Christmas Eve on the beach, fireworks over the sea at New Year and a colourful Three Kings parade through the capital. We spent the holidays on Gran Canaria and took weeks to explore the island, from the dunes of Maspalomas to the mountain villages around Tejeda, and from the wild northwest coast to the local town of Arinaga, which we kept coming back to.
Where you stay on Gran Canaria shapes your whole trip. The south is sunny and built for beach holidays, the north is greener and more local, and up in the mountains you wake up above the clouds. We slept in our own campervan, which meant we got to see a lot of different corners of the island. In this guide we share where to stay in Gran Canaria, who each area suits best and which hotels we would pick in every spot.
Where to stay in Gran Canaria at a glance
Short on time? Here is the quick version. Further down you will find more about each area and our favourite hotels.
- Best for a local seaside town: Arinaga (our favourite: Paraíso Playa de Arinaga)
- Best for the dunes and the longest beach: Maspalomas and San Agustín (our favourite: Seaside Palm Beach)
- Best for facilities with a real village feel: Arguineguín and Patalavaca (our favourite: Radisson Blu Resort Gran Canaria)
- Best for families and calm water: Puerto Rico and Amadores (our favourite: Gloria Palace Amadores Thalasso & Hotel)
- Best for a romantic harbour town: Puerto de Mogán (our favourite: LIVVO Puerto de Mogán)
- Best for the rugged northwest coast: Agaete and Puerto de las Nieves (our favourite: Hotel Rural Las Longueras)
- Best for hiking in the mountains: Tejeda and Cruz de Tejeda (our favourite: Hotel Fonda de la Tea)
- Best for a city break with a beach: Las Palmas (our favourite: Boutique Hotel Cordial La Niña de Vegueta)
Is it better to stay in the north or the south of Gran Canaria?
If sun and sea top your list, you will almost automatically end up in the south. It is drier and sunnier than the north, even in winter, and it is where you find most of the sandy beaches and hotels. Many beaches come with sunbeds, showers and beach bars. We spent most of our beach days down south too. The atmosphere changes a lot from town to town though: the hotel strips of Playa del Inglés and the local life in Arinaga feel like two different islands.
The north and the interior are greener, more local and often cloudier. The coastline is wilder, with rocks, pebbly coves and natural rock pools instead of long sandy beaches. This is also where you find the capital Las Palmas, the rugged coast around Agaete and the mountain villages around Tejeda. Great for exploring, but less obvious as your only base for a beach week. We would pick a spot on the south or east coast and head out on day trips from there, perhaps adding a few nights in the mountains.
→ Discover the 20 best things to do in Gran Canaria
→ Discover whether Tenerife or Gran Canaria suits you best
Do you need a car in Gran Canaria?
If you want to see more than your hotel and the beach, we definitely recommend hiring a car. The island is round and you can drive from one side to the other in a couple of hours, but the mountain roads are narrow and full of hairpin bends. A distance that looks short on the map can easily take an hour here. We drove our campervan to the south via Mogán and loved that route, just don’t be in a hurry.
For a week, one base is plenty. If hiking is your main plan, add a few nights in the mountains so you don’t have to drive up and down every day. Without a car, the south or Las Palmas work best, as that is where the Global buses run most often.
The easiest place to pick up a rental car is the airport. On Discover Cars you can compare local and international rental companies side by side, so you quickly see who offers the best deal. Do check what the price includes, especially the insurance.
→ Compare car hire in Gran Canaria on Discover Cars
The best areas to stay in Gran Canaria
#1 Arinaga: relaxed and local on the east coast
If we had to choose one place on Gran Canaria, it would be Arinaga. We spent Christmas Eve on the beach here and came back later because it simply felt right. It is an ordinary Canarian seaside town with a long promenade, café terraces full of locals, a fun playground by the sea and a few lovely little beaches for a swim. No hotel strips or shopping centres, just an easy-going village rhythm.
Arinaga is on the east coast, so it can get properly windy. Just down the road at Pozo Izquierdo we watched lots of windsurfers racing over the waves. Accommodation is mostly holiday apartments, which suits a longer stay perfectly. The airport is about fifteen minutes away, and the pretty old centre of Agüimes, with bronze statues dotted around its streets, is close by too.
#1 Paraíso Playa de Arinaga is close to the promenade and the small beach of Zoco Negro. With two bedrooms and a full kitchen, you can stroll to the sea in the morning and cook your own dinner at night.
