So this is going to be an ongoing project which we started back in the summer of 2013 to cover all of the main beaches of Gran Canaria, whether it be a man-made tourist beach in the touristy part of the south or something more natural and deserted on the west coast perhaps.
Gran Canaria has more than 80 beaches (more than 100 if all the smaller, rocky coves are included) to choose from, many are golden sand, dark volcanic sand, pebbles .... we have pretty much all types of beaches here. The beaches in the towns and resorts are developed for the mainstream/tourism whilst those more secluded remain (for the moment) unspoilt havens to discover.
Have a look at the map below and where you see "Playa" then there's a beach. The map's split into 4 parts for easier viewing
Before I get started, a few things to bear in mind that perhaps you didn't know about beaches here :-
The very small resort of Patalavaca has three beaches, the very small and hardly used Aquamarina beach but also the very complete and absolutely fantastic Anfi beach. Anfi is very much a tourist beach with a tourist feel so if you're looking to see where the locals go ..... actually they go to Anfi beach too but hardly any of the tourists go to Patalavaca beach so it has a more Canarian feel to it.
Arinaga is on the east coast, roughly half way between Maspalomas and the airport. The beach has the same name as the town, roughly 3 kilometres long with salt farms to the south and an old lime factory/museum to the north. As well as the main beach (sandy during low tide but pebbles when a high tide) there are a few smaller coves and also a large, natural swimming pool.
As you approach Las Palmas from the south, just as you arrive at the outskirts of the city you have the first of it's five beaches, Playa de la Laja. You can't miss the exit as there's a 9 meter high statue of Triton pointing towards the city. (There is no exit heading south out of the city, only as you enter from the south.)
This is the city's second beach (after Las Canteras) and is quite centrally located, a 5 minute stroll from the end of the shopping street "Mesa y Lopez".
This is a large golden-sand beach and whilst the shoreline can get busy, especially at the northern end closest to the Don Gregory hotel at the southern end the beach is some 100 meters or so deep and semi-deserted. One of the few sandy beaches in the south where you can relax away from the ball-games and loud groups of people, just peace and quiet.
Playa de las Canteras is the main beach of Las Palmas, a fine, golden sand beach and certainly the most popular. It can be found to the very north of the city running from close to the port some 3 kilometres to the city’s auditorium with a wide and busy promenade running its entire length.
