A lot of the Gran Chaparral bars are family-style ones where you can enjoy catching up with major TV shows, sing karaoke, watch a singer or show, or simply relax with a Sunday roast dinner and a pint. You can get a nice English breakfast at Britannia.

Rent bikes, cars, jeeps or motorcycles from the Gran Chaparral, or check out some of the shops where you can find tourist gifts. There is also a good Chinese restaurant in the Gran Chaparral shopping center.

You can find the Gran Chaparral Shopping Centre on Avenida de Gran Canaria, at the top of Calle de Noruega, and it’s open from late morning until 2am.

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Although hiking is not one of the main things the Canaries are known for, it is possible to enjoy a walking holiday because there are so many beautiful landscapes. Gran Canaria features a pine forest, various campsites, rugged cliffs and mountains. Walking and hiking in Gran Canaria can be as easy or as challenging as you like.

La Palma

The island of La Palma is another option and you can enjoy the black sandy beaches and thick forests. The volcanic landscape is exciting to explore and you can also visit the Caldera de Taburiente crater or the UNESCO Los Tilos Biosphere Reserve while you are there.

La Gomera

Another possibility is the island of La Gomera, which allows self-guided hiking while your luggage is transported from hotel to hotel. This means you can explore with just a rucksack at your own pace, and end up at a new hotel for the night with your luggage (and a hot meal) waiting there for you

La Gomera by Abrocke

There are black sandy beaches, green valleys and beautiful forests on La Gomera and if you want something quieter than Gran Canaria, either here or La Palma might suit you down to the ground.

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Photo by Habladorcito

Meloneras offers a sandy beach where you can soak up the sun or enjoy a swim, and at night there are lots of places you can go. You won’t find all the lager louts that you’d get in Puerto Rico or Playa del Ingles in Meloneras.

You might like to try the casino too. The hotels in Meloneras are four or five star and the Lopesan Baobab Resort is one of the nicer ones, or you can try the Lopesan Villa del Conde which is sumptuous as well.

If you are into golf, you will be pleased to know there is a newly built 18-hole golf course in Meloneras. If not, there is plenty of shopping you can do and the beach is also beautiful. Meloneras is a nice resort to pick if you want a really relaxing holiday in Gran Canaria.

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Photo by Dmytrok

6 people were injured including the Norwegian lady who suffered burns over 100% of her body and died. Her name hasn’t been released yet.

Another woman suffered burns over 90% of her body and is in the ICU, and about a thousand tourists were evacuated briefly after the explosion, but let back in when the structure was found to be secure. 17 people were treated for anxiety and post-traumatic stress. What a horrible thing to happen

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Golf in Tauro

You can choose from a 9 or 18 hole course, each with green areas and artificial lakes. Golf is possible all year round in Gran Canaria although the prices go up in the winter because it’s one of the only places you can be guaranteed of fine golfing weather in the coldest months of the year (at least, cold in other places).

Anfi Tauro

As well as the golf, Tauro is home to one of the Anfi resorts. This timeshare company rents out villas and apartments, as well as selling them, and if you do not want to stay in the main Anfi del Mar resort near Arguineguin you might prefer Tauro.

Tauro gets very hot in the summer, especially during July and August, so make sure you pick somewhere with a pool. Some people liken Tauro to one big dust bowl because it can be hot and dusty. There also seem to be more flies and mosquitoes in this area too. Laying in our backyard used to drive me mad because another fly would land on me every 10 seconds.

Shops and Bars

There is a Spar supermarket in Tauro and a few small cafes and bars. You can walk to Amadores Beach in 20 minutes or Puerto Rico in 25. You can drive to either in 5 minutes.

Tauro Facilities

Tauro has a beach and there are plans for redevelopment because it is very basic. There are also plans for luxury apartments and a harbour although nothing has happened yet with regard to this.

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Photo by Furya

A lot of the population of Mogan live along the coastline, although the area consists of mountains and valleys as well, which are covered with vegetation and forests. There is barren land in the central, northern and eastern parts and urban areas and farmland nearer to the ocean.

