What is the best area to stay in Gran Canaria?

For most beach holidays, the south coast around Maspalomas and Meloneras: a huge beach, the famous dunes and plenty of hotels. Choose Playa del Inglés for nightlife, Puerto de Mogán for a pretty, romantic harbour, or Las Palmas for a city break.

Is Maspalomas or Playa del Inglés better?

They sit side by side on the same long beach. Playa del Inglés is livelier, with more bars and nightlife; Maspalomas and neighbouring Meloneras are calmer and more upmarket, with big resorts in gardens.

Where should families stay in Gran Canaria?

Maspalomas, Puerto Rico and Taurito are the most family-friendly, with calm beaches and resorts with big pools and kids’ clubs.

Where is the sunniest part of Gran Canaria?

The south and south-west, around Maspalomas, Puerto Rico and Puerto de Mogán, get the most sunshine. The north, around Las Palmas, is cloudier.

Where to Stay in Gran Canaria 2026: Best Resorts & Areas

Gran Canaria likes to call itself a continent in miniature, and for once the tourist board isn't exaggerating. In one day you can walk across Sahara-style sand dunes at Maspalomas, drive up through pine forests to mountain villages, and finish with tapas in a proper city at Las Palmas.

Most holidaymakers head for the sunny south coast, a chain of resorts from busy Playa del Inglés and the dunes of Maspalomas to the harbour of Puerto de Mogán. The capital, Las Palmas, in the north-east, is a lively city with one of Europe's best urban beaches.

The short answer

Best for families
Best for families
Maspalomas
A huge golden beach, the famous dunes and big family resorts set in palm gardens.
Best for couples
Best for couples
Mogan
The pretty harbour of Puerto de Mogán and sunset-facing coves at Taurito.
Best for nightlife
Best for nightlife
Playa del Ingles
The busiest resort on the island, with bars and clubs open late.
Best for luxury
Best for luxury
San Bartolome de Tirajana
The five-star resorts of Meloneras, by the Maspalomas lighthouse and dunes.
Best for a city break
Best for a city break
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
A real Spanish city with a golden urban beach, Las Canteras.
Best for guaranteed sun
Best for guaranteed sun
Puerto Rico de Gran Canaria
A sheltered bay in the sunniest corner of the island.

Gran Canaria areas at a glance

Area	Best for	What it's like	Hotels
Playa del Inglés	Nightlife, Groups, Adults-only	The biggest, liveliest resort, right next to the Maspalomas dunes.	Hotels: 101
Maspalomas	Families, Beach, Nature	Golden sand dunes, a huge beach and resorts set in palm gardens.	Hotels: 47
Meloneras	Luxury, Couples, Families	Five-star resorts and a smart promenade by the Maspalomas lighthouse.	Hotels: 33
Puerto de Mogán and Taurito	Couples, Families, Scenery	A pretty harbour village and sunset-facing coves in the south-west.	Hotels: 28
Puerto Rico and Amadores	Families, Sun, Value	A sheltered sandy bay in the sunniest corner of the island.	Hotels: 51
San Agustín	Quiet, Couples, Beach	The calm, grown-up end of the south coast, close to the airport.	Hotels: 16
Las Palmas	City break, Culture, Beach	A lively city with one of Europe’s best urban beaches.	Hotels: 111

Playa del Inglés

Hotel Riu Palace Maspalomas - Adults Only, Playa del Ingles — Pictured: Hotel Riu Palace Maspalomas - Adults Only · Bohemia Suites & Spa · Hotel Gran Canaria Princess (Adults Only)

Bohemia Suites & Spa , Playa del Ingles — Pictured: Hotel Riu Palace Maspalomas - Adults Only · Bohemia Suites & Spa · Hotel Gran Canaria Princess (Adults Only)

Nightlife
Groups
Adults-only

The biggest, liveliest resort, right next to the Maspalomas dunes.

Playa del Inglés is the island's busiest resort, with a long, wide beach that runs straight into the Maspalomas dunes, and a town packed with bars, restaurants, shopping centres and clubs that stay open late. It is the hub of Gran Canaria's famously welcoming LGBTQ+ scene.

It has a huge range of places to stay, from value apartments to stylish adults-only hotels, and plenty of all-inclusive family resorts too. The airport is about 30 to 35 km away.

Hotels to look at in Playa del Ingles

Maspalomas

Families
Beach
Nature

Golden sand dunes, a huge beach and resorts set in palm gardens.

The Maspalomas dunes are Gran Canaria's showstopper: a protected reserve of rolling golden sand, edged by a lagoon and a beach that stretches for kilometres towards Playa del Inglés. Walking across them at sunset feels like being in the Sahara, minus the camels.

The resort around them is calmer than its neighbour, with big hotels in tropical gardens, golf courses and an easy family feel.

