Luxury Family Holidays to Gran Canaria – Top 7 Things to do
Luxury Family Holidays to Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria is one of the most popular family holiday destinations on Canary Island, Spain. It is just around 4 hours on the flight from the UK and with its all-year Summer weather, glorious Spanish food, and cheap all-inclusive hotels, it is not difficult to see why many people love to visit Gran Canaria. To spice up your Luxury Family Holidays to Gran Canaria, Spain try out these top family-friendly things to do in Gran Canaria. I have divided it into three sections
- Top Attractions and Activities to see and do in Gran Canaria
- Boat trips to do in Gran Canaria
- Road Trips and Day Trips to explore in Gran Canaria.
Kids Friendly Things to do in Gran Canaria: Attractions and Activities
The top kid-friendly things to see and do or tourist attractions and activities in Gran Canaria are:
- Maspalomas Sand Dunes
- Aqualand Maspalomas
- Palmitos Park Maspalomas
- Angry Birds Activity Park, Puerto Rico
- Beach and Scuba Diving, Taurito
- Holiday World Maspalomas
- The Lighthouse, Faro de Maspalomas
Maspalomas Sand Dunes
If you think you will only find interminable stretches of fine golden sand in the Middle East and Africa, then I will implore you to think again.
Introducing the Maspalomas Dunes!
We can find the Maspalomas Sand Dunes in the South of Gran Canaria and they are a protected site. The area is about a thousand acres and history has it the Atlantic Ocean formed the sand Dunes from many years ago.
It is easy to get to the dunes from Playa del Ingles and from Maspalomas Beach. From Maspalomas Beach, walk to the west of the beach and you will discover the massive sand-dunes.
For an extensive tour of the sand dunes, go with a guide. We went with Arabian Night, and the tour was beautiful and comfortable for the kids. It felt familiar because we have had a safari desert experience in Dubai previously.
Combine a visit here with a visit to Gran Canaria Botanic garden. A unique place for the kids to explore plants and understand the most important plant in Gran Canaria – The Cactus.
Aqualand, Maspalomas
Luxury Family Holidays in Gran Canaria can restrict your movements if you choose that option. It can also be a fun, adrenaline-pumping holiday if you visit Aqualand. Entry to Aqualand was complementary and was part of the luxury holiday package offered by Jet 2 holidays.
Aqualand, Maspalomas opens at 10 am and honestly, you will need up to 7 hours to explore all the thrills it offers. As you arrive here, you will find a lovely free parking space. Enjoy an adrenaline fuel experience with Tornado or Boomerang – a half-pipe slide that shoots up and down the slide at top speeds on an inflatable boat. For a more relaxed, peaceful time, opt for the Pirate’s River – a slow movie perfect for the lazy afternoons. Don’t miss Discovery Beach, which has the newly built wave pool. The park is generous and wearing water shoes will go a long way in saving your feet.
There are several refurbishments going on and although it is a fantastic place to visit, it will be better once the refurbishments are complete.
Palmitos Park, Maspalomas
Palmitos Park, Maspalomas is one of the best-sought family-friendly attractions and activities centre in Gran Canaria. It is the perfect place for flora and fauna enthusiasts with a high number of rare bird species like macaws, tiny hummingbirds, flamingos, toucans, peacocks, and cranes, to mention just a few. The Cactus Garden is another beauty that your kids will love to see, learn about, and feel. There are different daily exhibitions of parrots, exotic birds, dolphins, and birds of prey. Expect to spend at least half a day here to fully experience all Palmitos Park has to offer.
Angry Birds Activity Park
For the most amazing family day out, visit the Angry Birds Activity Park. They lay the Angry Birds activity park out so you and the kids can explore and enjoy several activities for children. My 14 months old son found love at the newly designed splash area. There is a go -Karts, scooters, trampolines, zip line, soft play area, ball shooting, foam party, and football wall.
Don’t be put off by the size of the entrance and the cost. It is a good value considering what is on offer. Don’t miss the 10D (Yes, 10D) cinema experience.
