beat the brochure

If we know anything about Gran Canaria, we know about its nightlife and its beautiful beaches. Maspalomas with its amazing sand dunes is the biggest and most popular with everyone.

There are many other beaches around this island to keep holiday makers searching for the sun and sand happy, but it is usually the most popular that everyone knows about and heads for.

If you prefer something less commercialised or down-right natural and away from it all, take a look at these:

La Cantera Beach

This is a sort of half and half beach. It’s right in the middle of Las Palmas but it’s huge so there is plenty of space for everyone. Not only is it safe for swimming, but it’s good for snorkelling and surfing. If you like all the amenities handy you won’t be disappointed as there are local bars and restaurants right here too.

Guayedra

This pebble and sand beach is close to Agaete on the west coast of Gran Canaria. It’s a secret because you have to drive down a track and then walk to the beach. So if you want to enjoy this quiet space, get your walking shoes on.

El Juncal

Another small beach of pebbles just to the north of Puerto de las Nieves. You can walk to the beach along the promenade from the harbour. Like many of these ‘secret’ beaches there are no facilities so you’ll need to take your own supplies.

El Puertillo

This beach with its own natural swimming pool often gets overlooked though it can be busy at weekends. The nearby town of Arucas attracts the sight-seeing tourists to view its Gothic church and look round its pretty streets but rarely do they make it to the beach. Rough seas on this north coast make it safer to use the natural swimming pool at the beach. There are some good fish restaurants in the village and on the promenade when you need sustenance.

If fishing is your thing, there are some good places to try this out with possible catches of bream and parrot fish.

Sardina del Norte

This beach gets busy at weekends too. Scuba divers looking for angel sharks and big rays flock here as well as seafood lovers for the restaurants. The sandy beach is clean and safe so good for all the family to indulge their favourite beach activity from boogie boarding to scuba diving.

You can hike to the lighthouse from here too. Sardina is also very close to the ancient painted cave, Cueva Pintada. The paintings are a relic of the early Guanche people who lived on the island many hundreds of years ago.

San Cristobal

San Cristobal is almost a suburb of Las Palmas but don’t dismiss it because of this. It’s a little fishing port to the south of the capital, swallowed up as Las Palmas has expanded. The beach is pebbly but rarely used. Great place to watch the fishing boats and visit one of the good seafood restaurants in the village.

El Risco

El Risco is probably best known for its blue pool, Charco Azul and definitely a favourite daytrip for visitors on their cheap holidays to Gran Canaria. The pool is very pretty and worth the walk from the village, but if you head in the opposite direction you arrive at a wide beach of sand and pebbles. It’s not developed at all and rarely has any visitors. Don’t forget to take you own supplies of food, drink and sun lotion as there are no facilities at this small natural treasure. Bathing costumes aren’t necessary!