After deciding to break my own travel code, (never to visit the same place twice), I looked forward to visiting Puerto Rico in Gran Canaria once again.
Six years after I first enjoyed all that package holidays in the Canaries have to offer – cheap food and drink, baking hot sun and excellent fun - I was half hoping for a brand new holiday and half wanting to relive the old one!
This time round we had a baby in tow so the nightlife ended a lot earlier, but the days became so much longer. This was no bad thing as it meant we had a full day to discover all the delights of the island. In theory anyway. In practice we discovered that we could get half-price tickets to the aqua park if we got there early enough and that the man-made beach was too hot to walk on! Our exploring got no further as I come from a long line of sun worshippers!
There are some fantastic mountains to be climbed in the Canaries and if that’s your bag then you will need to take along the odd Spanish Military Survey sheet - there are no shops that cater for such tastes in Puerto Rico, imaginatively described in one guidebook as a "concrete eyesore". A shopping mall in the daytime, a stage for the next series of Club Reps at night-time - I would say it was all that Blackpool has to offer but on a much smaller scale.
One book I did manage to read was Fast Food Nation, my chosen literature for the beach. A bit intense for a holiday read but absolutely gripping, and it’s true, I really haven’t touched a hamburger since reading it!
I wasn’t looking for a cultural and stimulating trip away and I didn’t find one. I did find a noisy, fun-filled yet deeply relaxing holiday and I loved every minute of it. I have yet to book for next year but I am very tempted...
I recommend the Insight Fleximap of Gran Canaria, Spanish Military Survey Maps for Gran Canaria and Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. For a guide book try the Insight Guide to Gran Canaria that also covers Fuerteventura and Lanzarote.
Author: Sharon Benson
Date: 1 May 2002
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