Las Palmas has actually been on my travel wish list for years at this point. The biggest pain point that stopped us from going was the obscenely late night / early morning flight times – however the travel Gods (well, the scheduling teams at Leeds Bradford airport / Jet2) heard my prayers and have finally added a route with a 9am outbound and 3pm return. Praise be!
I’ve thought for years that Las Palmas was an underrated beach city break – as it turns out I was spot on. Whether you want to have a break that includes sights and culture, beach and cocktails or a delightful mixture of the two, you can have a good time here. For those in the know, it’s a very similar vibe to Alicante in a lot of respects.
It’s somewhere I’d happily return to, so I thought I’d share a few observations from my trip along with some of my favourite places to eat and drink for anyone that’s been convinced to give it a try…
1. Don’t worry about carrying cash (but it’s handy to have some.
Pretty much everywhere accepted card, so I never felt like I ‘cash is king’ anywhere we went. That said having a few Euros proved useful for smaller cafés and the occasional small purchase (which may or may not have been a packet of York’eso Ruffles).
2. Head to the Chica end of Las Canteras Beach
If you’re planning a beach day, I’d recommend heading towards the Play Chica end of Las Canteras.
It’s a little bit roomier with nicer sand AND the sunbeds / parasols were a bargainous €4 each! OK so they were the throwback blue plastic loungers and standard parasols that aren’t the most aesthetically pleasing and we’d avoid at any other resort but hey – you pay 90s prices, expect 90s products I guess.
3. Eating and drinking out is surprisingly affordable.
It wasn’t just the sunbeds that were good value. One of the nicest surprises was just how reasonably priced everything felt.
From my morning ice coffee (less than €3) glass of fresh made sangria (€7) and a cocktails (€8 ish, even on the rooftop bars and se front), prices were cheaper than I expected.
4. Even a little bit of Espanol goes a long way.
Even though I spent some of the early 00s living in Spain I am in no way fluent (I think the term for my level is “pidgeon”) but making the effort to order in Spanish or simply saying hola, gracias and por favor was warmly received and hugely appreciated.
Some food / drink recommendations
These were a few of the places I enjoyed most:
– Organic Jungle (New Town): my FAVOURITE breakfast spot of the trip. MY café con leche de avena came complete with heart-shaped latte art, nice decor and a relaxed atmosphere. If I lived in Las Palmas, I’d be here several times a week.
– Astrid (Financial District): A small, no-frills café that seemed to be packed with locals – aka, exactly the sort of place I used to hang out during my holiday rep days of the early 00s. Unreal and ginormous churros and proper Spanish bocadillos.
– Salty and Sweet (Las Canteras): Perfect for breakfast or a light lunch near the beach.
– El Monje de Santa Ana (Vegueta): Right outside the cathedral, this was the ideal place to stop for tapas and a sangria while soaking up the old town vibes.
– La Tabona (New Town): Probably my favourite evening meal of the holiday. The menu gives traditional Canarian tapas a bit of a twist, and every dish we ate was delish.
– El Arte de Mala Sana (New Town): If you’re after something a little more relaxed and less traditional this is a good spot. Serving pizzas, burgers and cocktails.
– Lambada Records Bar (New Town): One of those places I kind of don’t want to recommend because I want it to stay a hidden gem for a future visit! A record bar with a brilliant atmosphere that’s equally popular with locals and tourists . The surrounding bars in the little square are also worth checking out if you fancy making an evening of it.
– La Oficina (outskirts of New Town): A surprisingly stylish café that was very much a spot for locals. Great for coffee and light breakfast before a busy day of sightseeing.
Las Palmas off officially off my ‘to do’ travel list but very much on my ‘I’m so so glad we finally made it and it’s just what we wanted it to be’ list.
It’s relaxed and ‘local neighbourhood’ feeling without being sleepy and combines beaches, great food, beautiful old streets and city life all within easy reach.
I hope this post is helpful in finding somewhere new to travel and what to expect when you get there! If you have any other top tips for enjoying Las Palmas or suggestions for other destinations that I should add to my list, feel free to leave me a comment below.
Thanks for reading,
J xx
Jenny Chat 