#2 La Casita de Diego is a roomy apartment with three bedrooms and a balcony, a short walk from Arinaga beach. Handy if you travel as a bigger family or bring the grandparents along.
#3 Sun Beach Arinaga has two bedrooms, a kitchen and a terrace, a few minutes on foot from the water. A quiet, independent base without any resort fuss.
#2 Maspalomas and San Agustín: the dunes and the longest beach
The tourist strip of Maspalomas and Playa del Inglés wasn’t really our thing: hotel after hotel and one shopping centre after another. But the Maspalomas dunes are fantastic. We set out early, walked for kilometres across the sand and swam in the sea, and barely noticed the crowds. In the end we had two brilliant days here. I had actually been here once before, as a child with my parents.
If you want to stay here, choose a hotel near the dunes, the lighthouse or the beach, because ‘Maspalomas’ covers a huge area. The upside of all that choice is that it is often the cheapest place to stay on the island. Just to the east lies San Agustín, smaller and quieter than Playa del Inglés, with a seafront promenade. Upmarket Meloneras, on the other side of the dunes, has a well-kept boulevard lined with restaurants.
#1 Seaside Palm Beach is a retro-style design hotel set in a tropical garden, a few minutes’ walk from the dunes. With its colourful seventies interior, it has far more character than the big resorts around it.
#2 Hotel San Agustin Beach Club sits right on San Agustín beach and has a cheerful, nautical-themed interior. A good choice if you want to visit the dunes but prefer to sleep in a quieter corner.
#3 Hotel Faro, a Lopesan Collection Hotel stands right next to the Maspalomas lighthouse, with the sea and the Meloneras boulevard on the doorstep. Note that this hotel is adults only.
#3 Arguineguín and Patalavaca: facilities with a real village feel
We stayed in Arguineguín for a few days. We did our laundry, lazed on the beach and the kids had a great time in the playground. One thing you notice straight away: Norwegian flags everywhere, Norwegian cafés and even a Norwegian school. So yes, it is touristy, but it is also a real fishing village with a harbour and a centre where people actually live. On Tuesdays there is a big weekly market.
Neighbouring Patalavaca and the bay of Anfi del Mar are more about hotels and apartments built against the cliffs. For us this area is a good middle ground: the sunshine and facilities of the south, with a bit more everyday life than in the big resorts. Puerto de Mogán and Maspalomas are both about fifteen minutes’ drive away.
#1 Radisson Blu Resort Gran Canaria sits high above the sea at Patalavaca, with spacious rooms and balconies looking out over the ocean. With several pools and a small beach nearby, it is the most comfortable choice in this area.
#2 Bull Dorado Beach & Spa is right on the water in Arguineguín, by the little beach of La Lajilla. You can walk straight to the harbour and the restaurants in the village.
#3 Arguineguín Park by Servatur has roomy apartments with their own kitchen and terrace, set around a large pool. A pleasant base for families staying a bit longer.
#4 Puerto Rico and Amadores: calm water for families
The bay of Puerto Rico is completely packed with apartment blocks climbing up the hills, so you wouldn’t exactly call it pretty. Still, we get why so many families end up here. The beach is sheltered, the water is bright blue and often calm, and we jumped straight in. The foot showers on the beach were a big hit with the kids.
Just around the corner is Playa de Amadores, a man-made beach with white sand and turquoise water that looks more like the Caribbean. Here too the hotels are built against the slope, so expect stairs or a steep road down. A boat sails along the coast to Puerto de Mogán, which makes a fun day out.
#1 Gloria Palace Amadores Thalasso & Hotel overlooks Playa de Amadores and has a large thalasso centre with seawater pools. From the pool deck you look straight out over the bay.
#2 Gloria Palace Royal Hotel & Spa is the slightly more upmarket sister of the Amadores hotel, with a spa and pools overlooking the ocean. A great place to unwind after a beach day.
#3 Marina Bayview has apartments with their own kitchen and balcony, within walking distance of the beach and Puerto Rico harbour. Note that it is adults only, so it is a good pick if you are travelling without kids but still want to cook for yourself.
#5 Puerto de Mogán: a romantic harbour town in the southwest
Puerto de Mogán is the picture you often see on postcards: white houses with colourful trims, bougainvillea spilling over the walls and little bridges over the canals by the marina. No wonder it is nicknamed ‘Little Venice’. There is a sheltered sandy beach, and boat trips leave from the harbour. On Fridays there is a big market, which brings in plenty of day-trippers.
