
If you missed part one of this blog post – Living the Luxury Life in Gran Canaria – make sure you read that too, as it covers the first half of my amazing trip to Gran Canaria. My first holiday abroad since Covid began and it was absolute heaven!
UnpaidAD – I was a guest of Visit Gran Canaria and Jet2.
Tuesday 26th April 2022
I was blown away by the range of things there are to do on Gran Canaria – literally something to suit absolutely everyone. You can lounge by the pool, eat good food and have spa treatments if that’s your vibe; or you can explore architecture in beautiful towns, visit museums and visitor attractions, hike up beautiful mountains or take part in some water sports. If love you visit Gran Canaria in Winter too and do some more indoor things.On the Tuesday we were up bright and early in our fitness gear, for a morning yoga and Tai Chi session in the sunshine at the Seaside Palm Beach Resort, not far from our hotel in Meloneras. I found it so hard and everyone else was so much better at it than me, but I just did what I could do… and took photos instead! Straight after the yoga session, we had massages at the same hotel. The treatment rooms and spa are beautiful and it was nice just to be able to chill during this and then lay by the pool afterwards. We had such a busy schedule that it didn’t factor in much time for doing this, so this was a welcome treat.
At lunchtime we got up from our sun loungers for one of the best meals of the holiday. We had the most delicious tapas to share, then I had a pesto pasta – carb heaven! After a leisurely lunch, we had the afternoon to ourselves. Some of the others went to see the sand dunes and take outfit photos there, but I decided that a sleep back at the hotel & some balcony time was more what I required.
When we met up again for dinner, we headed to the Marina Suites at Puerto Rico Marina. We had a champagne reception in the most beautiful spot right by the ocean and it was so peaceful. After taking photos we went downstairs to the El Puerto Restaurant for dinner. This was more of a sharing plates meal and was probably the only meal of the trip that I didn’t really enjoy – just because of my personal food preferences. However, they did serve us the most amazing thing, that’s apparently very common in Gran Canaria. It was very thin, long slices of aubergine that had been coated in honey then fried. They were so crunchy and super sweet, so were obviously right up my street. They are called Berenjenas Fritas con Miel. I have got to try and make these at home!
Wednesday 27th April 2022
There was definitely a lot of sadness this morning as I realised it was our last full day. I could literally have happily stayed on this island with these girls for another month!As it was our final day, we had another busy schedule ahead of us. First, we headed north again to visit a banana plantation – Hacienda la ReKompensa. It was so beautiful and peaceful here and I had no idea how bananas grew! They also have the prettiest gardens where they are able to do weddings.
We sat here and we’re served the freshest, yummiest banana milkshakes and slices of banana cake made by the owner with their own bananas. It was amazing how fresh and different they tasted to the inferior bananas we get in UK supermarkets.
After this re-fuel, it was on to our next stop – a rum factory tour at Arehucas. We had a tour of the distillery, saw the thousands of barrels ageing in their stores, then had a tasting session as we were introduced to the range of rum-based drinks they make. I actually bought a bottle of my favourite in the shop – a super-sweet toffee rum cream liqueur. A bit like Baileys but sweeter. This has been delicious in my hot chocolates since I got home!
Then it was off to a winery for lunch. The Bodega Señor de Cabrera is a small, family-run vineyard and they treated us to a delicious home-cooked lunch. She cooked the most amazing chorizo meatballs and chorizo stew! The wine was incredible. I don’t usually like white wine as it burns my throat. This wine though was so smooth and easy to drink. Too easy to drink!
I obviously did not climb the huge steep hills up into the vineyard. The PR and I took an alternative mode of transport, much to the delight of the others! Especially when a low-hanging tree knocked my statement headband off. Head over to my Instagram highlight if you want to see the video!
By the time we got back to the hotel, I just had enough time to change before heading back out for dinner at the Salobre Hotel Resort & Serenity. This is a bit like a gated community that you get in the US. There’s the resort, golf courses, private homes. We had beautiful canopies with views over Gran Canaria, before we headed down to the buffet-style restaurant that also has chef stations where they can cook things for you fresh. I had the hugest steak and it was perfection. The dessert selection filled me with joy too. We actually didn’t eat until after 9PM, so by the time we returned to the hotel we were all too tired for a last drink. It was straight to bed to rest before travel the next day.
Thursday 28th April 2022We weren’t leaving our beautiful Lopesan Baobab Resort for the airport until 1PM, so we had our last breakfast together then Hannah and I went to sit by the pool whilst the others finished taking some outfit photos and packing. It was nice to have some pool time at our own resort, as there hadn’t been time for it up until now. It’s definitely one of the most special hotels on the Canary Islands for sure!
When it was time to check-out, we had one last drink together then headed back to the airport. It’s actually a much bigger airport with more shopping and eating options than I thought it would be; based on what I’d seen in Lanzarote. The flight with Jet2 was again flawless, but passport control back in the UK at 9PM at Stansted was a bit of a nightmare. So many flights had landed at once.We all had an amazing adventure on this trip with the most beautiful girls, so thanks to Gran Canaria Tourism* and Jet2 for having us. I will definitely be returning to Gran Canaria, on one of Jet2’s many flights there. The other girls on this trip with me were Gaby, Robyn, Jasmine and Hannah, so go give them a follow on Instagram.
You can see more of what I’m loving, and what I’m doing, over on my Instagram.