Hotels to look at in Maspalomas

Meloneras

Tabaiba Princess, San Bartolome de Tirajana — Pictured: Lopesan Costa Meloneras Resort & Spa · Tabaiba Princess · Lopesan Baobab Resort

Luxury
Couples
Families

Five-star resorts and a smart promenade by the Maspalomas lighthouse.

Meloneras, just west of the Maspalomas lighthouse, is the smartest corner of the south coast. A seafront promenade of restaurants and bars links a run of grand five-star resorts, several facing the sea, with the dunes and the long beach a short walk away.

Stay here for spa days, big pools and a polished, upmarket feel, with the action of Playa del Inglés a short taxi ride away.

Hotels to look at in San Bartolome de Tirajana

Puerto de Mogán and Taurito

Princess Mogan & Beach Club, Mogan — Pictured: Princess Mogan & Beach Club · Princess Taurito · Hotel LIVVO Costa Taurito

Princess Taurito, Mogan — Pictured: Princess Mogan & Beach Club · Princess Taurito · Hotel LIVVO Costa Taurito

Couples
Families
Scenery

A pretty harbour village and sunset-facing coves in the south-west.

Puerto de Mogán is the prettiest place on the south coast: a harbour of fishing boats and yachts, low white houses draped in bougainvillea and little canals that earned it the nickname 'Little Venice'. It is relaxed, romantic and full of seafood restaurants.

Nearby Taurito is a small, sheltered beach resort in a valley, with big all-inclusive family hotels and the best sunsets on the island.

Hotels to look at in Mogan

All 28 hotels in Mogan →

Puerto Rico and Amadores

Servatur Puerto Azul, Puerto Rico de Gran Canaria — Pictured: Servatur Puerto Azul · El Greco · Marina Bayview Adults Only

El Greco, Puerto Rico de Gran Canaria — Pictured: Servatur Puerto Azul · El Greco · Marina Bayview Adults Only

Families
Sun
Value

A sheltered sandy bay in the sunniest corner of the island.

Puerto Rico fills a steep valley around a sheltered bay with a golden beach and a marina, in what is often the sunniest spot on Gran Canaria. Apartment hotels climb the hillsides, many with big views, and the beach is calm and safe for children.

Just over the headland, Amadores has a smart crescent of white sand and turquoise water.

Hotels to look at in Puerto Rico de Gran Canaria

San Agustín

Paradisus Gran Canaria, San Agustin — Pictured: Paradisus Gran Canaria · Hotel Don Gregory by Dunas Adults Only · Bull Costa Canaria & Spa

Hotel Don Gregory by Dunas Adults Only, San Agustin — Pictured: Paradisus Gran Canaria · Hotel Don Gregory by Dunas Adults Only · Bull Costa Canaria & Spa

Quiet
Couples
Beach

The calm, grown-up end of the south coast, close to the airport.

San Agustín is Playa del Inglés's quieter older neighbour, with a couple of pleasant beaches and a residential, unhurried feel. It is closer to the airport than the other southern resorts and has some excellent beachfront hotels, including adults-only options and a new luxury resort.

Hotels to look at in San Agustin

All 16 hotels in San Agustin →

Las Palmas

City break
Culture
Beach

A lively city with one of Europe’s best urban beaches.

Las Palmas is a big, cheerful Spanish city with a colonial old town in Vegueta and a golden urban beach, Las Canteras, protected by a natural reef that keeps the water calm. The promenade buzzes with locals day and night.

It is perfect for a city-and-beach break, or for anyone who wants real Canarian life rather than a resort. The airport is about 25 to 30 minutes away.

Hotels to look at in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

North or south?

For a classic beach holiday with reliable sun, stay on the south coast between San Agustín and Puerto de Mogán. The north is greener and cloudier but has the capital, Las Palmas, which is brilliant for a city break with a beach.

Getting there

Gran Canaria's airport is on the east coast, about 20 to 30 minutes from San Agustín, Playa del Inglés and Maspalomas, 40 to 50 minutes from Puerto Rico and Puerto de Mogán, and 25 to 30 minutes from Las Palmas.

See live prices in Gran Canaria →

Questions about where to stay in Gran Canaria

What is the best area to stay in Gran Canaria?: For most beach holidays, the south coast around Maspalomas and Meloneras: a huge beach, the famous dunes and plenty of hotels. Choose Playa del Inglés for nightlife, Puerto de Mogán for a pretty, romantic harbour, or Las Palmas for a city break.
Is Maspalomas or Playa del Inglés better?: They sit side by side on the same long beach. Playa del Inglés is livelier, with more bars and nightlife; Maspalomas and neighbouring Meloneras are calmer and more upmarket, with big resorts in gardens.
Where should families stay in Gran Canaria?: Maspalomas, Puerto Rico and Taurito are the most family-friendly, with calm beaches and resorts with big pools and kids’ clubs.
Where is the sunniest part of Gran Canaria?: The south and south-west, around Maspalomas, Puerto Rico and Puerto de Mogán, get the most sunshine. The north, around Las Palmas, is cloudier.

Where to stay in Gran Canaria: the best resorts and areas