Paradise Found

I think that when Eddie Money sang, “I’ve got two tickets to paradise,” he was talking about Gran Canaría.  This chain of seven islands is one of the most aesthetically pleasing places I’ve ever had the privilege of visiting.  Desert, oceanfront, snow-capped mountains, and jungle all in one place.  

Again we chose to stay in a small apartment style hotel so that we could make our own meals.  We picked the Hotel Montemayor from a list of hundreds of properties of the same style.  All are around the same price range (30-75€ per night) and have similar accommodations.  The rooms are basic, but comfortable.  Anyway, you’ll want to be outside!

The beaches in Gran Canaría are pristine!  The water is crystal clear, warm, but refreshing, and the sand is soft and warm.  For about 8€ you can rent a chaise lounge with an umbrella (a good idea since the sun is pretty intense).  Now speaking of beaches we have to take a moment to speak about nudity.  Mairin is a pretty well traveled pre-schooler, but this was her first experience on a European beach.  That being said, there is no issue with being topless on a public beach in Europe.  Which is cool if that’s your thing.  Explaining why people didn’t have shirts on to a three year old, well that’s kinda difficult.  

As far as the kid-friendliness of Gran Canaría, yeah why not.  Sun, surf, and sand are good for everyone's soul.  There are is no shortage of outdoor activities, and the weather is pretty much picture perfect year round.  A round-trip ticket from the States will cost you between $1000 and $1500, but I would say it’d still be worth it.  From Europe you can fly from most major airports for under 200€.  While visiting the islands, I highly recommend renting a car and driving into the mountains.  The views.... there just aren’t words...