Amerys Travels 2009- Gran Canaria- desert sand dunes and camels

The southern rain-free coastal plain was unsuitable for any kind of agriculture and considered valueless until the 1960’s, when a local land owner came up with the idea of developing the area for tourism, as the area had the required ingredients of much sun and sand and was fit for nothing else. Hotels and apartment buildings were developed on a promontory in the south where a Frenchman had built a house in the sand dunes. As you would expect, the local Spaniards named the area after him “Playa del Ingles” (Beach of the Englishman) Maybe French sounded like English to their ears. Or maybe they were clairvoyant, and nowadays it’s very much the English (plus many Germans) who adopted the area and it’s wonderful sands for their holidays in the 60’s and 70’s.

By the 90’s, holidaymakers must have become sick of the cheap, nasty and boring concrete piles of apartments built in Playa Del Ingles in the early days of the Canarian holiday boom, and wanted something more stylish, because the developers learned their lesson and upped and moved back inland and over to the other side of the sand dunes to develop Maspalomas next door as a very much more upmarket resort area, and filled it with lovely but rather crowded villas and the timeshare resorts which had become so popular. Some we saw were simply amazing-look at the infinity pool in the photo. Look for www.riu.com/es/Paises/espana/gran-canaria/ if you want to consider renting one (or buying a timeshare)

The sand dunes are rather special, and I can’t get to the bottom of why they occupy this particular area rather than elsewhere on this coast. There is talk of the sand blowing over from Africa, but why here and not on Tenerife, for example? Anyway, as the photos show, they are very dramatic, and they even have camel safaris. And for those like Christine who know how difficult it is to stay on a camel as it throws you back and forwards while getting to it’s feet, you will be pleased to know that you don’t even have to balance on the camel (ie “get the hump”), as with these you sit in sort of pannier seats each side of the hump. Very Arabian.

Further west along the coast new resorts are springing up, and two are worth a mention as places to visit or stay.
The huge and very impressive ANFI Resort has it’s own shopping centre, marina, entertainment and even an imported Caribbean beach of white sand (which the locals love visiting as all beaches are open to the public here) This resort would be well worth while staying at because of the amazing quality and facilities, and you can even buy a week’s holiday here for life- no- not timeshare, but a sort of holiday club you buy into. Talk to John at john.hodgkiss1@hotmail.com and I am sure he will find you a week’s rental and/or even a share in the place.

A little further along, two lovely golden sand beach developments are Playa Amadores (apartment developments, beach and not much else) and Playa Puerto Rico (apartment developments, shops, beach and a busy port for boat trips)

Next installment is about our favourite town on the island.
Richard