The Cunning Canary

It’s a good idea to find out where the nearest doctor’s surgery is when you arrive… just in case! There are English speaking dentists and doctors around the tourists resorts of Gran Canaria and they are all qualified to the European standard. If you are looking for a pharmacy, there are quite a few. Just look out for the green cross. There is a list here of all the pharmacies on the island and when they are open.

Photo By Elrudojulio

Insurance and E111 Cards 

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I did a dolphin trip last week when my family was over and it was really good so I thought I’d share it with you! You can book dolphin trips in Puerto Escala (Puerto Rico) - just ask for Kevin or Nina. There is a tour guide on the boat called Ronnie. He speaks English, German, Spanish and Dutch and he will look after you.

How Much Does it Cost? 

This trip is 24 euros for adults and 12 euros for kids, which isn’t bad because if you don’t see dolphins or whales you can repeat the trip! You can buy drinks and snacks on board and don’t worry - there is a loo!

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Gran Canaria is a great place for a holiday for several reasons. First of all, you are pretty much guaranteed warm sunshine! If you visit in June, July, August or September the weather can be pretty hot - expect temperatures up to a sweltering 40ºC. The coolest months are December, January and February but the temperature rarely drops below 15ºC and the daytimes are usually sunny enough to chill out in a bikini or a pair or shorts.

Photo By PhotoPhob

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More and more people want to “get away from it all” when they come on holiday. And that doesn’t mean lying by a pool where kids are dive-bombing in, splashing you every 10 seconds, babies are screaming and people are shouting at each other. It doesn’t mean walking down the busiest tourist street on the island, hearing “you want dinner here?” or “buy a camera, only 10 euros” or “looky looky sunglasses” every minute or so. Actually those things can be fun and remind you that you are actually on holiday but what about if you could still enjoy the sun and still enjoy what the island has to offer but be even more away from it?

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Fuerteventura is known as the windy Canary Island, but in the Summer when it’s 40ºC you’ll be grateful for some breeze, I promise! You can either spend a week (or more!) in Fuerteventura or take the ferry or a plane over for a day or so, if you are staying on another Canary Island.

There is plenty to do, including fishing, boat trips, quad hire, shopping, golf, scuba diving and walking. If you just want to relax, Fuerteventura offers some of the most beautiful beaches in the Canary Islands.

Photo By Capitan Patata

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If you are coming over on holiday, you will be pleasantly surprised at the restaurants. There is literally something for everyone and eating out doesn’t have to be expensive.

Starting with the cheapest option, there are numerous restaurants where you can get meat, potatoes and veg (expect them to be defrosted if it’s a cheap restaurant!) for under 5 euros a person. There is a McDonalds in Puerto Rico and one in Playa del Inglés. There is a Burger King in Playa del Inglés and a KFC in the Yumbo Centre if you fancy something quick. Else there are plenty of cafes that do chicken and chips or a baguette for a few euros. Many places also do kids’ meals.

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The best places to see sand sculptures on Gran Canaria are on Las Canteras beach in Las Palmas, Mogan beach and often Puerto Rico beach too.

Some of these things go way beyond sand castle building and feature flashing eyes and other accessories. I went to a marine-themed exhibition in Mogán last year and was very impressed! How long the sand sculptures last depends on which beach they are on and whether they are for a public exhibition or just for fun. When the Canarians descend upon the South from Las Palmas at the weekends, you can usually expect them to be trampled by kids! But no problem, new ones will spring up in their place the following week.

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Stick fighting, or Juego del Palo, is used as self-defence, sport and folk art througout the Canary Islands. No protective equipment is used but the strikes are indicated rather than being applied with full force. Stick fighting is thought to have come from the Guanches (Aboriginal Canarians) hundreds of years ago.

Photo By El Guanche

If you want to see stick fighting, you could visit over Día de las Islas Canarias (Canary Islands’ Day) which is on 30th May. This is a big celebration and you can also enjoy demonstrations of other sports, such as Lucha Canaria, and there is plenty of eating and drinking. The Canarians certainly know how to party!

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When you get to Gran Canaria, there are plenty of boat trips you can do. If you’re staying in Playa del Inglés, there is no harbour there so you will need to get to Puerto Rico or book a trip which includes a transfer.

Apart from fishing trips and parascending, there are several boat cruises you can choose from, which depart from Puerto Rico.

Some of the boats (such as the SuperCat and the Timanfaya) are huge and take hundreds of people out at once. Others (such as the Sagittarius Star, Liberty or Tauro Cruises) are smaller and take around 20 people out at a time.

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San Francisco might be home to the biggest gay community in the USA but Gran Canaria is the gay centre of Europe. If you’re not gay, it won’t make any difference to you because there are plenty of couples and families on holiday too. But if you are gay, you will find many other gay people, gay bars, gay restaurants, gay hairdressers, gay gyms etc. There is virtually no homophobia here because the locals are brought up with it.

Photo By Howie_Berlin

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