Maspalomas
Maspalomas is a tourist resort in the south of the island of Gran Canaria. In common usage the districts San Fernando, Sonnenland and Meloneras belong to Maspalomas. Nearby are Playa del Inglés and San Agustín.
Understand
Maspalomas emerged after 1960, when the south of the island was opened up for tourism. It is an ideal holiday destination for families, here there is a beautiful dune landscape and a 6-km-long fine sandy beach. Maspalomas has a personality on its own, as it evolved into a fully equipped town, instead of a plain resort. It has a variety of infrastructure and public institutions rarely seen in other touristic areas, including private clinics and two hospitals, local and foreign schooling institutions , English-language cinema, golf courses, sports centers, thematic parks and a Summer University. The population is 36,000 (2013).
The tourist offices scattered about Playa del Inglés and Maspalomas are rarely open unless it is Caravale (main festival in February, gay festival in May).
Get in
By plane
From the airport the bus lines 66 and 90 take about half an hour. The bus line 36 takes about 50 min. All these bus lines have several stops in Maspalomas. In Google Maps you can put in the name of your accommodation and the app shows you the right bus connection.
By bus
There are direct buses from Puerto Rico (line 1 and 33), Las Palmas (line 30), Playa del Inglés and San Augustín.
Get around
By bus
For going by bus, Google Maps shows you which line to take.
- 🌍 Estación Faro De Maspalomas.
It's the main bus station in town. From here there are buses to all the larger towns on the island. Buses also run to the interior of the island, e.g. B. to Palmitos Park.
By bike
You can rent bikes, they cost from €10/day (Sep 2021). For that price they should be technically very good. Most bike rental companies also have mountain bikes and road bikes. In the hotel districts, you don't have to look far for such a shop in the neighborhood. There are no dedicated bike lanes within the city.
By taxi
Taxis are very common within the Maspalomas-Playa del Inglés-San Agustín holiday complex. They are particularly suitable for short journeys within the city. To hail a taxi, you just have to make yourself known at the side of the road, e.g. B. by waving. There is no special sign. Rides within the town cost around €5 (Sep 2021).
See
You won't find anything historical here.
- 🌍 The dunes of Maspalomas. They are world famous and have been under conservation since 1987, since their area has been repeatedly reduced over the years. Part of the area is therefore fenced and has limited access - which is unfortunately not taken seriously by some tourists.
- 🌍 La Charca. A brackish water lake between the dunes and the Faro (lighthouse) serves as a bird sanctuary. While it has a foul odor, that does not seem to bother the numerous water birds that breed here and the numerous birdwatchers who observe the breeding.
- 🌍 Parque Botánico (Av. del Touroperador Neckermann 1, near the Mirador del Golf. Buses 18, 30, 41, 70, 90). weekdays from 10.00 to 18.00. Maspalomas has a botanical garden with over 500 species of plants. Very well maintained facility. gratis.
- 🌍 Parque Urbano del Sur.. You can get there by bus lines 4, 45, 52, 70, 73 to the “Cruce Sonnenland” stop. Public park with an amphitheater for occasional events, spacious green areas and old trees. On the east side is the city sports park with football and tennis courts.
Do
The usual sports such as surfing, diving etc. are offered on the beach of Maspalomas. In addition, there is the Holiday World, a kind of year-round fairground that opens in the evenings, north of the Faro 2.
The 🌍 cultural center (Centro cultural) is at Av. de Tejeda, 72.
Beach and pools
The well-known sandy Maspalomas beach with the dunes begins right next to the lighthouse. It extends in an easterly direction to the Punta de Maspalomas. It then turns to the northeast under the name Playa del Inglés. In Maspalomas there are changing rooms and showers next to the Faro I shopping area. Only a few hundred meters further on the beach there is a sign pointing to the 🌍 nudist area. Actually unnecessarily, you can usually see it long in advance. You can also see that same-sex couples can enjoy sunbathing here undisturbed. These also meet at night, especially around "Cisosco 7", while heteros let off steam more at "Cisosco 4".
