Taking the Gran tour
GRAN Canaria is known for its wild party atmosphere and black volcanic beaches – but that’s only half the story.
There is also a green and pleasant side to this island in the Canaries that can be enjoyed all year round, with sleepy seaside towns and a rugged landscape that’s a hiker’s dream.
My partner and I swapped out flip flops for walking boots to take on the rolling hills in Tejeda, reaching Roque Bentayga and its big brother, Roque Nublo, giant volcanic rocks 2,000ft up.
The hike up to Nublo from the car park took us just half an hour. The warm, breezy weather and lush greenery all around made it feel a million miles from Gran Canaria’s more familiar scenery.
Off the northwest coast of Africa, the island suffered a massive blow to its tourism industry last summer after a huge wildfire tore through fields and forests.
But locals are now more geared up than ever to protect the landscape.
And it is worth protecting – it has been declared a Biosphere Reserve by Unesco, meaning it is an ecosystem with plants and animals that are unusual and of scientific interest.
Of interest to me was the quaint town of Tejeda, which is a place popular with hikers desperate to take in views of the island from above.
And there are loads of walking routes around the area too.
The rustic charm of Tejeda is felt everywhere, from its century-old church to the tiny yet delicious foodie spots, such as Cueva De La Tea, which served up traditional dishes like goat, chickpeas and almond cake.
Hotel Fonda De La Tea embraces that old-world feel with planks from the original 19th-century doorframes and floorboards freshly painted up and adorning the walls as art.
But like many of the hotels in the area, it only has a few rooms. And they get booked up quickly thanks to tropical temperatures, which you can enjoy all-year-round.
As a result, we stayed slightly further down the mountain in the small village of San Mateo, at the Hotel Rural Las Calas.
Here, the weather became more drizzly and we were glad we packed our waterproofs so we could enjoy the pretty walks and explore the hotel’s private gardens.
Cocktails
From there, we headed back down to the island’s coast, to the seaside town of Agaete where the Cordial Roca Negra hotel was waiting for us.
It was the perfect base for wandering around the town’s quiet cobbled streets and watching waves crash against the marina.
And back at the hotel we lapped up some serious TLC in the spa. We spent 90 blissful minutes in the dreamy facilities, floating in the salt water pool and detoxing in the sauna and steam rooms.
To top it all off, the recently refurbished hotel is now home to the Rock Top Sky Bar, where you can sip delicious cocktails on posh day beds and sofas while taking in the stunning sea views. But after cocktails, comes a thirst for coffee.
Luckily for us there is a coffee plantation nearby, Finca La Laja, where not only do the locals grow and handpick their own beans, but they also harvest papaya, oranges, mangos and avocados.
The family-run business makes its own wines from its expansive vineyards, which span 30 acres and are hydrated by water flowing naturally through the valley.
And as we sat to sample some of the red, rose and sweet white wines made from the local grapes, it was hard to believe the noisy, pumping bars of Las Palmas were just a 40 minute drive away.
It’s the different side to Gran Canaria. And I’ll stick with the hiking boots over the heels, thank you. FACTFILE: easyjet flights to Las Palmas start from £39.99 each way from London Gatwick. Hotel Rural Las Calas from £53pn. Hotel & Spa Cordial Roca Negra from £134pn. Find out more at grancanarianaturalandactive.com/en.