Everybody goes to Amadores beach and Playa del Inglés is busy every day. However, there are great sandy beaches in south Gran Canaria where you can sit on the sand surrounded by locals rather than tourists. Here are ten of the best.

We covered Gran Canaria's Top Ten Unmissable Spots here, but had to leave lots out; Here're some of the great places in Gran Canaria that don't get the crowds.

Sometimes what you want is a beach small enough that you don't have to decide where to put your towel. Of the 100+ beaches in Gran Canaria, here's our pick of the teeny tiny ones.

Right on the bounday between San Agustín and Bahia Feliz, this little beach at the base of a cliff is called Pirate Beach but nobody knows why.

It's just a patch a golden sand, but La Puntilla beach in San Cristobal is sandy, sheltered and right by some of the island's best fish restaurants. 

There are quiet local beaches dotted all around the north coast of Gran Canaria. If you get sick of long sand beaches covered in sun loungers and parasols then head to one of these secret spots. All of them are great for snorkelling.

Tourists love big, sandy beaches with plenty of amenities and umbrellas for rent. Canarians, on the other hand, prefer their beaches to come with fish restaurants, or to be completely natural. We covered the Top Ten Tourist Beaches in Gran Canaria here, but this post is about the beaches that the locals keep to themselves.