It was mid-November and I was nudged by HR to ensure my holidays had been properly registered or lose the days I hadn’t taken. Upon discovery of the astonishing fact I had so much of my holiday allowance this year YET to be taken, I realised what a woeful job I had done of taking vacation this year; basically I worked through most of the summer, getting by on periodic city breaks. Once the threat of losing my leave days became clear, I scrambled to find a cheap but sunny break. Not exactly easy given the fact we are now in full fledged winter in Europe and December was just over two weeks away (those presents won’t buy themselves eek!). Having been to Tenerife in October years before, I decided to return to the Canary Islands but go to Gran Canaria this time. What a treat it turned out to be.
CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT MY TRAVELS IN TENERIFE
To set the scene, I packed 4 books and 2 journals. My plan for this trip was to be a beach bum and just veg out in the sunshine by the water each day. Unfortunately, I faffed around and missed out on the somewhat affordable beach hotels, so I ended up in a city hotel. It turns out (and to be fair, anyone who knows me could have told me this too!) I’m very much a city girl and sitting beachside/poolside for hours in a day, let alone days, goes against my nature. Instead I got to play tourist in the beautiful city of Las Palmas, enjoying all it had to offer. Here’s a mini guide on things to do, see and eat in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria.
Vegueta (The Old Town)
In my humble opinion, Vegueta is the most beautiful part of Las Palmas and Las Palmas is already quite a pretty place to be. The colourful buildings, well-preserved with their character features and historic architecture and the cobbled streets are just such a delight to explore. After whetting my appetite for discovery with a walking tour with Luis (which I highly recommend!), I explored at my leisure with no itinerary or time pressure. I peeked into gorgeously manicured courtyards. I took pictures of (and with!) almost every palm tree I came across. I made a few other stops (see below) but for the most part, the joy was in the wandering, freely and aimlessly without a care in the world.
Catedral de Santa Ana
The grand dame of Vegueta. From the outside, it presents a large and imposing structure, whilst the interior is actually quite simple but still beautiful. The piece de la resistance is definitely the tower. If you get the chance to go, make sure you go all the way to the top, and not just the last stop of the lift. One windy staircase later, and the most amazing panoramic view of the landscape was there on offer. Wow, just wow. A visit to the church museum is also included in the 6 EUR entrance fee so don’t miss out on that!
Museo Canario
Museo Canario is the archaeological museum of the Canary Islands and shows various artefacts in its exhibits. If you’re brave enough, there’s a famously creepy but admittedly fascinating gallery of mummies and skeletons. Proceed at your own peril!
Casa De Colon
Translated as “Columbus House”, Casa de Colon is a colonial style mansion museum dedicated to Christopher Columbus’ travels to the Americas and also his travels through Las Palmas.
Triana
Triana is a gorgeous district full of shops and amazing restaurants and also the area I was staying in. It’s home to Calle Triana, which is one of the oldest and most famous streets in Las Palmas and has shops for dayssss! I spent an afternoon wandering in and out, picking up bits and bobs. Definitely one for the shoppers. Also, all the restaurants I mentioned below are located in Triana apart from El Deseo which is in Vegueta.
Las Canteras Beach | Full disclosure, I didn’t make it to the beach in this trip. I fully intended to (remember my beach bum aspirations) but never got round to it in the end. From all accounts though, Las Canteras Beach is apparently one of the world’s best city beaches. I will definitely make a stop there on my next visit!
FOOD
I found Canarian cuisine to be pretty yummy – lots of tapas and great seafood on offer. A word of caution – portions are super generous there and unless you ask for a green salad, it’s not guaranteed to come with your food so be careful how much you order. Deliciosa Marta is an absolute gastronomic treat and recommended by the Michelin Guide alongside El Santo. Make sure you book in advance especially for Deliciosa Marta which you would probably need to book at least a week in advance. For more affordable eats that are no less tasty, definitely check out La Travesia, El Deseo and Bodegon Lagunetas. For brunch, you absolutely have to go to Mr Kale, thank me later!
In terms of accommodation in Las Palmas, it’s not cheap and at the time I got round to booking, there weren’t many options for hotels available, affordable or otherwise (so much was already booked up). I ended up staying at the AC Iberia Las Palmas By Marriott. It’s in a great location along the Marina and roughly 7 minutes’ walk from the San Telmo Bus Station and San Telmo Parque, which leads on to Calle Triana, the shopping street. Vegueta is roughly about 10 minutes on foot from Calle Triana so really everything I needed and wanted to see was close by. The hotel staff were also welcoming and helpful, absolutely lovely. The hotel itself and the amenities were a little tired though. The room was rather basic and the bathroom was in desperate need of a refurb; I mean the floors were coming up in some areas. I didn’t get breakfast with the room and I’m truly grateful for that because the one and only day I did, I honestly should have just given it a pass. At 17 EUR, that was my most expensive (and least satisfactory) breakfast meal of the trip. All in all, the hotel staff and location made my stay very pleasant and easy but I would try somewhere in Vegueta or by the beach for my next stay.
A final word on Gran Canaria – I absolutely loved it. I’m thinking to go again next November and make an annual wintersun vacay out of it. Maybe next time, I will get to see places outside of Las Palmas. Oh and the 4 books and 2 journals I brought with me? Didn’t get round to opening even one until the flight home!
