Gran Canaria Hotels and Accommodation

(Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain)

With such long and dreamy stretches of golden sandy beaches, and warm waters throughout the year, it is easy to see why Gran Canaria is full of popular resorts, balconied beachfront hotels, self-catering apartments and just so many additional accommodation opportunities. The island of Gran Canaria has long been an extremely popular Canary Island and although lodging is easy to come by, away from Las Palmas and the southerly beach resorts, it can be rather sparse.

A large number of the hotels on Gran Canaria come complete with modern amenities, restaurants, pools, sun beds, bars and views of the beach itself, which is often just a few footsteps away. Holiday makers do tend to favour the commercial package tour resorts, although more traditional Spanish-style accommodation is tucked away in central villages, such as San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Santa Lucia de Tirajana and Tejeda.

Where to Stay

With almost 300 hotels around the island, most levels of accommodation are available here, although the best hotels are quick to fill up. Hotels on Gran Canaria become particularly busy during the hot summer months, and also in the winter, which is generally the island's high season. Many European tourists choose to visits Gran Canaria during the winter, to take advantage of the exceptional weather, sunny beaches and reasonably priced accommodation. Hotel prices on Gran Canaria often rise at this time of the year, although affordable hotel packages are usually easy to find.

A noteworthy alternative to hotels, self-catering apartment rentals on Gran Canaria are becoming increasingly popular and can be rented on a weekly basis. Offering inexpensive and well-placed accommodation, Gran Canaria is home to more than 800 apartments with are available for rental year-round. Holiday bungalows, villas and more historic rural accommodation (casa rural) are also equally desirable around Gran Canaria and are never far from local shops and eateries.

Well-known hotel chains are plentiful on Gran Canaria, together with a number of five-star hotels for those looking for luxury accommodation and the best views of the coastline. Many hotels can be found around the southern side of the island, where the climate is generally slight drier and more temperate. Popular hotel resorts in this area of Gran Canaria include the Playa del Inglés, Maspalomas and San Agustin. Also, many hotels can be found close to Gran Canaria's Puerto de Mogan and the neighbouring beaches of Playa del Cura and the Playa del Tauro.

On the northern side of Gran Canaria, the capital city of Las Palmas is also the capital of hotels, with accommodation being widespread on this part of the island. Also, the resort of Telde, on the eastern side of Gran Canaria, has a good selection of hotels, many of which line Garita Beach. Hotels are also plentiful in the resorts of Arucas, Agaete and San Nicolas de Tolentino, all of which lie on Gran Canaria's northwestern coast.