sunbathing. Gay nudists tend to go further back amongst the bushier areas to the south. The resort's week-long Gay Pride celebrations are held in May each year and have become World famous.

Camel rides around the Maspalomas Dunes are one of the most popular activities in the south of the Island. The trip typically lasts for around half an hour.

Campo Golf

Campo Golf is an area within Maspalomas (nearest to the dunes) that contains apartments, bungalows and hotels situated around the main golf course that is located there. Playa del Ingles is on the far side of Campo Golf, it separates Maspalomas from Playa del Ingles and the Faro 2 which is the main commercial centre is there too.

Puerto Rico 

Puerto Rico is a dynamic resort that is located in the south of Gran Canaria, built along and up the high sides of a valley. It is well-known as the sunniest point on the island and is a delight for sun worshippers, although it can become excessively busy during high season. There are a lot of steps, stairs and steep hills around the resort, so anyone with walking difficulties may find it rather challenging.

This resort is famous for the many water sports activities offered, from water-skiing, sailing, diving, big game fishing and windsurfing to leisure excursions such as pleasure boat trips along the coast and dolphin watching cruises or a trip in a glass bottom boat. 

The beach in Puerto Rico is a crescent of golden sand that has been imported from the Sahara and is flanked by the harbours, sloping gently into the sea; it makes it a safe area for children. A verdant tropical garden with colourful plants and flowers is set back from the beach and there are two public swimming pool lidos. A leisurely walk along the Cliffside walkway at the south-western end of the promenade takes you further south-west to the beach at Playa de Amadores, one of the vantage points at sunset for watching the sun set.

The Main Commercial Centre dominates the centre of Puerto Rico and houses numerous shops, bars and restaurants.Most of the restaurants, bars and clubs are located on the upper floor and shops, bars and banks are found on the ground floor. A small collection of shops and the Bureau de Change/Tourist Office are located on the lower ground floor.  

The Europa Centre is the second largest centre in Puerto Rico and   is positioned at the top of the south-western most hill and two smaller centres are located at Agua de Perra, near the Deportivo harbour at the north-eastern end and the Pasarella shopping centre close to Puerto Escala at the south-western end of the resort. All have a great choice of bars and restaurants.

If you fancy a change, there is a regular ferry service from either of the harbours to Puerto de Mogán or to Arguineguin via Anfi giving you the chance to view the panorama of some of the south and south-west coastline. These places can also easily be reached by bus, taxi or car.

Playa Meloneras

Playa Meloneras is currently one of the smaller resorts and is located to the west of Maspalomas, the lighthouse at Faro separates Meloneras from Maspalomas, but the two are next to each other. It is an up and coming resort that is expanding and is a more upmarket area of Maspalomas with accommodation that reflects this and is also a neighbour of Playa del Ingles.

There's a main commercial center that has a good selection of stylish restaurants with an excellent choice of international food - including some of the best seafood on the Island which is available at very reasonable prices. There are also bars, cafes and various shopping outlets such as classy little boutiques that sell designer clothing. The natural dunes park of Maspalomas is within walking distance of Meloneras and shouldn’t be missed.