0871 423-5051
Only £25 deposit per booking
- Canary Islands Sub Region Menu
- Canary Islands
- West Canaries
- Tenerife
- Gran Canaria
- Fuerteventura
- Lanzarote
0871 423-5051
Only £25 deposit per booking
The South coast of Gran Canaria is where you'll find the main resorts on the island, the two largest being Playa del Ingels and Maspalomas, which are separated by one of the highlights of Gran Canaria - the Maspalomas sand dunes. Camel Safaris are easily picked up from Maspalomas upto Artenara with lunch included in the excursion. It was a Count, who happened to own much of the land on the south coast of Gran Canaria and hit upon the brain wave to develop San Agustin first into a holiday resort - this was in the 1970s. Maspalomas and Playa del Ingles swiftly followed, and Playa del Ingels represents the true epiphany of a manmade holiday resort.
Reasonable as a resort for families (although Puerto Rico is better), Playa del Ingels attracts the young and offers one of the best holiday gay scenes out there (except Blackpool North Shore of course!). Safe bathing miles of sandy beach, and crammed with bars, clubs, restaurants, shopping centres and holiday attractions such as waterparks, mini golf, camel trips across the Maspalomas dunes, numerous casino type shows, animal parks with feature parot shows, skydiving (gulp), quad safaris, jeep safaris and an 18 hole golf course situated between Maspalomas - need I go on. Playa del Ingels is one of the most attraction rich and party centres of all the Canary Island resorts. At the heart of Playa del Ingels is the fabulous shopping centre Yumbo. Head here for duty free perfumes, and various craft bazaar type stalls. By day Yumbo is a superb holiday shopping centre, but by night it's gay scene territory offering a delightful maze of restaurants and bars to get lost in with a friendly hard partying atmosphere - get to it.
We're in the land of mammoth holiday resorts in the south and up the bottom west coast of Gran Canaria - you don't navigate around these resorts by road names, you do it by hotels, shopping centres, restaurants, bars and nightclubs. Most maps of Gran Canaria resorts given out by car hire firms and available free at tourist info points and indeed many hotels and apart-hotels show the layout of accommodation and attractions on resort maps.
Gran Canaria's holiday resorts have a real edge and some of the best beaches and party atmospheres (fab clubs, including Pacha, and a crackin' gay scene here!) can be found in them. Starting with the obvious, Maspalomas and Playa del Ingles for a stretch of coastline commonly known as 'Costa Canaria'. These are the two most established resorts on the island and they're not for those looking for a hidden retreat, although Masaplomas is certainly the quieter option. The two resorts do join inland, but on the coast their separated by one of Gran Canaria's iconic natural phenomena - the Maspalomas sand dunes. They're cruising ground too! Walk across these or take a camel ride and you could well believe you're in the desert!
Playa del Ingles is Gran Canaria's largest resort, a crowd puller indeed for gay and straight party pounding. Sand dunes, a golden sand endless stretch of beach, watersports including windsurfing and beach fun rides, so many commercial shopping centres, restaurants, bars, and clubs you'll lose count, and some supremo holiday attractions including an enormous golf course bording the dunes and between Playa del Ingles and Maspalomas, a vast aqua waterpark, a miniature train whisking you round the resort and easy access to attractions around the island via regular buses. Maspalomas pushes a bit more upmarket, and more laid back with a chic cafe beach bar vibe, some luxury accommodation and again a superb 6km stretch of golden sandy beach.
The core focus of these two resorts, alongside the spectacular sand dunes, is the Yumbo Centrum - a mammoth shopping centre with some great 'bazaar' bargains by day, and by night the discos, clubs, bars, restaurants, saunas, sex shops and more all come alive to one of the best party calls, gay and straight, in the Canaries! The rest of Playa del Ingles is more of the same, albeit a pale copy of Yumbo. Manmade and all-inclusive resorts don't come more fully comp than Maspalomas and Playa Del Ingles, mainland Spain you won't be finding much of here. Still, you can have the best of both worlds - it's easy to book yourself on tours and attractions elsewhere on Gran Canaria from these resorts - an inland Grand Tour of Gran Canaria is not to be missed - you'll be amazed by the contrast and what else is out there!
The numerouse gay guide weblinks to the right are superb in-depth tours of both Playa del Ingles and Maspalomas - John's independent gay guide is particularly popular - check out his recommendations for restaurants, bars, gyms and so on - and Astabgay's guide to Playa del Ingles has some good links (tells you about Blackpool's superb gay scene too on this site!). Sandra's gay guide to Las Palmas is well worth a perusal too. Locating yourself in Playa del Ingles is to be closest to the party hub, namely the Yumbo Centrum (see weblink gay guide to Yumbo to the right). This rather plain looking shopping centre by day (with bazaar type stalls, perfumes and electricals at tax free prices) comes alive at night, offering a huge selection of gay bars, clubs and restaurants.
Nightlife frolicks kicks in around 7-8pm in Playa del Ingles, the top gay resort in the Canaries and beyond. The Maspalomas Sand Dunes is a popular night time cruising ground alongside the Yumbo centre - Yumbo has about 50 gay bars and clubs which should be enough for even the most wild party-goers. Gay and straight mingle at Yumbo, and a number of Drag acts are usually on the menu. Center Stage Bar in Yumbo is particularly popular for Drag Shows. Check out too the Cita Centre, just a short 10 minute walk from Yumbo - there are selection of chic gay cafes and bars here including Detox Retox (weblink right) and the Rainbow Cafe. Chaps Leatherbar and Construction Sauna are also here at CITA in the basement.
Maspalomas is a little quieter as a base, and there are a number of exclusive gay accommodation complexes especially around Sonneland. All are within easy reach of Yumbo by taxi or walking (across the dunes). As well as one of the best gay resort vibes here in Playa del Ingles and Maspalomas, you've all your typical resort attractions including a great golf course, numerous watersports with everything from paragliding and jet skiing, miles of golden sandy beach and tons of Gran Canaria excursion choices including jeep safaris, camel rides, Gran Canaria grand tours, day trips to Las Palmas and catamaran trips. Many exclusively gay excursion tours are offered too. Check the links right for details.
Palmitos Park Maspalomas, Barranco de los Palmitos s/n, Maspalomas, Gran Canaria. Tel: 928 14 02 76. (see Palmitos Park Website right for full details).
Waterparks - Aqualand Maspalomas, Ctra. Palmitos Park, Km 3, 35100 Maspalomas, Gran Canaria. Tel: 928 14 05 25 (website right). Ocean Park Maspalomas located at Campo Internacional.
Golf: Maspalomas and surrounds is a hotspot in the south for Gran Canaria golf. Courses include the new Salobre Golf and Resort, Autopista Gran Canaria 1, KM 53, Urbanizacion Salobre Golf & Resort, Maspalomas, Gran Canaria. Tel: +34 928 01 01 03/+34 828 061 828. Check their weblink right, situated just 5km outside of Maspalomas. This golf course is developing all the time, offering now a total of 27 holes, with south and north courses. Numerous leisure faciltities are attached to this luxurious golf complex including a golf school, restaurant, terrace, driving range, puttng greens, golf equipment hire and more. Ideal as a conference venue, numerous hotels are also situated within the golf resort complex.
We're not finished with Maspalomas attractions just yet. Also on offer is Holiday World - a large funfair type theme park with ferris weels, amusement arcades and a recently added health spa with gym. Nightclubs are here too as well a a karting track.
Top