Las Palmas the hidden gem
95% of all Canary Islands tourist take the bus to the south were the climate is a little better and the hotels are bigger. But if you want to get a real Spanish city experience with a twist, you take a taxi north to Las Palmas.
The Canary Islands has great climate all year around. In Las Palmas the Canteras beach is right in the center of the city, just like the Copacabana does. In the north of the beach you have a nice sunny spot perfect for lunch. In the south it is more rough and here rule the waves and the surfers. So daytime it is nice to hang out around the Canteras and have som affordable surfing lessons or just do some running/walking along the big beach.
In the late afternoon it is better to take a taxi (cheap) to the old town and the shopping district. In Spain the really nice restaurants open at 9 in the evening. The spanish eat at 10 in the night, that is crazy late for a Swede. But if you do som shopping and visit some bars before and have some tapas, you might make it so you can be the first guest at 9. The best restaurants are situated in the narrow streets just above the major shopping street Calle Mayor de Triana.
There are great mini one day tour adventures you can do from Las Palmas
1. Mountain biking, nice organised tours, you get driven up to the top and ride downhill
http://www.free-motion.com/en/
2. Go visit the tourist ghetton in the south and have a swim at the Playa Ingles
3. Rent a car and go for hike in the mountains
http://www.ramblingroger.com/grancanaria/maps
4. Fishing and diving tours
http://www.carpgrancanaria.com
One night it is nice to visit the classic hotel Santa Catalina with it´s colonial styled bar.
Urban Las Palmas with its big harbour
95% of all Canary Islands tourist take the bus to the south were the climate is a little better and the hotels are bigger. But if you want to get a real Spanish city experience with a twist, you take a taxi north to Las Palmas.
The Canary Islands has great climate all year around. In Las Palmas the Canteras beach is right in the center of the city, just like the Copacabana does. In the north of the beach you have a nice sunny spot perfect for lunch. In the south it is more rough and here rule the waves and the surfers. So daytime it is nice to hang out around the Canteras and have som affordable surfing lessons or just do some running/walking along the big beach.
In the late afternoon it is better to take a taxi (cheap) to the old town and the shopping district. In Spain the really nice restaurants open at 9 in the evening. The spanish eat at 10 in the night, that is crazy late for a Swede. But if you do som shopping and visit some bars before and have some tapas, you might make it so you can be the first guest at 9. The best restaurants are situated in the narrow streets just above the major shopping street Calle Mayor de Triana.
There are great mini one day tour adventures you can do from Las Palmas
1. Mountain biking, nice organised tours, you get driven up to the top and ride downhill
http://www.free-motion.com/en/
2. Go visit the tourist ghetton in the south and have a swim at the Playa Ingles
3. Rent a car and go for hike in the mountains
http://www.ramblingroger.com/grancanaria/maps
4. Fishing and diving tours
http://www.carpgrancanaria.com
One night it is nice to visit the classic hotel Santa Catalina with it´s colonial styled bar.
Urban Las Palmas with its big harbour
Surfers on South Canteras beach, easy and cheap to take a surfing class
Christmas in Las Palmas with beautiful lit palm trees
Dramatic and scary road along the coast
Always a lot of things happening at Las Canters
Tilted photo from a really nice roof top pool and bar at the Hotel Reina Isabel
The score! (This is the evaluation. The scoring system has 10 categories with 1-10 in grades, maximum score is 100)
1. The beach
Clean, water quality, nice sand, facilities etc.
Score: 9 (the sand is a bit rough, but the ambience and the beach life is great)
2. The boardwalk and local environment
Good for running and walking. Nice viewpoints. Vibrating life with people and activities.
Score: 10 (long, wide boardwalk, with a lot of restaurants and Spanish people dressed up for strolling)
3. Rainy day activities
Is it close to a big city or is there a lot to do rainy days in the area (museums, parks, sights and events)?
Score: 7 (Great malls, nice cafes and some museums to visit)
4. Sunny day activities
Outdoor activities like kayaking, surfing and more.
Score: 8 (cheap surfing classes in the south end of the Canteras beach, you can also rent boats and more)
5. Restaurants and cafes
Are there many restaurants and cafes? Is the food nice? Is it expensive or cheap? Service and variety.
Score: 9 (Nice restaurants in downtown Las Palmas, not to expensive, great outdoor bars and cafes)
6. Parks, forests and mountains
Can you find parks, forests, and mountains so you can go for hikes and do (mountain) biking?
Score: 9 (Some nice parks in Las P, and great mountain hiking 90 min drive up in the mountains)
7. Shopping and street life
What about the quantity and quality of shopping? Is it nice to stroll the streets at night?
Score: 9 (Great malls and also boutique shops in
8. Weather
In this guide we favour summer temperatures with sunny days.
Score: 9 (About 20 degrees celsius in winter, a bit to cold for me, but the best year around climate inside the European Union)
9. Transport
Is it easy to fly to this place? How long and expensive is the trip including transfer from the airport.
Score: 8 (A lot of carriers fly to Las P and the Canary Islands, the airport is just 20 min away)
10. Housing and hotels
Is there a wide range of nice hotels, apartments (on AirBnb etc.) and houses?
Score: 8 (A lot of different options, the hotels are a bit old fashion all though charming)
Total score: 86/100 points
Links
Shopping
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calle_Mayor_de_Triana (also close to the best restaurants)
http://www.ccelmuelle.es
http://cclasarenas.com/interesante/como-llegar/
Santa Catalina hotel bar
http://www.hotelsantacatalina.com/en/
Links
Shopping
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calle_Mayor_de_Triana (also close to the best restaurants)
http://www.ccelmuelle.es
http://cclasarenas.com/interesante/como-llegar/
Santa Catalina hotel bar
http://www.hotelsantacatalina.com/en/
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