Top beaches in Gran Canaria - written by Jez Rourke

The coastline of Gran Canaria is rugged, rough and lacking in sandy beaches. However, this doesn't mean that its impossible to name the top 10 beaches in Gran Canaria! It is a popular place for windsurfing and water sports, and has some wonderful coves full of character.

Pozo Izquierdo is a sheltered beach, which is great for surfing especially when the southwest offshore winds are prevalent. This beach is host to the yearly Grand Slam windsurfing where around 50 of the world's best windsurfers come here to give it a go at winning the title.

Melonares is a coarse sandy beach with an extremely stony shoreline. It is down a steep incline with the coastal path up above and has a modern shopping centre behind. It is a good choice for the family as it is a relatively quiet area although the locals barbeque there with their families on Sundays.

Maspalomas beach is lively and has a good selection of shops and boutiques nearby, as well as loads of activities. It is one of the cleanest beaches in Gran Canaria and naturists generally congregate in the more secluded sand dunes.

Playa del Ingles translates into "beach of the English" and is popular with the 18's to 30's and the gay population. The beach is clean and lively with plenty of water sports and beach bars, but it can become overcrowded.

Playa de Amadores is near to the man made beach at Puerto Rico, which has a pedestrianised promenade and a marina. It has plenty of water sports and boat excursions from the close by lido. This beach is usually quite busy so it is not really suitalbe for families.

Nearby is Playa de Amadores. It is another sandy man made beach over half a mile long with crystal clear waters. It has a great range of bars and restaurants although listening to radios or playing ball games is not allowed. However, the conditions are excellent for young children.

Puerto Mogan beach is small compared to most of the others on Gran Canaria, but it is safe and sheltered from the wind and is downhill from most holiday accommodation. The gently shelving sands make this an ideal place for families and the Aqualand water park with wave pool is close by.

Nearby is Playa Taurito, which is perfect for water sports especially windsurfing, snorkelling, scuba diving, jet skiing and sailing and its white sands and still blue waters make it clean and safe for families.

Playa de Las Canteras has a vast expanse of golden sands and is suitable for surfing. It is a beautiful atmospheric city beach lined with cafes and bars and is greatly favoured by the locals.

Playa Los Secos is made up of volcanic golden sand and gravel and is readily available to naturists. The sea is calm and suited for swimming and boating enthusiasts.

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