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Las Canteras Beach Guide: How To Choose A Spot Featured

Las Canteras beach Las Canteras beach

Las Canteras beach, a 3.5km of golden sand that sweeps down one side of the city, is the jewel of Las Palmas. It's so big that each section has its own name and character. Here're the main areas from north to south.

La Puntilla

La Puntilla at the north tip of Las Canteras beachThe north corner of the beach where the little fishing boats are pulled up by the coconut palm trees. Always calm, always pretty, this is quintessential Las Canteras beach and a great spot for lunch on the promenade. The water is almost always calm and warm, and there are plenty of loungers and parasols to rent. The La Puntilla crowd is a good mix of foreign visitors and locals. 

Choose La Puntilla for its local charm and palm tree shade.

Playa Grande

las palmas propThe widest section of Las Canteras and the one that gets the most visitors, Playa Grande is all about golden sand, blue-and-white parasols and palm trees. 

Playa Grande is so wide that you will always find space for your towel. The waters off Playa Grande are sheltered by the reef and very safe for swimming. It has toilet and facilities, disabled beach access and shops selling international papers. Playa Grande is the most popular part of the beach with tourists because several of the city's big hotels are right by it.

 Choose Playa Grande for its beautiful golden sand, calm waters and amenities. It is perfect for families who want to spend a day lazing around on the beach and be close to shops and restaurants. 

 Playa Chica

playa chica sunsetTiny Playa Chica is a beach within a beach right in the centre of Las Canteras. With no sun loungers, it's a local area. Swim out from Playa Chica towards the reef for some of the best snorkeling in Gran Canaria. The rocks and weed beds are full of colorful wrasse and parrotfish and you may even see moray eels, rays and octopus. 

Choose playa chica for a local feel and for the snorkelling.

La Peña

Las Palmas 1 of 1 3Just round the corner from Playa Chica the beach doesn’t seem to have a name. Instead, it is called “la zona de la Peña de La Vieja”.  La Peña is a big rock that sticks up out of the water just off the beach and is named after the parrotfish that swim around it.  

La Peña has one sun bed concession and some good local restaurants on the promenade. This part of the beach is also great for snorkeling on calm days. At low tide, you can swim all the way out to the reef and snorkel along it. 

Alex says: The sun bed concession on the La Peña section of beach is run by the three legendary Momo brothers. Between them they have save dozens of lives on the beach and from wrecked ships. You can almost always see one of the Momos sitting under a parasol by the sun beds.

 Choose La Peña for a quiet section of the beach that still has plenty of golden sand.

La Cicer 

La Cicer sunsetLa Cicer is the sporty end of Canteras beach with surf schools and lot of people playing beach football and tennis. There is no reef off La Cicer so it almost always has surfable waves. The sand at La Cicer changes colour depending on the tides and the waves. One day it can be golden and completely free of pebbles and the next the sand is black and covered in pebbles. Rent your surfboard in one of the many surf schools just behind the beach. The local surfers are pretty friendly provided you follow the rules; they are posted all along the beachfront of board-shaped signs.

Choose La Cicer if you love surfing or beach sports. 

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  • How To Choose A Legal Gran Canaria Airport Transfer
    How To Choose A Legal Gran Canaria Airport Transfer

    Gran Canaria's hotels have to be licensed and offer a quality level of service as well as having insurance and complying with fire regulations. The same goes for the boats that take people out to watch dolphins, the companies offering jeep safaris, and even the holiday let apartments. 

    However, not everybody in Gran Canaria follows the rules. For example, there is a significant industry running illegal and uninsured transfers between Gran Canaria airport and the island's resorts. These cars, driven by locals and foreign-residents, are just private vehicles and the drivers are unregulated and uninsured. They don't pay tax and there is no way to hold them responsible if something goes wrong. 

     At Gran Canaria Info we believe that all people and all companies offering services to tourists should legal and above board.

    So, how do you know that your airport transfer service is legal and registered with the Gran Canaria authorities?

     Using legal Gran Canaria airport transfers

    It is quite easy to know if your airport transfer service is operating in a legal way because all registered transfers have the following...

     A blue license plate: Taxis and other public service vehicles in Gran Canaria all have blue plates.

    A VTC sticker in the window: This stands for Vehículo de Transporte con Conductor, the official designation for licensed transfer drivers ans chauffeurs.

    An SP sticker on the car: This indicates that the car offer a Servicio Publico or public service and is therefore allowed to pick up and transfer members of the public. 

    Parked in the transport zone: Official airport transfer vehicles don't park in the public car park of the airport. Instead they have their own parking zone right by the arrivals gates at the airport (next to the taxis and package tour buses). Your transfer driver therefore should not have to pay a parking fee before leaving the aiport. 

    How to spot an unlicensed transfer service

    Unlicensed drivers get away with offerring their service because they claim that they are just members of the public picking up a friend. They are allowed to stand at arrivals with a sign (just like any member of the public can).

    However, they also have to park their car in the public car park and will walk you there with your luggage, stopping to pay the parking fee at the meter. A licensed transfer driver does not need to do this because they have their own parking zone right by arrivals.

    Some unlicensed drivers don't even wait at the arrival gate because the official drivers recognise them and get annoyed. Instead they have to stand further away (often by the Spar supermarket or the car rental desks). 

    When an unlicensed driver drops you at the airport they will not want to be paid in a public area because this proves that they are charging rather than "transporting a friend" for free. 

    An unlicensed car will not have a blue license plate, or a SP or VTC sticker, and will often look like a private car (because it is a private car). 

    What's the problem with unlicensed airport transfers?

    Some people use unlicensed cars because they are the cheapest option and don't realise that they are unlicensed. 

    There are several problems with unlicensed services. The most obvious is that they are uninsured so if something goes wrong or there is an accident, you are not protected. The price that unlicensed drivers offer is only low because they cut corners (hopefully not literally). You have no way of even knowing if your unlicensed driver has a Spanish driving license, insurance and a good driving record. Licensed drivers are vetted regularly and must be fully insured and licensed to work.

    Another problem is that unlicensed transfers undermine the legitimate transfer drivers and businesses in Gran Canaria. Local drivers make a living from transfers and offer a legal, regulated service with minimum standards. Every time an unlicensed service undercuts them, it is effectively stealing from local people and the island economy.

    We believe that everybody in Gran Canaria deserves better!

    Gran Canaria Airport Transfer Services

    To find out more about the Gran Canaria airport transfer, see our Gran Canaria airport transfer article which explains the three different models; man/woman from pub with car, online transfer websites, and local transfer services.

    Or you can book a legitimate Gran Canaria airport transfer at a great price right here. Our service uses local drivers and supprts the island economy because all the money you spend stays in Gran Canaria.

    Alex Says: Using our service also helps the Gran Canaria Info team to keep providing quality local information here and in our Facebook Group

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