Holidays to Arguineguin

The town’s main beach – a long, gorgeous swathe of sand curving around a sheltered bay – is the focus of holidays in Arguineguin. It’s a quiet little town, which bursts into life for the weekly market. If you want to do a bit of shopping and perhaps take in a bit of nightlife, neighbouring Maspalomas hits the spot, with its elegant boutiques and swish nightclubs. The Maspalomas dunes are a breathtaking landscape of rippling sand, now a protected nature reserve blessed with spectacularly unspoilt beaches. There are more gorgeous beaches to be found on the other side of Arguineguin at Puerto Rico, which also boasts plenty of bars and clubs if you want to dance the night away. Inland, you can hike and bike through stunning mountain scenery.

The lovely, palm-shaded Las Marañuelas beach at Arguineguin has plenty of facilities, including beach bars, and sun loungers and parasols for hire. It shelves gently, making it a great option for families. Behind it stretches a seafront promenade, which is has a good choice of restaurants and cafés. La Lajilla is a tiny patch of sand next to a shallow natural swimming pool set in the rocks. Anfi beach is a gorgeous stretch of white sand shaded by palm trees and overlooked by a botanical garden. You can take also boat trips (or hop in a taxi) to nearby Puerto Rico and Maspalomas, which both boast stunning sandy beaches.

While you’ll find plenty of places to tuck into international cuisine in Arguineguin, you shouldn’t miss the chance to try the delicious Canarian dishes. As you’d expect from an island, seafood features on most menus, and you can tuck into some freshly grilled catch of the day – perhaps sea bream or wreckfish – at many traditional restaurants. Sanocho Canaria is a tasty cod and potato stew which is a staple at festivals, or you could try some caldo de pescado (fishermen’s soup). Other Canarian classics include papas arrugadas (‘wrinkled potatoes’) which are served with piquant mojo sauce. Gofio (a grain which dates back to pre-conquest times) is another local speciality, and is used in all kinds of dishes, including the unusual mus de gofio (gofio mousse) dessert.

Arguineguin is an appealingly tranquil town, but it has enough bars and clubs to keep things reasonably lively on warm summer nights. In general, though, nightlife here is peaceful and low-key, and most people are quite content to sit out on a seafront terrace enjoying a cold drink overlooking the beach. If you really want to party, a 10-minute taxi ride to the larger resorts of Maspalomas or Puerto Rico will bring you to a huge range of pubs, bars and nightclubs. The nightlife scene in both resorts caters to all tastes, from karaoke bars to fancy cocktail bars, and Maspalomas also has plenty of stylish options that are popular with the LGBTQ community.

The main town beach in Arguineguin is sheltered and shallow, making it ideal for families with young kids. They might also enjoy splashing about in the natural rock pool at La Lajilla beach. There are lots of fun things for kids to do in the area, including taking a dolphin-watching cruise or riding on a camel through the spectacular landscape of the Maspalomas Dunes, a protected nature reserve. You could also spend a day with the animals at Palmitos Park (25 minutes away by car), where they have dolphins, parrots and birds of prey. Or take them for some thrills and spills at the Aqualand water park in Maspalomas, where there are slides and wave pools.

If you’re looking for a relaxing break by the sea with your partner, then pretty little Arguineguin hits the spot. It’s got a charming little harbour where fishing boats bob gently, some of the most blissful beaches on the island, plenty of delightful restaurants and bars, and lots of wonderful seafront walks to enjoy as the sun goes down. If you want some exciting nightlife, you could hop in a taxi and hit the bars and clubs in Maspalomas or Puerto Rico, both just 10 minutes away. And if you want to escape the coastal hubbub, head inland where there are some wonderful treks through the hills. You can even take a deeply romantic star-gazing excursion into the mountains.

Arguineguin may be laid-back and tranquil, but adventurers will still find plenty to keep the adrenaline flowing, particularly when it comes to water sports. The spectacularly clear waters are ideal for scuba diving, and you’ll find a couple of diving centres where you can rent equipment, take part in diving trips, or even do a course. You can also paddle board and windsurf in Arguineguin. There are even more options for water sports in nearby Maspalomas, a much bigger resort, where you can have a go at parasailing and water skiing. There are some enjoyable coastal walks around Arguineguin, but for stiffer and more demanding hikes, head inland to the rugged Pilancones nature reserve.

Most of Gran Canaria’s main cultural sights are located in and around the island capital of Las Palmas, which is about a 45-minute drive from Arguinegan. The Pueblo Canario, a recreation of a traditional Canarian village, presents exhibitions of folk-dancing and local music. On the fringes of the capital, you can also explore the charming 15^th-century town of Vegueta, which has narrow lanes filled with historic buildings. Las Palmas boasts several fascinating museums, which run the gamut from Christopher Columbus’ former home, to the Elder Museum of Science and Technology, which is full of technological marvels. The most important prehistoric site on the island is about an hour’s drive from Arguinegan: the Cueva Pintada (‘painted cave’) boasts some astonishing ancient cave paintings that date back three millennia.