An island to shop ‘til you drop!

When it comes to holiday shopping, whether you go for souvenir shopping, or whether you want to stock up on presents for yourself, it’s always good to know that you’ve saved enough to be able to treat yourself whilst you’re away. Saving up for your holiday might be hard work at the time, but it more than pays dividends when you’re there and enjoying yourself!

I love a bit of shopping when I’m away, and I often dedicate a day towards the end of my break to this, one of my favourite activities in life. When you visit the sunshine island of Gran Canaria however, you’re more than spoilt when it comes to shopping ‘til you drop, because most resorts have a huge shopping centre or two, and even those that don’t are in very easy reach of those that do! When you decide where to stay in Gran Canaria, factor in how far you want to travel for your retail therapy needs. 

I’m not suggesting you spend your entire sunshine holiday in the shops, because relaxation is of course the name of the game, so make sure you begin your break in that exact manner. I always find checking my flight status online reduces my pre-flight stress, which if you’re not careful has a nasty habit of creeping into the beginning of your holiday. When I flew recently I was regularly checking the EasyJet flight tracker online, and I knew exactly what was what with my flight, feeling calmer and reassured as a result. Try it for yourself, no matter who you fly with.

Calm, collected, ready to relax? Gran Canaria offers you plenty of opportunities to do just that, no matter where you’re staying on the island, but if you’re wanting to take advantage of the island’s duty free status then you’re best heading to the south of the island, which is handily where most of the large tourist resorts are based!

Remember that you are only allowed a certain amount of goods to bring back to the UK, and that includes 1 litre of spirits or 2 litres of wine, and 200 cigarettes, or 50 cigars. You will find customs are clamping down on imposing these limits, so don’t take the risk.

You will easily find alcohol, perfume, tobaccos and plenty of electronics in the main resorts, but if you are wanting to buy electronics cheaply, then make sure you test them out first, just in case! You don’t want to get them all the way home and find they’re sub-standard, or don’t work properly.

There are several weekly markets dotted around the island, which are certainly worth a wander around for more unusual souvenirs to take home, with plenty of handcrafted goods on offer. Alternatively, if you prefer a more shopping mall experience then you have plenty of choice. Las Palmas is probably the biggest shopping area on the island, with Las Arenas a great centre for retail therapy. If you’re staying the hugely popular resort of Playa del Ingles, then Yumbo and the popular Kasbah Centre are great choices too.

One thing’s for sure, you won’t struggle to find something to spend your money on in Gran Canaria!