Mogan

Puerto Mogan in Gran Canaria is the most charming, most relaxing resort that I have been to in the Canary Islands. Of course, I haven’t been everywhere in the Canaries, but I’ve been there a lot. For me, Mogan takes the prize as the most chic place to stay. It’s classy. I should know, I’m from Oldham after all. This December we visited for the third time.

Gran Canaria itself is a fairly, not totally, barren, rocky island. Its resorts nestle in valleys which open out onto the coastline, which gives them a beach. Puerto Mogan has a beach, and a cute little harbour filled with expensive yachts. Each of these areas is backed up by bars and restaurants. There’s the usual array of resort shopping available and, once a week, an enormous market descends on the town, filling the place with stalls.

My wife and I thought the place was superb, but that doesn’t mean to say it’s everyone’s cup of tea. Some would argue it’s too quiet, and rather small, so there’s not a lot to do. Generally, it attracts an older clientele who like it quiet and don’t want to do much. Horses for courses. The attached video isn’t very long because Mogan isn’t packed with sightseeing options.

On our first visit, we stayed in an apartment in a little complex called Golden Beach for nine nights. It cost around €1000. The apartment was nicely furnished and had all the fixtures and fittings you would expect, including an outside eating and seating area. A welcoming bottle of wine was a nice touch and the kitchen had all the little extras like bin bags, washing up liquid etc, so we didn’t have to buy that in.

It has a decent sized pool and which is great for a cool dip after lying in the sunshine. We were on the ground floor and so right by the pool and sunbathing area. There’s a park facing which was quiet most of the time and is locked up at 10.00pm. It is well equipped for exercise and workouts, if that’s your bag. We were only 300 metres from the beachfront with all its bars, yet we never heard a dicky bird.

I feel a bit guilty picking out a few restaurants for a mention as the standard seems to be very high throughout the town. We didn’t have a disappointing meal anywhere, and we ate out every day, sometimes twice. We only had main courses, and we always had a couple of glasses or half a bottle of wine each. Prices ranged from €40 – €55 that’s pretty reasonable for a couple in my book.

Asia House served excellent Chinese food, it did Japanese too, but we didn’t try it. We went a couple of times. La Fenice is a good Italian. My wife enjoyed her sausage and truffle risotto and my gorgonzola, olive and truffle pizza was yummy. The Irish Tavern came highly recommended, and it didn’t disappoint. It’s very popular, quite small, and you need to book a few days in advance to guarantee a table in the evenings. I had a super homemade burger while my wife had a lovely fillet steak. Restaurante Jamonal de Mogan is quite outstanding. It serves fabulous tapas, and gorgeous Jamon Iberico. We went on our last day of our second visit. We’ll be going there again. It is situated at the rear of the centre, by the canal/river inlet and bridge. Mr India is highly rated and rightly so. Portions are generous and prices very reasonable. Facing there is a restaurant called Al Bek which specialises in Lebanese dishes. Again, it’s top drawer. In the square near the harbour is an intimate place called La Pasion. I’d say it was essentially Mediterranean cuisine with an Italian twist. Or Italian with a Mediterranean. Hmmm… Anyway, it’s very good.

Generally, the harbour area is surrounded by classy restaurants and the view is ‘aspirational’. You would be wise to book in most places if you want a table at the front so you can eat, drink, people watch and guess the prices of the yachts.

The ‘event’ of the week is Mogan Market Day. It takes place every Friday and is the biggest, longest market I have ever seen; about two miles of stalls. It swamps the town. Visitors come from all over Gran Canaria to peruse. There are multiple vendors selling; leather belts, handbags, jewellery, beachwear, replica football shirts, weapons grade plutonium, and baseball caps. The beachwear selection is very good, such a wide range is not available back home. I think the leather goods on offer are pretty good too.

