A different kind of Christmas in Gran Canaria is like you and your family: it knows no limits.

The Christmas events programme in Gran Canaria provides further proof of the extraordinary range of cultural and natural choices to be had on the island.

Puerto Rico beach, in Gran Canaria, welcomes and pampers all who come to bask in this brightly luminated spot.

There are two types of families who come together on the beach at Puerto Rico, at the south of Gran Canaria, where light and warmth invade every nook and cranny. The first type live under the blue haze that bathes the region’s coastlines. These are the dozens of dolphins that move around in large shoals, leaving behind silvery trails on the surface of the water. Nearby, on the shore, on golden sands, other families who come down to Puerto Rico in search of endless, perfect days, are milling around.

The Poema del Mar Aquarium, the most spectacular one of its kind in Europe, opens a window to the marine universe in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

The oceans are now reciting their own verses on the island. The Poema del Mar, the grand aquarium in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, has opened its doors to offer a window to the marine universe. Its facilities are the most spectacular in Europe and is therefore set to become one of the great attractions, not only in the city and on the island, but in the Canaries as a whole.

The Sand Nativity Scene at Las Canteras beach is the flagship of dozens of Birth Scenes spread all around Gran Canaria.

Leonardo, Benoît, Marieke, Aleksei, Enguerrand, Dan, Vadim, Alexey and Jonay come from different countries around Europe. Yet, for several weeks they speak a single language: the language of sand. They are sculptors who between them have used some 2,000 tons of arid sand from Las Canteras beach, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, to build the greatest Nativity Scene of its kind in Continental Europe. Its sheer size however is by no means its only attraction, as they have also managed to express real emotion through this temporary structure, which leaves a permanent mark in the memories of those fortunate enough to get a close up of it.

A wholly different kind of Christmas is out there to be seen, heard and savoured in Gran Canaria.

Enigmatic news has just reached us from Gran Canaria. It appears that the Christmas Spirit has been spotted on the island. Several shocked testimonies confirm this to be the case. Some witnesses claim they have seen it moving around the dunes at the south, like a warm, gentle breeze that raises the sand pyramids. The story goes that here, Christmas is a far from cold affair, and people are throwing off the warm clothing they are dependent on at higher latitudes.

A number of municipal swimming pools in Gran Canaria’s interior offer some refreshing summer bathing in unique spots.

You’re lying flat on your back while the sun is slowly burning up every last drop of the water on your skin following your latest dip in the water. You just turn your head a little to take in the wonderful view over the stunning Roque Bentayga from the Tejeda municipal swimming pool. Indeed, Gran Canaria hides some fine secluded surprises in its interior. The doors to these facilities are open to you for a very reasonable price, and include great bathing and superb views.

The area of Bañaderos, at the north of Gran Canaria, is world a away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

“Look at that, they’re happy enough now!”. The boy is talking about the fish feeding on bread crumbs that he has just thrown into the water for them, and which have disappeared in a matter of seconds. The only thing left now under this transparent marine canvass is a group of cabosos, lisas and other expectant little fish. But the lad has already gone back to his parents, who have forgot all about the time at this huge solarium, measuring over two thousand square metres that stretches out to the edge of the natural pools at Bañaderos, in Arucas, along the stunning north coast of Gran Canaria.

Gran Canaria has everything you need to provide unforgettable holidays with the kids.

Christmas in Gran Canaria is something else and there are thousands of stories illustrating this. Come and write your own.

Made by sand sculptors from around the world, Las Canteras’ Belén de Arena de las Canteras is a Christmas icon on Gran Canaria.

os Cahar (copy 7)

harco de San Lorenzo (copy 8)

Gran Canaria’s coast is full of places between land and sea where time stops for families to discover the true magnitude of life surrounded by amazing coastal creatures.