There are a dozen large shopping centres in Playa del Inglés and each one attracts a different crowd. These are the biggest and the best:

The Lively Yumbo Centre

The Yumbo is the big daddy of Playa’s shopping centres. It has a split personality depending on when you visit. During the day, it is a huge, family-friendly shopping centre crammed with restaurants and shops. There’s a market on the bottom floor most evenings.

As day turns to night Playa del Inglés’ huge gay community heads to the Yumbo. Many bars host evening singing, cabaret and drag shows. The atmosphere is friendly and cosmopolitan and you will always find a decent deal on booze. By about 11 pm the families have headed home and the Yumbo’s gay nightlife kicks in. Go home if the sight of gay affection offends you (and have a good think about yourself). 

If the Yumbo Centre was a person, it would be your flamboyant cousin that you love but can get on your nerves when he won’t go home at the end of the party. Go there for a huge choice of restaurants and bars, and for late night LGBT shenanigans.

The Eccentric Cita Centre 

One look at the Cita Centre and you have to wonder why the drugs the architect was on aren’t available any more. There’s a giant clown face, a car sticking out of the wall and even a couple of turrets. Inside the Cita is just as strange. It’s a maze of corridors and small shops and you are almost guaranteed to get lost. There are good shops and restaurants in the Cita Centre but finding them can be an adventure.

The Cita caters to a range of niche tastes, from wife-swap clubs in the basement to German folk music bars on the roof. Some people love the place and spend every night of their holiday there. Others take one look at the giant clown and choose another spot for dinner. That’s the beauty of Playa: There is always somewhere else to go just around the corner.

If the Cita centre was a person, it would be that strange but lovable uncle who wears odd clothes and smells a bit funny.

The outdoor Gran Chaparral

The Gran Chaparral is a sprawling open-air centre popular with Dutch tourists. It has a couple of good British pubs and is a top spot for watching the football. It’s great on a sunny day (any day) if you fancy lazing around in the sun with a cold beer.

If the Gran Chaparral was a person it would be your sports-mad friend who never seems to do anything except have fun. Go there for the footy in the sunshine.

The Aguila Roja or Irish Centre

The Irish Centre is only little, but it has some of the most lively bars in Playa del Inglés. It’s also the best spot to get a full English breakfast the morning after the night before. The Irish Centre rocks on busy nights.

If the Irish Centre was a person it would your crazy Irish cousin. Go there for great bars and big breakfasts.

Avenida Tirajana bar and restaurant strip

This is Playa del Ingles’ main drag and runs all the way through the resort. It hosts the annual Gay Pride parade and is packed with bars and restaurants offering everything from Balinese food to all-day breakfasts. Avenida Tirajana has seen better days in terms of nightlife, especially since the new Boulevard opened in next-door Maspalomas and Meloneras. However, Avenida Tirajana is still home to many of the best restaurants in Playa.

If Avenida Tirajana was a person it would be the boss you can’t avoid in the pub. But then he buys you a drink so everything is cool. Go there for its great restaurants and many bars.

The hopping Kasbah and Plaza Shopping Centres

The Kasbah is a sprawling centre with restaurants and bars on the bottom floor and Playa’s hippest bars upstairs. The names seem to change regularly but the atmosphere is always the same: Loud music, free-flowing booze and plenty of dancing until the early hours. Next door is the sunken Plaza centre with yet more bars and clubs at the bottom.

The Kasbah and Plaza are where the young crowd hangs out and parties. Bizarrely, it is also the place where the oldies go for a waltz before dinner. Head to the central square in the evening if you don’t believe us.  

The zone around the Plaza and Kasbah is the only part of Playa where you get pestered by touts trying to get you to visit bars in exchange for free drinks. If you go down this route, make sure you get your drinks as the touts have a habit of vanishing once you are inside. Most of the free offers are terrible by the way: The free champagne costs a euro a bottle and those red or blue shots have next to no booze in them. 

If the Kasbah was a person it would be the youngest person in the office: Full of energy and great fun to go out with, but irritating if you spend too much time with him. Go to the Kasbah to hang out with the youngsters

The beachside Anexo II

Anexo II is the imaginatively named strip of bars and restaurants down by the beach in Playa del Inglés. As well as a McDonalds it has tonnesof placess that knock out cheap chicken and chips and standard tourist fare. There are also a couple of great restaurants on the drag and plenty of places to stock up on beach stuff like towels and inflatables. 

If Annexo II was a person it would be an old friend who you only hang around with because he has a great house and a full drinks cabinet. Go there for good value food with great views.

The Tropical Shopping Centre in Playa del Inglés

A beautiful location high up over the sea with views of the Maspalomas dunes and Playa del Inglés beach makes the Tropical centre a favourite sunset spot in Playa del Inglés. It's also got several interesting shops such as a Fundgrube and is well worth a stop if you are at the east end of the resort.

Shopping in Playa del Inglés

Gran Canaria's resort shopping centres are where you go to eat, drink and have fun but don't actually contain all that many shops. For info on where to shop for clothes and gifts in PDI, see our Playa del Inglés shopping guide.

And don't miss our guide to the best Gran Canaria shopping spots.