Spain’s Canary Islands are actually situated closer to the north-western coast of Africa than to the Spanish mainland, giving them a climate suitable for holidays all year round. Gran Canaria is the third-largest of the islands, loved for its white sandy beaches that contrast with deposits of black volcanic lava.
The 10 Best Hotels in Gran Canaria
1. Salobre Hotel Resort & Serenity
One of the best resorts in Gran Canaria for golfing enthusiasts has to be the Salobre Hotel Resort & Serenity, given its location within the eighteen-hole Salobre Golf Course!
However, with two swimming pools (one for children) and a spa, it has sporting and health facilities to suit everyone.
Guests can choose from activities like cycling, basketball, yoga, and a gym, while the wellness centre provides body and facial treatments, and there is also a games room.
Rooms boast terraces that offer stunning views of the mountains, complimentary toiletries, comfortable beds, free Wi-Fi, and a flat-screen TV with satellite channels. Safes can be hired for a fee.
Family rooms are available, and there is play equipment on-site. Pets are welcome.
Three bars complement the three restaurants that serve both international and traditional fare. Breakfast can be buffet-style or full English/Irish, and all diets are catered for. Cycling and other tours can be arranged at the tour desk.
The hotel is situated in the hills, but there is a shuttle service to Meloneras beach, where bathers will find lockers, dressing rooms, and an extra swimming pool.
Busy Playa del Inglés and quieter Playa de las Burras are both nearby in the town and resort of Maspalomas, while a fifteen-minute drive will bring you to its coastal dunes and nature reserve, with a section for naturists. Gran Canaria Airport is nineteen miles away.
2. Hotel Riu Palace Oasis
One of the best hotels in Gran Canaria, the Riu Palace Oasis sits on Maspalomas beach, with quick access to its sands, in addition to the hotel’s three heated swimming pools, gym, solarium, wellness centre, and exotic gardens.
Children have their very own pool, playground, and the Riuland Kids’ Club. Playa del Inglés is less than four miles away, while the nineteenth-century lighthouse of Maspalomas is only one-and-a-half miles along the coast. The airport is just over twenty-two miles away.
The comfortable air-conditioned bedrooms have free Wi-Fi, terraces or balconies, and even provide kettles. Every bathroom has the luxury of a double sink, together with a vanity mirror and hair-dryer, while complimentary toiletries and a bathrobe bring a touch of class to the shower. Family rooms are available.
Three restaurants offer everything from buffet breakfasts to cuisine ranging from local to international and themed nights, while on-site bars cater for those just wanting a snack with their drinks. Evening entertainment includes live music.
Read also: Where to stay in Gran Canaria
3. Radisson Blu Resort & Spa, Gran Canaria Mogán
This Radisson Blu hotel is ten minutes from the beach, but has two swimming pools, plus one for younger family members.
Its spa contains an indoor pool, water jets, sauna, hot tub and Turkish bath, with beauty treatments, yoga, and massages also on offer in the wellness centre.
Its facilities make it one of the best resorts in Gran Canaria. Activities on-site include volleyball, tennis, a running track, and a rock climbing tower, with cycling, diving and snorkelling opportunities available nearby.
All options are on the menu at breakfast-time. Daytime drinks and snacks keep visitors happy at the two poolside bars, which are a great location for evening aperitifs.
The main eatery of Larder is the place for themed buffets before heading off to an evening entertainment. Alternatively, guests can experience the delights of fine-dining at the à-la-carte Filini restaurant.
Maspalomas is just over eleven miles from the resort, and the airport is a drive of twenty-three miles. Las Palmas, the capital of Gran Canaria, is twenty-eight miles away, and is worth visiting for its shops, sandy beaches and annual carnival.
Book one of the large modern and air-conditioned rooms or suites to enjoy the views from its spacious terrace or balcony. Relax in the seating area with its Apple TV, satellite TV and free Wi-Fi, then make full use of the bathroom, complete with robe and even slippers.
Accessible rooms are carefully thought out, with auditory aids such as Braille.
4. Seaside Grand Hotel Residencia – Gran Lujo
Located just under nineteen miles from the airport, this hotel joins the list of the best hotels in Gran Canaria partly due to its convenient location just 450 yards from the sand dunes at Maspalomas – Dunas de Maspalomas in Spanish – and just over a mile from Meloneras Golf Course.
