C   a   n   a   r   y   F   o   r   u   m

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. 

Maspalomas Beach

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

North West - North East

South West - South East

Before I get started, a few things to bear in mind that perhaps you didn't know about beaches here :-

  • All beaches are public. If a hotel decides to spend a small fortunate improving one of the beaches, it still has to remain accessible to the public.
  • Saturdays beaches get much busier than normal as many locals use them and Sundays they get very, very busy as most locals are using them.
  • All ball games should be played 100 meters back from the shoreline. Of course nobody really pays much attention to this rule but if you're playing by the sea and someone complains, they are right and you are wrong.
  • No camping or BBQ on any beach. Again , on some more secluded beaches this rule is often broken but should the police come along there'll be problems.
  • Puerto Rico, Amadores and Mogan beaches are mainly non-smoking each with its own smoking zone. Also on these beaches swimming after dark is not permitted.
  • A sun bed is 2.50 / 3.00 euros for the day and an umbrella is another 2.50 / 3.00 euros (price depends on which beach)
  • Here is a nice link to check the sea temperature and as it's aimed for surfers, you can also check the wave forecast & other conditions.
There's a little extra info also in our blog section here

Amadores

This is a big and busy man-made beach, built around 2002 and with crushed coral sand imported from the Caribbean. Sand imported from the Sahara (for beaches such as Puerto Rico & Mogan) would become too hot to touch during the day as is our own volcanic sand.Being of coral sand no matter how hot the day you can walk barefoot or sit on the sand without burning. I remember how uncomfortable it was 10 years ago, like lying on tiny pebbles but over the years he ocean has ground it down so it's much finer now.

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Anfi Beach

My favourite beach on the island if I'm feeling lazy, it has everything you could want without having to move very far & it's easy to get to. For a tourist beach it's also pleasing on the eye and I like the carribean sand (yes really, sand imported from the carribean) as it doesn't burn your feet like the volcanic sand does.

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Aquamarina Beach

Well obviously the Aquamarina apartment complex wanted to have it's own beach so they covered a concrete slab with sand and put sunbeds on the adjacent jetty and there you have it. During the week it is very, very quiet largely due to the alternatives in the area - Patalavaca's beach and Anfi beach.

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Arguineguin

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If you arrive at the beach and find yourself staring at a huge cement factory and little else then you're at "Punta del Perchel" and you need to carry on round the corner away from thefactory for another kilometre or so, passing the dock / harbour.

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Dorado Beach

I'm not sure if this is a recognized beach or just something the Dorado beach hotel created, it's not on the map but if it looks like a beach, smells like a beach....

dorado

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El Cabron

El Cabron beach can be found half way up the east coast of the island; a 20 minute drive from either the south or the north. Although there's almost always a breeze here (and wind farms!) during July & August expect a lot of wind, though El Cabron has plenty of areas sheltered from any wind.

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