Typically, in Mogan, a pint of lager is €2.50 or €3.00, house wine €3 a glass. We frequented a bar near our apartment called El Canario 2. It’s a mellow watering hole with a saxophonist performing live most evenings. He was excellent! He plays a wide range of material but his speciality, and my favourite, is Latin American. His Cha Cha Cha’s, Salsa’s, and Rumbas had me wiggling in my seat, wishing I could dance. Brilliant. They also do food, we never ate there but, apparently, it’s very good.

About half a mile from the from the sea front there is a commercial centre which has bars and restaurants as well as shops. It’s well placed for the many people staying at the big hotels and apartment complexes at this end of town. It has a Hiperdino, which is decent sized supermarket. We often popped in, either going to or from the sea front.

Outlaws Bar is one of only two (I think) places offering live music in Mogan. The name suggests that this is a country music outlet but, whilst that is the main flavour, the are other genres on the menu here. There is a range of music to suit everyone, and the clientele are all sat twitching feet and tapping toes along to the tunes. It is a popular venue and has excellent reviews on TripAdvisor. Well worth a visit! There is a sports bar near Hiperdino called El Cuentro. It’s a great bar in which to watch the football. Good sized screens, plenty of seating and waiter service. At the other end of the shopping centre is a small outdoor bar called Quintin Terrace. It’s a sweet spot, utterly unpretentious, and a lovely place to watch the world go by. Somehow… this place reminds me of somewhere else, it kind of moves me. It links to something in my past, visiting Europe in the 1970s, maybe. Anyway, I’m very fond of it.

The prize for weirdest act goes to two crew on the ferry we caught over to Puerto Rico. They made balloon toys, used glove puppets, wore clown noses, sang and danced. As passengers we were a captive audience. It was a case of listen or jump overboard; only three did. There’s a little clip in the YouTube video. To be fair, it was a giggle and they put smiles on faces so – well done.

UPDATE DECEMBER 2023 & 24

For our second visit in 2023 we stayed at the Radisson Blu Resort and Spa. It really is a very good hotel, though I have a couple of minor issues with it. The rooms are great, spacious, and well appointed. There is a generous balcony space with sunbeds, a table and chairs. We only used the adult swimming pool and it is excellent and heated. Just nice. The ‘quiet’ sunbathing area is by this pool, it is large with plenty of sunbeds. We were only bed and breakfast, but the food at breakfast was good, with plenty of choices, and staff worked hard to keep the counters stocked with fresh stuff. The staff were professional and welcoming. It does get busy at breakfast because most people come down about the same time. That’s not the hotel’s fault. You will be seated in less than 5 minutes.

Overall, there is the feeling of being in a luxury hotel. It is well situated a 10/15 minute walk from the sea front and harbour of Mogan. Given the large number of excellent bars and restaurants there we felt no need to go full board at the hotel. I have some niggles. I didn’t like the coffee available at breakfast. The percolated one was very strong and the ones available in the machines were strange. The cappuccino was 50% hot chocolate. Maybe some people like it like that? The maids did a great job but tended to ignore the ‘do not disturb’ sign.

In December 2024, we stayed in Apartamentos Cordial Mogan Valle. It is a big complex and we didn’t see all of it. The rooms were fine and equipped as you would expect – you could eat in if you wished. Each has a generous balcony and sunbathing area, though you don’t get direct sunlight until about 11.00 am. There are several pools though we stuck to the quiet ones, and they were spot on. There’s a pleasant, large bar area. There is also restaurant though we didn’t visit it.

Should you go to Puerto Mogan?

Obviously, I’m giving it a big thumbs up. The only slight negative is that it does rather encourage indolence and laziness. It certainly did for a greedy old waster like me. At home I like to do a bit of keep fit, I walk or cycle most days. I put on a few pounds here. It’ll be sackcloth and ashes next week. I don’t think Mogan is for everyone, but it’s spot on for me.

I’ve written four books now. ‘Head Hunted’ is my comic novel, just the ticket for the beach. My latest is ‘Following Gilgamesh’ – a bargain at £1!