Beach and Scuba Diving
Your Luxury Family Holidays to Gran Canaria will not be complete without going to the beach. Gran Canaria has about 38 beaches. Literally a beach for everyone. While some beaches are great for scuba diving, others are great for waterboarding, sand art, sunbathing, partying, nudism, running, and walking.
For kid’s scuba diving lessons, drive to the beautiful valley of Taurito where highly-trained PADI instructors will guide your kids through the process of scuba diving. Your kids will have time to discover the underwater world and perhaps swim with the turtles.
Holidayworld Maspalomas
Holidayworld Maspalomas is an amusement and theme park in Maspalomas. It is open in the evenings from 5 pm on weekdays and from 12 noon on weekends. It is modern, small and great value for money. There is free parking for four hours and once you pay once, you get to go on all the rides. There are no queues here and you get amazing views of Gran Canaria on the big wheels. The younger children can enjoy the double-decker carousels and bumper rides, toddlers will love the soft play area, tweens and teenagers will enjoy the traditional roller coaster rides, bowling alley, and arcade. Adults will love the sports bar and the mini cafe and restaurant Nomad Gusto Market, which offers cuisines from around the world. I strongly recommend the Toro ride where you try to stay on a rolling bull with innovative ideas to avoid falling off.
At night, Holidayworld Maspalomas lights up and twinkles.
Faro de Maspalomas
Have a lazy stroll from Maspalomas beach and along the promenade will lead you to the 60-metre tall Lighthouse, El Faro de Maspalomas. The lighthouse is a unique landmark that stands boldly by the Maspalomas beach. There is free entry to the small museum inside which gives a glimpse into the history of the crafts of the people of Maspalomas.
Admire the architecture of the lighthouse and climb the stairs (if you can) to the garden at the top which presents an amazing view of the beach and the city of Maspalomas from the garden terrace.
Kids Friendly Things to do in Gran Canaria: Boat Trips
Spirit of the Sea Boat Trip from Puerto Rico
As you walk around the promenade of Maspalomas, you will discover an array of boat trip suppliers lurking you to discover the waters surrounding the Canary Islands.
We set sail from Puerto Rico and explored the south-west coast in search of dolphins and whales in their natural habitat.
The impressive catamaran comes complete with a glass bottom which ensures you don’t miss a thing at sea. The crew will keep you entertained with some facts about the tremendous diversity of sea life found here. There is also an option to swim, snorkel or feed the fish.
It takes around 3 hours of experiencing the life below, and the ocean waves above.
Pirate Boat Trip from Puerto Rico
A pirate boat trip is lovely for anyone but even more super special for kids. For this unforgettable experience, the pirate boat departs from Puerto Rico and arrives at Morgan to a view of causes and tiny coves.
Onboard the pirate ship, the crew on the pirate boat trip took on the character as pirates, hoisting a pirate flag and telling the kids they were going on an adventure. The kids had so much fun. They had songs, a 3-course meal, face painting, dancing, and a display from a speedboat. There were swimming and snorkeling at Costa de Morgan. It took about 5 hours and was the best boat trip experience so far.
Kids Friendly Things to do in Gran Canaria: Road Trip from Maspalomas to Las Palmas
To complete your cheap holidays to Gran Canaria, explore the lush green valleys on a road trip from Maspalomas to Las Palmas.
First stop at Fataga, a beautiful village in the Valley of a Thousand Palms. Fataga is rich in history with narrow lanes and stone-paved roads. The white houses and brown roofs provide a beautiful contrast.
There are various stops on the route, but the views of Mount Teide from Tenerife is the most breath-taking view I have ever seen.
Luxury Family Holidays to Gran Canaria: Final Thoughts
Luxury Family holidays to Gran Canaria are worth exploring, you will enjoy the stunning beaches, the white-washed villages like Fataga village on your road trip from Maspalomas to Las Palmas, charming port towns like Puerto Rico, boat trips and best of all, glorious food and weather.
If you plan to visit Gran Canaria, don’t forget to visit my resources page where you will find deals on flights and hotels and explore my other posts on Holidays to Gran Canaria and All-Inclusive holidays to Spain.