- 🌍 Anfi del Mar beach. The beach is unique on Gran Canaria because of its white sand, which was imported from Caribbean.
- Swim in the piscina locale (local pool). Most restaurants near to the sea have free pools, for the same price of a large beer or soft drink or coffee. €2.
Camel-riding
At the Charco, a few 100 m north of the lighthouse, 🌍 Camel rides through the dunes (09:00-15:00; 30 min €12). Two people sit on more or less comfortable seats to the left and right of the hump of the dromedary. Weight limit for riders is 110 kg.
Cycling
In Maspalomas, renting a bike is actually a good idea at first glance due to the mostly longer distances to the beach and the low gradients. Unfortunately, there are almost no bike paths there, as on the entire island. In addition, the curbs are often extremely high, so that you usually have to get off when changing to pedestrian paths. Furthermore, the pollution from unfiltered diesel exhaust gases (particulate matter) is very high, especially on the larger roads, since most of the car traffic in Maspalomas consists of diesel-powered taxis and buses.
In the "Faro 2" shopping center there is a bike rental (Lino's Bike), but the bikes there are poorly maintained and of mediocre quality.
These negative circumstances are probably the reason why most holidaymakers prefer not to rent a bike and instead take buses to the beach or walk for miles.
Amusement parks
The following two parks can be accessed from Maspalomas via line 70:
- 🌍 Aqualand Maspalomas, Ctra. Palmitos Park, Km 3, 35100 Maspalomas, ☏ +34 928 14 05 25. Daily: Sep-Jun 10:00-17:00, Jul Aug 10:00-18:00. Slides and other family leisure activities in a water park with children's area, sea lions and gastronomy. €25 (€18 youngsters)..
- 🌍 Palmitos Park, Barranco de Los Palmitos s/n. 35109 Maspalomas, ☏ +34 928 797 070. Daily 10:00-18:00. The park is in a barranco north of Maspalomas. Animal park, plants, entertainment. Both parks can be reached from Maspalomas with line 70, from San Agustín and Playa del Inglés with line 45 Admission adults €30, children (4-12) €22, online discounts.
- 🌍 Holiday World Maspalomas, Avda. Touroperador Tui, 35100 Maspalomas, ☏ +34 928 73 04 98. Holiday World includes a bowling center with 16 lanes, an amusement park (ferris wheel, sky drop, roller coaster, etc.), restaurants, pubs, discos. Amusement park: free admission, use of the attraction with a points card (from €5)..
Sports activities
Golf
- Maspalomas Gulf, Avenida Touroperador Neckermann, 35100 Maspalomas (between the dunes and Campo Internacional), ☏ +34 928 762 581. 18 hole course, par 73
- Salobre Golf & Resort, Urb. Salobre Golf & Resort, GC01 Motorway, km 53, 35100 Maspalomas, ☏ +34 928 010 104. North course 18 hole course, par 72, South course 18 hole course, par 71
- Lopesan Meloneras Golf, C/ Gánigo 6, Plaza Ansite, 35100 Meloneras, ☏ +34 928 145 309. 18-hole course, par 71
Buy
- 🌍 Mercado Maspalomas, Av. Alejandro del Castillo. W Sa 08:00-14:00, Su is a flea market.
The nationwide supermarket chain Mercadona has two branches on site, which are open Monday to Saturday from 09:00 to 21:30:
There are several large shopping centers in Maspalomas:
- Faro I. It is located between the lighthouse (Faro) and the dunes of Maspalomas. It is actually more of a shopping street as it consists of many small but uniformly built shops and restaurants. Here you can "go out for a bite to eat" when you're on the beach. The shops are mostly small markets where you can buy refreshing fruit.
- Boulevard Faro, on the beach at Playa del Faro.