It also scores extra points for its top-class facilities, and a reputation for excellent service. Children are welcome.
Guests can use the spa’s sauna, Turkish bath, hydro-massage saltwater pool, and gym, or can take a dip in the heated outdoor pool.
Alternatively, they can opt for free Tai Chi classes, aquagym water-based exercises, or a game of tennis at the neighbouring Hotel Seaside Palm Beach. If this is too much activity, a DVD library is stocked with films in several languages.
The accommodation continues the theme of absolute luxury with villas in a Spanish colonial design, set among the lush vegetation of the gardens.
They all possess terraces or balconies and air-conditioning, and are decorated in calming yellow and blue by Alberto Pinto, the French interior designer. Modern touches include Wi-Fi, satellite TV, room service and accessible facilities.
As a prelude to the evening’s entertainments, clients can listen to relaxing music at the piano bar, or find snacks at the pool-side bar.
For those preferring to dine, the restaurant menu offers dishes from regional to international, with an outdoor terrace where diners can enjoy the gardens, and the mountain views.
5. Santa Catalina, a Royal Hideaway Hotel 5*GL
Among the best hotels in Gran Canaria is this five-star gem, the Santa Catalina. Situated in cosmopolitan Las Palmas, it combines luxury and exclusivity with the amenities and vitality of a capital city.
With gardens all around, it’s an easy five-minute stroll to Las Palmas Marina, and a ten-minute drive to Puerto de la Luz and Playa de Las Canteras, where a coral reef runs the length of the beach. The historic quarter is also ten minutes away, and the airport is twenty minutes by car.
The hotel has an outdoor pool, a wellness centre with Turkish baths, hot tubs, beauty treatments, and a fitness centre. There is a small fee to use the spa.
Most of the generously-sized rooms, some of which are accessible, have terraces or balconies looking out over the gardens, and all have flat-screen TVS, Wi-Fi, and rain-effect showers.
To start the day, the buffet breakfast includes gluten-free options. For daytime or early evening, the Carabela piano bar and the Alis roof-top bar offer tempting cocktails.
One of the Santa Catalina’s three restaurants, Poemas, boasts a Michelin star, while 1890 La Bodeguita excels at tapas, and Camarote showcases local produce.
Read also: Best things to do in Gran Canaria
6. Radisson Blu Resort Gran Canaria
This upmarket complex in Arguineguin stands only fifty yards from the beaches of Pataclava and Aquamarina. It’s less than two miles from Puerto Rico, while the airport is thirty minutes away.
Like all the best resorts in Gran Canaria, it features a spa with a Turkish bath, hot tub, sauna, beauty treatments, and massages. Other facilities include two outdoor pools (one is saltwater), courts for various sports such as tennis, and a gym.
Other activities are available for an extra charge. Children have the advantage of two pools of their own, and playgrounds both outside and indoors.
The modern air-conditioned rooms are enhanced by seating areas with Wi-Fi and satellite TVs, and bathrooms containing slippers and bathrobes. Large balconies allow guests to fully appreciate the sea views.
Suites are furnished with kitchens that boast microwaves and conventional ovens, induction hobs, coffee makers, and washing machines, and there is a mini-market on-site. Entertainment includes live music.
A bar by the pool and an outdoor lobby bar both offer spectacular views over the ocean, as does the rooftop restaurant, serving Canarian and international dishes. Every night, La Canaria produces a buffet of hot or cold food, followed by desserts.
Each evening has a different theme, such as Italian, Spanish, international, Tex-Mex or an alfresco barbecue, ideal for the climate of the Canaries, even in the off-season.
7. Holiday Club Jardín Amadores
Sitting on a hillside between Puerto Mogán and Puerto Rico on Gran Canaria’s south-western coast, Amadores is a more recently-discovered area, and the Holiday Club Jardín Amadores can now consider itself among the best hotels in Gran Canaria.
Clients can take advantage of the white sands and clear blue waters of the Playa de Amadores (meaning lovers’ beach). Playa del Inglés and Maspalomas are both around thirteen miles away, with the airport at a distance of thirty-one miles.
