So you are thinking of about a break or vacation in the sun, well you will not be disappointed if you choose Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain. It is only about one hundred and thirty miles away from the African continent (yet is considered part of Europe), so sunshine and beautiful weather is all but guaranteed. Although it is Spanish, it has that distinct Canarian feel about it.
Although it is smaller than both Tenerife and Fuerteventura (about 30 miles across) Gran Canaria as plenty there to keep the most seasoned tourist happy. There are plenty of beaches of fine sand and wonderful dunes to laze away your holiday, whether you have chosen a winter or summer trip to get away from the cold northern climes.
Most of the tourist resorts and attractions are to be found on the south of the island of Gran Canaria, where you will find abundant accommodation of every type imaginable, all at very reasonable prices, as the millions of visitors each year will testify. You can stay in some of the major resorts such as, San Agustin, Playa del Ingles (this has become a favourite for gay visitors) and Maspalomas or find one of the many smaller, purpose built tourist complexes scattered throughout the south.
When you get bored of the beach or pool side, many and various tours offer the chance to see some of Gran Canaria as it has a very varied terrain and loads of interesting and spectacular natural features from the massive central mountains to tropical forests.
Typical tourist attractions for the entire family are also plentiful on Gran Canaria, including aqua or water parks, botanical gardens, museums and amusement parks. As you are never far from the beautiful, blue ocean, boat trips and water sports are abundant in both variety and type, so you could always try something different for a change, after all, you are on holiday!
One of the delights of most holidays is to sample the local cuisine and restaurants in Gran Canaria are many and varied, with seafood at the top of most peoples list. International restaurants cater for all tastes for the not so adventurous, plus cafes, take away and fast food outlets can be found almost everywhere. Many bars also sell snacks alongside the very cheap alcohol on offer.
Getting to Gran Canaria is easy now via the international airport and flights from all over Europe (either scheduled or charter) with typical flight times of 4 hours 30 minutes from north European cities. Transfer times are never very long due to the small size of the island, but at peak times you would do well to book them in advance, just in case.
Being a low tax area, Gran Canaria shopping is excellent with many bargains to be found, especially in small electronic items, jewelry, cigarettes and alcohol. Don"t forget to watch your allowances though, you don"t want to get stopped on the way home.