Where to buy a property in Gran Canaria
The Canary Island that sits next door to Tenerife is a popular winter sun escape for Northern Europeans. Badged by its tourism board campaign as a “mini-continent” it offers a diverse range of landscapes for an island of just over 600 square miles.
The Germans have long loved Gran Canaria but the British are now the second biggest number of visitors to the island, that is well supplied with flights from the UK and an easy four-hour journey. Home hunters have also been discovering its laid-back charm and it’s been a popular location for A Place in the Sun TV series with a recent couple looking to retire there for a change in lifestyle with a budget of £175,000.
So where to choose? Whilst the capital Las Palmas is in the lush green north, the airport is in the east of this circular island, and the south-east tends to be very popular with tourists, as the largest highway runs down from both along the east coast of the island.
The Playa des Ingles in the south has been popular with, yes you’ve got it, the English. Love the beach and nightlife? There’s a sun lounger (or apartment) with your name on it. Bars and bazaars galore, it’s also great for shopping. Check out Yumbo Centrum.
But Maspalomas, sitting amongst the southern dunes, is also popular. It’s got fine-white sand, famous wind-sculpted dunes (that you can enjoy atop a camel) and is handily divided into zones, for families, nudists and one that’s popular with gays (the pink pound is strong on Gran Canaria). You can get a three-bed bungalow there for around €160,000.
There are golf courses around and Pasito Blanco is another nice beach nearby. For children there’s whale-watching, surf school and the small sheltered beach at Mogan has loyal family followers. Deep-sea fishing for marlin or tuna is another offering for adventurous adults, or kayaking a little more energetic. Spas and thalassotherapy will help you recover.
For upmarket boutiques, hotels and villas, have a look at Meloneras, close to the resorts mentioned above, but towards the family resort of Puerto Rico, with its pretty marina and sailing club. For a property in the centre of Meloneras, you’ll pay around €500,000 for a townhouse or villa.
You won’t find the volumes of properties for sale in Gran Canaria that you do in next-door Tenerife, but it’s a very different proposition that enjoys a loyal following. As the tourism marketing suggests, there’s a bit of everything.