- Varadero. It's a pretty new one Shopping mall. It is west of the lighthouse next to the Hotel Meloneras. Shopping at high prices is possible here. There are boutiques and jewelers, but also cafes and normal supermarkets.
- Oasis Beach, opposite bus station.
- Playa Meloneras. With restaurants and souvenir shops On the promenade. On the upper floors there are only the shops of the well-known Spanish chains "se vende" and "se alquila".
- Faro II, Av. Tour operator Holland Int. It is located in Campo International on the right side of the canal. It is built in a circle around a tower. The tower is visible from afar (hence Faro - derived from lighthouse). Despite the many surrounding bungalow complexes, there is unfortunately only one surprisingly small supermarket that is very cramped with shelves. Pubs are also located in Faro 2, mixed with souvenir shops and amusement arcades. Life usually only really gets going here when it is dark.
- Dunaflor. Small center between golf course and botanical garden.
Eat
Meloneras and Playa de Maspalomas
- 🌍 Restaurante Escaleritas, Comercial Oasis, P.º del Faro, Local 1. Good attentive service, fresh food. Delicious sangria. Ocean view. The eggplant lasagne and paella with fish and meat is very good! Very friendly service and nice atmosphere at the beach!
- 🌍 Snack Bar Surf Burger, P.º del Faro, 6. Wonderful small snack bar with sun terrace and a bunch of fast food dishes. Very delicious hamburgers. Best place for a snack after beach day & a sundowner drink. Great service and a great ambience. You just feel good here. Good for enjoying the sunset.
Sonnenland
There are many inexpensive restaurants in nearby El Tablero.
- 🌍 Mesón Sonnenland, C. Isaac Peral, 35. Quiet, beautiful and delicious at this Chinese restaurant next to the Spar supermarket. The portions are good. The food is quickly served and the service is very nice. A large selection of menus, from seafood to children's dishes as well as pizza.
San Fernando
- 🌍 Asadero de Pollos Pico Pico, Plaza Morro del Jable. Spectacular chicken. Unbeatable garlic fries. Fantastic chicken rotisserie, fried potatoes and salads. Genuine home cooked Italian dishes & stuffed vegetables. Very nice and professional owners and staff.
- 🌍 Pantai Kuta, C. Alcalde Marcial Franco, 24. Hidden place a little away from the tourist area. If you like Indonesian food you will not be disappointed. The dishes are brought very quickly. A quiet place, with good Balinese food. Copious portions. The setting of the place is beautiful and makes you forget where you are.
- 🌍 Madre Mia, Av. de la Unión Europea. This is a small pizzeria on the street. It may not look like a first class restaurant but the pizza there is excellent. If you like good pizza go there or order from there. The personal is very friendly. The guests are original. It is a quiet place where you can eat very well.
Mid-range
- 🌍 Abrasa Grill, C. Secundino Delgado, 5. A1 attention from the owner and staff. Exquisite dinner. Delicious, stylish, friendly: absolute recommendation and an insider tip. The whole family will be happy. Very well-kept location, kind and cordial staff, top-notch meats and side dishes, well served, well cooked and with lots of taste.
- 🌍 Samsara, Avenida del Oasis, 30 - 2º, C.C. La Charca. This restaurant is a real curiosity especially here in Maspalomas! The decoration is very present. The dishes served are very exotic, very good and very daring in terms of flavors. Pay attention to the proportions served per person because they are really very generous, for the starters as for the dishes. Very tasty Asian (Indian) cuisine.
- 🌍 Ocean‘s View, P.⁰ de las Meloneras. Real spanish cuisine. The lamb is spectacular. The salads are awesome. Beautiful view of the Atlantic. Great service.
- 🌍 Rancho Luna, C. Einstein, 5. The insider tip in Sonnenland. Great pizza. Very friendly owners, good service, great atmosphere. Smiling service. It can be somewhat noisy. Family atmosphere.
