We’re just home from our travel agency spring conference which was held in Gran Canaria this year.

Puerto de Mogán

We stayed at the 3* Apartamentos Cordial Valle Mogán in the lovely resort of Puerto de Mogán, known as “Little Venice” by visitors. This large aparthotel has 267 one bedroom and 36 two bedroom apartments, which are built into the hillside set back 600m from the beach and harbour area. There is a shopping centre directly opposite the hotel including a supermarket and a wide pedestrian area leading down to the seafront.

The apartments were modern and spacious, including an open plan kitchen equipped with fridge, microwave oven, toaster, coffee maker and kettle. The living room had a sofa bed with satellite TV, large bathroom with shower over bath and twin beds in the bedroom with ceiling fan. The lounge and bedroom opened onto a large sunny balcony which was furnished with two sun loungers, shower and outdoor dining table. We were staying on half board plus, breakfast and dinner was served in the buffet restaurant on the first floor, although on our first night we went down to eat in the harbour, and the second night we were dining at the Cordial Mogán Playa Hotel next door.

On our first hotel inspection day, we visited three hotels from the Gloria Thalasso & Hotels group in the morning and three hotels owned / managed by the Cordial Canarias Hotels & Resorts.

Amadores
Our first two hotel visits were situated in Amadores, which is just along the South coast from Puerto Rico.

4* Gloria Palace Amadores

We toured the 4* Gloria Palace Amadores first, which has an underground reception and opens out into a panoramic sea view, it give us the impression of being on a cruise ship. This hotel is the only one in this area with a lift down to access the beach promenade. There are four blocks of hotel rooms, two of which are carpeted rooms, and two are tiled. The hotel allow pets to stay in the non carpeted rooms, which is proving popular with European travellers. Rooms can be booked including BB, HB or AI. It is possible to upgrade your accommodation catering for a minimum of 3 days. As the hotel is a Thalasso, the pools are salt water and is proud of operating on 26% green energy. This hotel is popular with families, all of the 385 double rooms (47m2) and 7 suites have sea views, are air conditioned and have wifi. The impressive Thalasso spa takes 2 hours to fully utilise all the different water jets.

4* SUP Gloria Palace Royal Hotel & Spa

Around the corner, we visited the 4* superior Gloria Palace Royal, this hotel is more popular with couples, although still open to families. This stone clad hotel was built in 2008 and although the room interiors weren’t as impressive as the first, we preferred the location over looking Playa de Amadores. The hotel has 170 double rooms (42m2), 13 Presidential suites and 2 Royal suites, all of which have sea views. The rooms have a kettle and coffee machine included as well as a/c and wifi. The infinity swimming pool overlooking the beach was gorgeous, there is also a second swimming pool for adults, which is raised above ground with see through glass walls, as well as 2 pools for children.

San Agustín

4* Gloria Palace San Agustín Thalasso & Hotel

Our third hotel was set back 600m from the beach, the 4* Gloria Palace San Agustín was built in 1988 and refurbished in 2012. More than 7,000m2 is dedicated space for health and wellness at this hotel, which has 346 double rooms (35m2), 86 family rooms (44m2) and 16 junior suites. This is a big hotel with two large swimming pools, the family rooms were interesting with two bedrooms, and the Double Thalasso Essence Rooms on the higher floors were nicely furnished with sea views. The rooms have wifi, tea/coffee making facilities and air conditioning.

Maspalomas
We were very pleasantly surprised by our next location and the á la carte restaurant prepared a fabulous lunch for us.

2 key Cordial Green Golf

The Cordial Green Golf has 250 one bedroom duplexes and 16 two bedroom duplexes which were renovated in 2006. There are two swimming pools for adults plus a children’s pool. One of the pools stretches for 80m in length with a bridge over, which is fabulous for any guests wanting to swim. The properties are adorned with multi coloured bougainvillea which climbs over the arches, there’s a kids club, children’s playground and the golf course is next door. The properties have an open plan living area with an equipped kitchen, sofa bed and satellite TV, upstairs is a twin bedroom and bathroom with walk in shower. Ceiling fans in living area and bedroom. Wifi available in public areas.

