Gran Canaria - the original Canary Island
Located off the north-western coast of Africa, the Canary Islands are of volcanic origin and actually derive their name not from canaries, but from the latin word canis, meaning dog, as it appears that the Romans found dogs here. However dogs are not especially in evidence now, and the Canaries, now under Spain, provide a great sunny location for a budget holiday, as there are many reasonably priced packages available. Gran Canaria is the third largest of the Canary Islands, and has a number of attractive resorts. Playa del Ingles has a long sandy beach, and its farther end forms into huge, rolling sand dunes not dissimilar to the Sahara Desert. You can make your way over these to the nearby resort of Maspalomas. Playa del Ingles has a long promenade, and it is wonderful to walk along it and admire the blue sea and yellow sands.
Further inland, the town of Teror is an interesting place to visit – not only does it have some fine examples of traditional Canarian architecture surrounding its central plaza, but it also has the Basilica of the Virgin del Pino. In Teror you can look round a typical old Canarian house which has now been turned into a museum, with its inner courtyard overlooked by balconies. Teror is also a good place to buy traditional Canarian textiles, such as placemats and tablecloths, which make easily transportable souvenirs.
On there is accommodation of all price ranges available, from very reasonably priced self-catering accommodation, to four star hotels. A lot of the last minute bargains tend to be for self-catering accommodation – a few years ago we went to Playa del Ingles on one of these cut-price deals and were impressed by the place we got: a little house with kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom. The lounge had French windows opening onto a patio where there was a table and chairs, providing a lovely place to eat. This was in a friendly holiday village with two large swimming pools.
Gran Canaria is an excellent place to relax for a few weeks, without putting too much of a strain on your bank balance.