If you would rather stroll along a harbour in the evening than past shopping centres, this is a great pick. It does sit at the end of the coast road, so trips to the east or north mean a fair bit of driving. Inland lies the village of Mogán, where we did a short, steep hike to small waterfalls and pools. Go early, as parking is limited.
#1 LIVVO Puerto de Mogán is right between the harbour and the lanes of the old town, with bright rooms and apartments. The beach and the restaurants on the quay are just a few minutes away on foot.
#2 Hotel Cordial Mogán Playa is built like a small Canarian village, with white houses in a lush garden. With several pools and the beach within walking distance, it works well for families.
#3 Radisson Blu Resort & Spa, Gran Canaria Mogán lies in the valley behind the town and has big pools and a spa. You are a little further from the sea here, but you get plenty of peace and space.
#6 Agaete and Puerto de las Nieves: the rugged northwest coast
The northwest coast is wilder and greener than the south. Our very first night on Gran Canaria was near Gáldar, with a stunning sunset over a stormy sea. Later we found a nice little beach at Sardina del Norte. A bit further south lies Agaete, with the white harbour village of Puerto de las Nieves below it, natural rock pools and the ferry to Tenerife.
Behind Agaete, a green valley full of fruit trees and even coffee plantations winds up into the mountains. At El Risco we did a short scramble to the Charco Azul waterfall. This coast is less suited to a sunny beach week, as the weather is more changeable and the sea rougher. But for a few nights on a road trip, or if you love hiking and local villages, it is a wonderful spot.
#1 Hotel Rural Las Longueras is an old manor house among the fruit trees of the Agaete Valley, with antique furniture, a large garden and a pool. A hotel with real character, although you will need a car to get to the coast.
#2 Hotel Puerto de las Nieves is within walking distance of the harbour and the rock pools, with spacious rooms and a small spa. Handy if you are catching the ferry to Tenerife.
#3 Occidental Roca Negra sits on top of the rocky coast and looks out over the ocean. This hotel is adults only, from 16 years.
#7 Tejeda and Cruz de Tejeda: sleeping among the mountains
For us, the interior is the most beautiful part of Gran Canaria. We spent three days in the mountains and arrived in a thick cloud, but the next morning was clear and we went on a walk with the kids. At the weekend the area filled up with locals having barbecues. Later, Sebastiaan hiked solo to Pico de las Nieves, the highest point of the island, and we visited the village of Tejeda, which is listed among the most beautiful villages in Spain.
In the mountains you wake up to views of Roque Nublo and you can be on the trails in the morning before the tour buses arrive. It is a lot cooler up here than on the coast, especially in the evening, and an afternoon at the beach means an hour of winding roads. So think of it as an add-on of two or three nights. Also pop over to Artenara, where you can visit a cave house for free.
#1 Hotel Fonda de la Tea is a small hotel in a renovated building in the heart of Tejeda village, full of character and with views over the valley. The restaurants and the bakery famous for its almond sweets are just steps away.
#2 Parador de Cruz de Tejeda sits on a mountain pass above the village and has a pool with views of Roque Nublo and Roque Bentayga. A gorgeous spot to recover after a day of hiking.
#3 Hotel Rural El Refugio is a cosy mountain hotel close to the Parador, with an open fire and walking trails from the door. This hotel is adults only.
#8 Las Palmas: a city break with a city beach
The capital Las Palmas is a proper, big city. My brother stayed here when he came to visit us, and we came on a rainy day for the Museo Canario. You can see real mummies of the island’s original inhabitants there, and they alone are worth the entrance fee. The highlight, though, was the Three Kings parade through the city, which we enjoyed even more than the New Year fireworks.
As a holiday base we found Las Palmas less relaxing than a seaside town, but for a city break or a few nights at the start or end of your trip, it is great. Stay in the historic Vegueta district for old town charm, or near Las Canteras if the beach matters more. That city beach has a natural reef just offshore, which keeps the water calm much of the time. Keep in mind that the two districts are quite far apart.
#1 Boutique Hotel Cordial La Niña de Vegueta is a small boutique hotel in a historic building in the old town, a few minutes’ walk from the cathedral and Casa de Colón. A lovely base for exploring the streets of Vegueta.
#2 La Casa de Vegueta is set in a restored colonial house with an inner courtyard, right in Vegueta. Small and personal, with the Museo Canario around the corner.
#3 Bull Reina Isabel & Spa stands right on the Las Canteras promenade and has a rooftop pool overlooking the beach. Ideal if you want to combine city and beach.
More tips for your trip to Gran Canaria
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