How to Get There

The town of Mogan, which is northwest of Puerto Rico is about 12 km from the coast. You can get there by leaving the GC1 motorway at its southernmost exit and then following the coast road. Alternatively you can take a ferry from Arguineguin or Puerto Rico, or get the no. 1 or no. 33 bus.

Agriculture, fishing and tourism are the main industries of Mogan, Gran Canaria. As you would expect, the tourism industry is mainly located along the coast in a series of resorts.

Puerto de Mogan

The quaint fishing port of Puerto de Mogan is quieter and less commercialized (a bit less anyway!) than Playa del Ingles and Puerto Rico, apart from on Friday when the Mogan market floods Mogan with thousands of tourists.

Photo by Furya

Five minutes from Mogan is Taurito, which is a nice beach with still waters set against a dramatic cliff landscape. A lot of visitors to Gran Canaria spend a day in Puerto de Mogan, and the whole area is nice to drive around if you want to rent a hire car in Gran Canaria.

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Canarian Mountains by Azuaje

You might like to base yourself in a rural guesthouse (or the hostel) in Valleseco if you want, rather than staying in a busy hotel in the south. Some people do prefer that kind of tranquility. You can always head south for a night (or day) out if you want to. The island isn’t that big!

80% of Vallesco is protected by land conservation law and it is really unspoilt. There are (or there were, at the last count!) seven restaurant/bars in Valleseco, catering for most palates, especially those keen to try some Canarian cooking in pleasant surroundings.

Valleseco by Rafael Gomez

Local Artisans

Perhaps you are interested in what the local artisans have to offer, and that includes traditional Canary Island costumes, sculpted stone, ceramics, woven baskets, leather and wood crafts and carpentry.

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One great catamaran trip is the Spirit of the Sea dolphin and whale tour which leaves from Puerto Base harbour. It is best to book online (just click the above link for more details and booking options) because during the busy months (ie – now!) the boat does get full.

If you are keen on fishing you might like to go sport-fishing on the Barakuda Dos sportfishing boat in Puerto Escala. For just 60 euros a day you can bottom-fish for stingrays, sharks, red snappers and more, or troll for blue marlin and tuna (depending on the season) and that includes beer, soft drinks and a simple lunch

There are a couple of other catamaran trips to choose from but if you want to see the boats for yourself, simply head down to Puerto Rico and wander around Puerto Base and Puerto Escala. There are two harbours in Puerto Rico and it’s a good idea to walk around collecting leaflets from each stall, and then you can peruse them at your leisure over a chilled sangria in one of the harbour bars until you have made your catamaran choice.

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I once had to take a cab to Tauro (behind Puerto Rico) because my flight was delayed and I arrived at 1 o’clock in the morning which is well after the time the buses stop running and it was 60 euros. Ouch!

If you want to get the bus, the bus stop is the other side of the main road from the airport (go through the tunnel to get over) and you will need the number 66 to get to Faro Maspalomas (the last stop) and then the 33 or 39 to go the rest of the way.

How to Get to Your Hotel from Puerto Rico Bus Station

The bus station in Puerto Rico is near a taxi stand so if your hotel isn’t in the vicinity of the main shopping centre (check before you go) you can get a cab. Remember a lot of hotels in Puerto Rico are on the top of the hill so you won’t want to lug suitcases up the steep hill in 30 degree heat!

Some of the bus drivers speak English and almost all of them speak a tiny bit. Enough to answer you about when the next bus is due or where to catch your next bus. There are timetables on each bus stop anyway. You can find out more here: http://www.globalsu.net – this site is the official Gran Canaria bus website. It’s in Spanish but you just have to choose your departure point and destination from the drop-down menus and click “ir” for the info to come up.

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This is just a small local fiesta so everything outside Mogan should be open for business as usual.

Between 11am and 2pm there is a gastronomic fair with cheese, bread, nougat, wine and more. There is a Eucharist at 11.30am. At 9pm there is a gala in the municipal park which you might like to go and watch

You can find more information about this festival here: http://mogan.es/Agenda/2011/05_Mayo/SanAntonio.pdf

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