Sleep
As of October 2022 there are no hostels in Maspalomas and all Southern Gran Canaria - though a large number of resort hotels and bungalows.
Stay safe
Offices of the Policia Local (Av. Touroperador Tui, 33A) and the Guardia civil (Av. de Tunte, 4).
These con artist stand in front of shopping centers or on the beach promenade:
- Carnation women: These ladies want to sell you a carnation. Usually for a price of 7 or 8 cents. They can't give you out, so they'll willingly "help" you find matching change in your wallet. You only notice what else disappears from your wallet when you have to pay your next bill.
- Shell players: You should avoid them, as they work with dirty tricks and you will only make losses there for sure. Often there are several fellow crooks camouflaged in the group, who do not hesitate to become violent.
- Flying traders: If you stroll along the promenades in the evening, you will encounter numerous traders from Africa. They try to push you into something, be it the “Rolex” or the “Coco-Chanel sunglasses.” Of course, these are plagiarisms. You can buy these, but don't be surprised if the clock stops two days later and the sunnies get scratched by the sandstorm. In addition, mafia-like gangs are often behind the smuggling of goods from Senegal to Gran Canaria. These goods are often produced illegally in Africa using child labor. You should always be aware of this and not support these cartels with your money. You only get into trouble with counterfeits at airports if it's obvious you want to resell them, such as when you arrive as a man with a pack of ten Manolo Blahnics heels size 36. If you only take home the Rolex and Coco Chanel sunglasses, customs officers will rarely object, as it is also a significant bureaucratic burden for them to prosecute such an incident.
The providers of “time share” holiday apartments are also not necessarily reputable. In 2020/21, warnings were given in particular about systems at Palm Oasis (= Holiday Centrum).
Stay healthy
- The tap water is desalinated sea water, which does not pose a health risk, but does not taste good. You should buy a water canister in the supermarket for making coffee and brushing your teeth. There is still water in 5 liter plastic containers for around €1.50. However, the bottles have a significant environmental impact.
- In Maspalomas, unlike some other African countries, you can safely eat all the fruit and fruit juices that are offered to you by passing fruit vendors on the beach. Often local, it is fresh and well-aged. You should be more careful with raw fish and with ice. The ice cream in Maspalomas doesn't taste that special anyway. Better switch to fruit/fruit cocktails (non-alcoholic). If you're buying raw fish or ice cream, you should take a close look at the refrigerated display case. If it seems unsanitary, don't buy anything here.
- The beach flags is explained in the article Gran Canaria. There are also boards in several languages on the beaches.
- Alcohol: Has no place on the beach. Lifeguards are authorized to take alcoholic beverages, such as a bottle of beer, from you. If you have drunk alcohol, the risk of suffering from heat stroke increases. Also, you shouldn't bathe anymore.
Medical care
- 🌍 Centro de Salud (state polyclinic), s/n, Calle Cruce del Tablero (at GC-503; Bus stop: Ambulatorio, lines 45, 70), ☏ +34928303919. 24 h. The European Health Insurance Card is accepted.
- Hospitales Universitarios San Roque, C. Mar de Siberia, 1, (buses: stops "Pedrazo" or "Hospital Meloneras" lines 1, 32, 33, 39, 70, 90). M-F 08:00-20:00. This also includes the private dental clinic Iceo Dental. If things aren't going too well, El Pedrazo Cemetery is just across the street.
- 🌍 [https:/ /www.clinicalaspalmeras.com/ Las Palmeras], Av. Tour operator Neckermann, 22; further branch: Av. de Tenerife, 24, Playa del Inglés (bus stop “Campo de Golf 3” (approx. 100 m), lines: 18, 30, 41, 70, 90), ☏ +34 928 763 366. also 24 hr availability. Doctors (private practices) with dentist. Interpreting services for German, English and Scandinavian languages. Also consultation hours in hotels on weekdays, details on the website