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Playa del Ingles holidays – Gran Canaria at its lively best

Playa del Ingles is the biggest and liveliest resort on Gran Canaria. This legendary beach is the exciting heart of the popular south coast region famed for its year-round sunshine and nightlife. The key here is variety. There really is something for everyone.

The beach and resort centre is terrific fun all year round, with more bars and nightclubs than you can possible take in on a single holiday. Children will enjoy easily accessed local attractions like Aqualand, Holiday World, Palmitos Park and Sioux City. Add jeep safaris, camel rides, scuba diving, boat trips, great shopping and first-class golf and you have a fantastically complete resort that is hard to beat.

Playa del Ingles leads on to the famous Maspalomas sand dunes, a beach nature reserve offering undisturbed sunbathing and terrific shoreline walks. Continue walking and you find yet more restaurants and the more conventional family beach at Maspalomas.

When to go to Playa del Ingles

Playa del Ingles is one of the few Canary Island resorts that stays genuinely lively throughout the year. You will also find neighbouring Maspalomas very much open for business whenever you visit. For the liveliest nightlife scene it has to be summer. The Christmas period is also busy. Most clubs are open all year round.

If you want the same peak summer temperatures but fewer people try June or September. Outside peak summer Playa del Ingles is considerably quieter. Spring is a great time for couples looking for beach holiday relaxation. Great value holidays are available right through the winter.

The weather in Playa del Ingles

Beach holiday weather does not get much better. Warm sunny winters and summers that are hot but not too hot. Average temperatures are a little under 30º from June to September. Sunshine is guaranteed. Lovely evening temperatures of around 20º. Do protect yourself from strong sunshine if you are sunbathing among the suntraps of the Maspalomas dunes in the summer months.

Spring is a delight. Temperatures hit the mid 20’s as early as March. Few of us escaping the British winter will have any complaints about winter days with an average 7 hours of sunshine and temperatures around 20º.

Getting the best deal to Playa del Ingles

Finding cheap holidays to Playa del Ingles is seldom a problem as there is a huge amount of budget accommodation. Searching early means a bigger choice of hotels and the best early booking bargains. The most popular hotels and apartments soon fill up during the Easter, Christmas and summer school holidays. June and September will be a cheaper than July and August but the sheer amount of holiday accommodation means few problems when it comes to finding an affordable holiday.

Keep an eye on our last minute holiday offers and take a look at our current best deals below.

Airport and transport need to know

Gran Canaria Airport, also known as Las Palmas Airport (LPA), is where all package holidays to Playa del Ingles begin. A small but adequate choice of shops, bars and restaurants. Airlines like Ryanair and Thomas Cook ensure a choice of departure airports that usually includes London, Birmingham, Manchester. Liverpool, Bristol, Newcastle, Glasgow and Cardiff. Flight time is about 4 hours 15 minutes.

Airport transfers take about 40 minutes. Getting to Playa del Ingles by bus is easy and cheap. Fare is just €4 (£3) www.globalsu.net. Frequent departures. Taxis are metered and economical by UK standards. Around €40-45 (£33-37) to Playa del Ingles. Driving is straightforward, with a direct motorway link to the resort. Be careful on mountain roads and expect congestion in Las Palmas. Drive on the right.

Excellent local buses to beaches at Maspalomas, Meloneras and Playa Agustin. Cheap and easy-to-find taxis will whisk you home after a big night out.

The best beaches in Playa del Ingles

Gran Canaria beaches are more developed than islands like Fuerteventura or Lanzarote. The biggest resorts frequently combine well-equipped family beaches with smaller beach areas for younger holidaymakers, naturists, walkers or windsurfers. Beaches are well-supervised and well-maintained.

South-coast resorts like Playa del Ingles are close to each other so it’s easy to combine several beaches in one holiday. There is terrific variety here, and walking from one resort to another is a favourite pastime. Local buses and cheap taxis are great for exploring family-friendly Maspalomas, upmarket Meloneras and peaceful San Agustin. Theme parks, water parks, family attractions and golf courses are all close to Playa del Ingles, making it easy to combine time on the beach and a family excursion in the same day.

The magnificent beach at Playa del Ingles extends for over 2km. Whatever your beach requirements you are sure to find a stretch you like. Plenty of toilets, showers, changing rooms, sunbeds, parasols and beach bars. The main Paseo Marítimo promenade is a continuous strip of cafes, restaurants, bars, pubs and clubs. Fun and lively by day and night. As you walk the pleasant Costa Canaria promenade towards Maspalomas the beach becomes increasingly less developed.

The Maspalomas sand dunes is a protected beach nature reserve popular with serious sun worshippers. Beautiful walks along the seashore. Camel rides too! There are lifeguards and restaurants on the outskirts of Playa del Ingles. You then enter an unspoilt stretch of wild dunes with regularly spaced beach bars and sunbed hire. Specific areas attract naturists and the gay community. Also popular with watersports fans. Protect feet from hot sand. There is little shade among the dunes.

Playa del Ingles holidays can easily take in the superb family holiday beach at Maspalomas and the much quieter beach and upmarket dining at neighbouring Meloneras. Both resorts are considerably quieter than Playa del Ingles.

Useful links:

http://www.directline-holidays.co.uk/blog/hassle-free-gran-canaria/
http://www.directline-holidays.co.uk/blog/best-of-the-best-of-gran-canaria-beaches-and-sights/
http://turismo.maspalomas.com/index_en.shtml
http://www.maspalomasgolf.net/English.142.0.html
http://www.aqualand.es/grancanaria/index.php?wlang=en
http://www.holidayworld-maspalomas.es/index_en.html
http://www.palmitospark.es/index.php
http://www.siouxcity.es/
http://www.grancanaria.com/patronato_turismo/283.0.html