The property’s air-conditioned rooms provide flat-screen TVs with satellite, Wi-Fi, bathrooms, dining and seating areas, desks, and well-equipped kitchens with washing machines. Private balconies look out over a spectacular ocean panorama, and family rooms are available.
Activities include squash, billiards, keep fit, and a water-slide, with a solarium and year-round outdoor swimming pool also on-site. Golfing enthusiasts can head to the nearest off-site golf course, while a ticket desk will help with other plans.
The restaurant and snack bar both cater for special diets, with full English/Irish breakfast on the menu every morning.
8. Hotel Riu Palace Meloneras
In a convenient spot overlooking the sand dunes in Maspalomas, this five-star beach front establishment is just 650 yards from the small Playa De Las Mujeres.
The sands of Meloneras, and Maspalomas beach and lighthouse, are other attractions in the area, and Aqualand Maspalomas is just under four miles away.
In an area loved by cyclists, the hotel offers its own activities of a fitness and wellness centre (with some charges), six open-air pools, sports courts, and a kids’ club, all complemented by a hot tub, sun terrace and bar. A variety of sports, including a golf club, can be found off-site.
The air-conditioned bedrooms benefit from flat-screen televisions, free Wi-Fi, minibars, complimentary bathrobes, and rainfall showers. Some have the addition of seating areas, or are suitable for families, and accessible accommodation is available.
Upgrades guarantee views of the Atlantic Ocean, and suites include hot tubs or whirlpool tubs.
Three bars are joined by restaurants with themed nights, while the free breakfast is buffet-style. There is evening entertainment to look forward to, and Gran Canaria airport is eighteen-and-a-half miles away. Its situation and its amenities make it one of the best hotels in Gran Canaria.
9. Lopesan Baobab Resort
In keeping with its name, the Lopesan Baobab Resort is decorated in an African style. Situated just 650 yards from Maspalomas beach, it’s set among landscaped gardens, and offers memorable views of the Atlantic.
A walk of ten minutes will bring you to the Maspalomas lighthouse and the seafront. The beaches of Las Mujeres and Melonaras, and other local attractions, such as Aqualand, are within easy reach. The airport is just under eighteen miles away.
The large and stylish air-conditioned rooms have balconies, bathrobes and Wi-Fi, and safes can be hired. Room service, family and accessible rooms are all available, and families will love the children’s club.
On-site activities include a well-equipped fitness centre, aerobics, billiards and a games room, with a night club, casino and evening entertainment for the grown-ups. Various sports are on offer elsewhere, with a golf course not far away.
A coffee house, two poolside bars and a mini-market sustain guests during the day. Meals are child-friendly, with menus to suit all diets, and the generous breakfast covers a wide choice.
As well as a buffet restaurant, there is the Pili Pili Restaurant, serving seafood and grilled meats in particular, while the Akara specialises in African cooking. It is this African focus that makes the Lopesan Baobab one of the best resorts in Gran Canaria. A buffet restaurant completes the line-up.
10. Seaside Palm Beach
Set among tropical vegetation, Seaside Palm Beach Hotel is right next to the sand dunes at Maspalomas. Sea breezes cause them to constantly shift in shape, just like a desert.
The buzz of Playa del Inglés is just two-and-a-half miles up the road, and it’s also close to the local golf course. It’s about eighteen miles to the island’s airport.
Of the two swimming pools, visitors especially love the lagoon-shaped one, while younger family members have their own pool, plus a kid’s club and playground.
There’s also the chance to try other activities such as tennis and table tennis, darts, water aerobics, and yoga or fitness classes.
The spa contains a heated saltwater tub and pool, together with saunas, and wellness and beauty packages can be booked. After all that activity, the library provides the opportunity to relax with a book.
As for eating, there’s a choice of the Palm Beach’s gourmet restaurant, an Italian Trattoria, or a buffet on the outdoor terrace. For snacks, there is the cocktail lounge or the poolside bar, and children can tuck into a buffet meal. Special diets are also taken care of.
Retro colours grace the interior, courtesy of the French interior designer, Alberto Pinto, with each room acquiring one of four colour schemes.
However, the accommodation itself is anything but retro, with air-conditioning, a mini-bar, Wi-Fi, and satellite TV in all bedrooms, introducing guests to one of the best hotels in Gran Canaria. There are options for families, and for disabled clients.