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As the largest tourist resort in the whole of Spain, and one of the largest and busiest in Europe, Playa del Inglés is famed the world over for its golden sandy beach and lively, cosmopolitan nightlife. The resort can be found on the south coast of Gran Canaria, in between San Agustín and Maspalomas, so if any visitors are looking for fun in the sun then this is where to go.
Playa del Inglés is a town with three very distinct personalities. By day, the resort is full of sun worshippers packing out the most popular beach on the island, or shoppers filling out the many different shopping precincts such as the Yumbo and Kasbah centres. By night, the bars, discos and nightclubs open in their hundreds with many keeping party-lovers entertained until morning and beyond.
If you're looking for culture and history then this is not the place for you; built in the 1960's on what was barren land, the area has no real history to speak of. On the other hand if all you want is to lie back in the sun by day and party at night, you won't find anywhere better suited than Playa del Inglés.
Things to See and Do
During daylight hours, a holiday in Playa del Inglés for most visitors is usually dominated by time spent at the magnificent, golden, sandy beach. The beach combines a family friendly area close to the promenade with popular nudist and gay sections as you move further along towards Maspalomas. With the beach being several kilometres long, there's plenty of room for all. The beach is bordered at one end by the Paseo Costa Canaria; a very attractive promenade with shady trees and floral gardens and lined with many different bars, restaurants and gift shops.
If you're looking for more entertainment than simply lying in the sun, there are many activities for one to enjoy including jet-skiing, wind-surfing, scuba-diving, para-gliding, and even sky-diving. Young children can also have plenty of fun on the water with pedalo and banana-boat rentals available throughout the day.
Eating Out
The number of restaurants, cafes and bars in Playa del Inglés is innumerable and the variety incomparable. With the resort welcoming guests from all over Europe and further afield, you can be sure to find a vast range of international cuisine not to be found anywhere else on the island, or many places in Europe for that matter. British, German, Dutch and Scandinavian restaurants and pubs are in abundance each serving their respective national dishes and refreshments, along with Italian, Indian, Chinese and most other nationalities that one can think of. The Spanish cuisine is also well represented with many tapas bars, cafes and restaurants serving traditional fish, jamon and rice based dishes and snacks.
Nightlife
The nightlife in Playa del Inglés is legendary. The areas around the Yumbo, Plaza and Kasbah centres, which were full of shoppers earlier in the day, are packed out with revellers in the evening filling each of the numerous bars and nightclubs. No matter what sort of venue you're looking for, whether it be a cosy English pub serving real-ale or a multi-level superclub open to 7am, you'll have plenty to choose from here - the Plaza and Kasbah centres alone have around 200 bars and clubs to enjoy between them.
Playa del Inglés has a very large and prominent gay scene with the Yumbo Centrum often referred to as the 'Gay Centre'. This is also where some of the nicest bars with some of the most extensive cocktail menus can be found, all of which are welcoming to guests regardless of background or sexual orientation; gay, lesbian or straight, you won't find a warmer welcome than the bars and clubs of the Yumbo Centrum.
