The Cunning Canary

Here are some quick links to other bloggers thinking about the Canary Islands:

• Cheap Holidays In Gran Canaria  - cheap is always good
• Lifer Inmobiliaria closes its 10 offices in the Gran Canaria Province and “disappears off the face of the earth” - I’m glad I just rent!
• Dead Body Found In Gran Canaria and that’s a bit scarey!
• Club Tucanes Gran Canaria
• Destination Tenerife
• Gran Canaria Favourite For Euro Tourists - Good, otherwise I’d be out of a job
• Jobs in Playa del Ingles (Gran Canaria) job vacancy - Dancers wanted - hm, no comment

[Read more →]

It is incredibly busy here from about the 23rd of December until the 5th of January but fairly quiet outside those dates. If you fancy spending Christmas in Gran Canaria you should book your tickets soon since most of the accommodation is full and the travel prices go up if you leave it too long.

The exchange rates in Gran Canaria might be lower if you have been here before because the pound is very weak but that doesn’t mean you won’t have a great week. If you budget and decide how much to spend per day, you can do lots of different things like trips to Mogan market, Playa del Ingles, Palmitos Park Gran Canaria and more. There are also some very good restaurants and bars here which don’t cost the earth.

[Read more →]

If you want to know how much is beer in Gran Canaria, the answer is that it varies… a lot!!

If you want cheap beer, you can go to M&Ms bar in the Puerto Rico shopping centre where beer is a bargain at 90 cents a pint. If you find yourself at an upmarket restaurant or cocktail bar, you might find yourself being charged up to 4 and a half euros a pint!

[Read more →]

The Indian Head is one of those bars I’ve walked past many times and never ventured inside! When it comes to bars Gran Canaria offers a fair bit of variety and this bar looked a bit different from the outside. It was totally different on the inside too - few bars here have red carpeted walls, American Indian photos all over the place and sculptures of American Indian heads! I visited with my partner Mike and we decided to have a drink there, despite Sitting Bull and Custer frowning down at us from a huge painting.

[Read more →]

OK maybe I am exaggerating slightly. It appears to have dropped to about 24 degrees C in the daytime which I am sure is hot enough for most tourists lucky enough to have a holiday to Gran Canaria. For me, that involves wearing a fleece in the morning and evening and putting my fluffy socks on when I get home!

Also, as you probably know, the clocks are going backon Saturday so dusk will come quicker. Summer this year in Gran Canaria was very hot so I am looking forward to a cool (well, for us anyway!) winter! Here are a couple of photos of the wintry sky this morning:

[Read more →]

Well, having got back from Dentist San Martin, I am much happier than I was an hour ago! I had a root canal done there a few months back but the tooth kept on aching. Then I went this morning and within 10 minutes he’d drilled a small area of the tooth off and I felt much better.

Apparently the new filled tooth was “too high” and my bite wasn’t right. He did it for free (well, he was correcting his previous error!) and I don’t think I’ll have any more problems with that tooth. Now I can indulge in some Canarian cooking without worrying about it!

[Read more →]

Sioux City, which was originally built in 1969 for $2 million, has been a popular theme park for both locals and tourists for many years. Don Alejandro del Castillo, who owned the land, made a deal with 20th Century Fox who used American designers to plan the area. Two years later, Sioux City Gran Canaria opened its doors as a Wild West theme park.

Sioux City Cowboy - Photo by Bmfcker

Four years on, the park was used as the location to film “Take a High Ride”, a great Western film. Celebrities such as James Brown and Gloria Gaynor have sung at Sioux City and it is often used for themed parties and weddings.

[Read more →]

Many people come to Gran Canaria for the wildlife. Not only can you visit Palmitos Park Gran Canaria but you can take dolphin trips in Gran Canaria, spot sea turtles on various boat trips, see iguanas on many paths and see different fish when snorkeling or scuba diving but there are more birds here than you might have expected (of the feathered variety also!)

[Read more →]