Maspalomas Gran Canaria

Maspalomas Gran Canaria is one of the two most notable touristic places in Gran Canaria, and the oldest town in the southern part. By some, it is considered as the most beautiful of all the great beaches in the island – white tender sand under your feet, blue sea in front, wind-sculpted sand-dunes in the back, and the sound of the waves…

Maspalomas lighthouse

Maspalomas general information

The origin of the name is not definite, however it may have been derived either from Rodrigo Mas de Palomar, a soldier and colonist from Majorca, or from Francisco Palomar, who was a Genoese friend of Alonso Fernandez de Lugo who happened to purchase around 90 Guanche slaves from Güímar, and later settled in the area.

Maspalomas is quieter for a notch than it’s neighboring sister city (Playa del Ingles), so it might be a better choice if you like less people and more sand & sea around you while on vacation. The most “eye poking” feature is it’s lighthouse El Faro de Maspalomas rising to 68 meters of height, marking the beginning of the sand dunes and the beach heading to north-east up to Playa del Ingles for 8 Km of length. With a Maspalomas holiday package you get the best of both worlds: a world class beach that is not too crowded and accessible party places in the nearby. If you would like to party, but want to have a quiet morning or night as a break, it is the right choice for you.

Maspalomas Gran Canaria - Hotels and Palmas

The main shopping center and nightlife is at Faro II, located at the central courtyard. Children’s playgrounds and entertainment surround the shopping centre.

Near Faro II you will find the Rastro (flea market/car boot sale) which takes place every Sunday between 08.00 and 13.00. As it is a flee market – buyers beware.

As part of the calmer atmosphere, the resort has three golf courses: Campo de Golf de Maspalomas, Salobre Golf and Meloneras Golf. For more information check the Gran Canaria Golf Courses section.

Playa de Maspalomas

The beachstretching from here to Playa del Ingles is filled with Sahara-like dunes and warm white sand. The annual temperatures being pretty stabile (open throughout the year), Maspalomas is regarded as Gran Canaria’s best and largest beach.

Playa de Maspalomas

A site that is quite regular in Maspalomas Gran Canaria

Maspalomas beach provides everything you look for in order to enjoy a magnificent day at the beach, comprehensive of all sports and leisure facilities you can imagine, as well as lots of beach bars, shops and restaurants. The beach is informally divided into family and children, nudist and gay area. Take care not to wander in the wrong section of the Playa de Maspalomas with your kids (or yourself), unless that is acceptable for you.

The Maspalomas sand dunes (a nature reserve since 1897) are a natural occurrence. The sand from Sahara is brought here by the winds from the south-east (this natural occurrence is called Calima), and although Gran Canaria is volcanic by origin you can enjoy the beaches covered by white sand here.

Maspalomas Dunes

At night, the Maspalomas dunes are a favorite place for having outdoor sex. As it covers a large area (400 hectares) so do not worry about finding a free spot (and enough distance from the neighbor) in the evening.

A camel trek, particularly at sunset, is a great way to see the dunes. The camel drivers usually park their tent next to the lighthouse.

West from there is the rocky Playa de las Mujeres, excellent for surfing and windsurfing. Watersports in Maspalomas include parasailing, jet-skiing, rides on speedboats and inflatables, water-skiing, and is also very much favored by surfers.

Fun in the area

Family fun - Maspalomas Gran Canaria water sports

There’s so much more fun to be found around the area. Family attractions include water parks, an amusement park, and that’s not all.

Aqualand Maspalomas is the biggest water park in the Canary Islands, boasting around 50 slides, rides flumes, and attractions (including children’s and adults’ swimming pools) and mini-golf. It is located 3km north of, in the Carretera Palmitos Parque.

Holiday World (Avenida Touroperador Tui) is a large amusement park with fairground rides a Ferris wheel, ten-pin bowling, restaurants , bars, two nightclubs, gym and a spa.

Tourists invading from water and sky

Ocean Park, another water park is situated very close by at the Urbanización Campo Internacional. It offers 15 different slides, a couple of swimming pools and a large wave pool.

The Palmitos Park (Barranco de Los Palmitos) is an ornithological park situated 10km (6 miles) northwest of Maspalomas. Located in a green valley, this delightfully landscaped oasis features 150 species of birds, an aquarium, a gibbon island, an orchid house, butterfly house, cactus garden and crocodiles.

Sioux City, a Wild West theme park, can be accessed from the GC1 highway, before entering Maspalomas. So you just watch the road and look for the “Sioux City” sign to the right. Btw, a lot of spaghetti westerns were made in Gran Canaria.

The fascinating Mundo Aborigen is a place of cultural, social and historical interest, according to the Canarian government.

At Rancho Park, near Playa del Ingles (on the road to Palmitos Park), riding lessons and trekking tours can be arranged.

Or, for the thrill of a lifetime take a 20 minute flight over the Maspalomas dunes, and then sky dive (together with your instructor). For this, you need to contact Contact Skydive Gran Canaria (Paseo Marítimo, where the dunes begin).

Shopping in Maspalomas Gran Canaria

Hand-crafts by locals of Gran Canaria

The Centro Comercial Faro 2, with it’s centerpiece thrusting into the sky, it is as much a landmark as is the Maspalomas lighthouse. Like all the commercial centers locally, it is a mix of international and Spanish brand-name shops and goods at duty-free price rates, refreshment places, nightspots and amusement arcades. Check out the Centro Comercial Meloneras behind the beach if you are looking for designer labels and a more elegant style of boutique.

Local goods are not the standard in Maspalomas but if you are seeking canarian handicrafts go to the FEDAC shop in the Centro Comercial Yumbo, a government-funded organization dedicated to protecting local handicrafts.

The locals have a long tradition of wine, not only in Maspalomas of course, cheese and hand-craft production, so the right gift for your close ones would be probably some of these items. If you choose a wine or some food as a gift, make sure you pack it properly before leaving the island by plane – the boys and girls at the airport are always picky about alcohol in your backpack – put it in your large suitcase that goes to the cargo bay area.

In need for more calories

Maspalomas Gran Canaria has lots of restaurants, but if you are into quick information here are a couple of places to recommend.

Samsara is an Asian and international cuisine, with prices ranging from 24€ to 55€ ($30-70). Make sure you make reservations as it gets quite busy, specially in the season. It is very good for romance and special occasions as it has a really nice scenic view. Also good for large groups or doing business & entertaining clients.

Michelangelo Restaurant is also a very fine place to bring family, friends, spouse or business partners. The restaurant is run by a Dutch family, but they serve Italian cuisine at very affordable prices and at excellent quality.

If you are into Spanish or sea-food, El Senador is a fine place to visit if you are staying or visiting Maspalomas.

If you want a nice romantic dinner, the El Salsete is definitely the place you need to visit. Prices range from 20€ to 100€ ($26-$128), but is something worth giving for such a nice meal and romantic atmosphere.

When the night comes

Maspalomas is a multitude to numeral music bars and disco pubs, though it is a relatively quiet resort after dark (in comparison to neighboring Playa del Ingles). Many hotels and apartments organize in-house evening entertainment (discos, cabaret, quiz nights and more).

If you are into discoing there is the Disco Velvet and Disco Bachira, and the No. 1 disco for gays – Heaven Gran Canaria.