1 key Cordial Sandy Golf

This complex is just across the road from the Cordial Green Golf and popular with the older generation. The Cordial Sandy Golf has 128 one bedroom bungalows which are situated in a circular format centred around the swimming pool. These properties are typical Canarian style bungalows, basically furnished and on one level, set in mature gardens. There is a pool bar onsite, any guests staying with half board accommodation will be served their meals at the Cordial Green Golf.

Both of these complexes are very popular with a high repeat rate. They operate a free shuttle bus to Maspalomas beach and the resort of Playa del Inglés.

For our last visit of day one, we were transferred to Playa del Cura.

Playa del Cura
3* Riviera Vista

The Riviera Vista hotel is situated on the hillside with a bridge access to Playa del Cura beach. This is a modern hotel managed by Cordial which was refurbished in 2014 and decorated with some funky furniture. Offering accommodation in 3 blocks, across 94 rooms with 1-3 bedrooms from room only to full board. The rooms were minimally furnished including a kitchenette for preparing snacks and light meals but not cooking. Air conditioning is standard and free wifi in public areas. The accommodation is good for larger families with up to 3 bedrooms, but the hotel don’t offer animation or facilities for children.

Playa del Inglés
For day two of our inspection visit, we visited two hotels from Grupo Mur, situated next door to each other in Playa del Inglés.

4* Neptuno

Neptuno is part of the Mur Hotel group, it was the first to start offering adult only accommodation in Gran Canaria, they saw a gap in the market back in 2007. Ideally placed for the famous Yumbo centre, guests can simply pass through the secure gate access off the swimming pool. The beach is 800m away, the main street has recently been renovated, so it’s a pleasant walk down to the front, and the hotel also offer a shuttle bus service. The 170 standard double rooms at the Neptuno were refurbished in 2014 to include sound proofed balcony doors, they are also air conditioned. Wifi is available free of charge, guests can also rent a mifi for €3 to carry around the resort if internet is required outside the hotel.

3* Aparthotel Buenos Aires

There are 150 one bedroom apartments available at the Buenos Aires, all of which have a pool view. The accommodation was refurbished in 2003 and is available from self catering to half board. This summer the property will close for 1 month to upgrade the balcony doors, to soundproof the apartments. The bedroom has twin beds sleeping a maximum of 3 people including the sofa bed. The kitchens have a microwave and small hob for cooking facilities. Free wifi is available.

Maspalomas
5* Seaside Palm Beach

Personally this was my favourite of all the hotels we visited during this trip to Gran Canaria. Grupo Seaside own 4 hotels in the Canaries, they have been established for 40 years and are renowned for their excellent gastronomy. The Palm Beach hotel was renovated in 2002 in a 70’s retro style with striking colour themes, a toned down beige & brown scheme is available for those who prefer more neutral shades in their room. Of the 328 rooms, there are three double room types, luxury double corner rooms and a selection of suites available. Situated within the grounds guests can choose sunbeds situated around two adult only swimming pools, a main pool, children’s pool and baby pool. If you want a winter holiday in this location, you need to book well in advance!

5* H10 Playa Meloneras Palace

The Playa Meloneras Palace has an unusual reception, it’s like something from a sci-fi movie. The hotel has 373 rooms including Double Room, Double Room Sea View, Privilege Superior Room, Suites and Presidential Suite. There are 37 Privilege Superior Rooms where guests have free access to the Privilege Lounge, Despacio Spa Centre and an exclusive solarium with Balinese beds and bar service, as well as breakfast and dinner service in the à la carte Gaudí Restaurant. There are 2 adult pools, a children’s pool and Jacuzzi. This hotel has live entertainment and the Daisy Club for children aged 4-12 years old. We enjoyed lunch in the buffet restaurant here during our visit, the waiting staff were very attentive and there was a good choice of hot and hold dishes available as well as a chef cooking meat and fish to order on the grill.

We’d seen our last hotel, it had been a very interesting couple of days and believe it or not, hard work!

Please contact us for any quotes and advice if you are considering a holiday in Gran Canaria. Tel: 0800 810 8404 Email: Julie@cameltravel.co.uk