This is a collaborative post with Holiday Gems*
I can count on one hand the number of abroad holidays LPD and I have had together. I suppose travelling a lot hasn’t been high on our priority list, although I do hope this changes in the future. We’ve definitely explored more of the UK than we have outside it, but every now and then… it’s just really nice to get away for a little bit of sunshine, isn’t it? There’s something about a summer sun holiday with it’s lounging by the pool with a book (or several) that feels like a real indulgent treat. And that’s exactly what our holiday to Gran Canaria was like a few years ago.
We holidayed with my parents and two of my brothers, as well as the little boy my parents were fostering at the time. We stayed in two self-catered apartments (LPD and I with my two brothers in one, and my parents and their foster placement in the other) and made the most of the cooking facilities by doing a Come-Dine-With-Me-esque competition throughout the week. It was a holiday of ups and downs, as the behaviour of the boy my parents were caring for made it sometimes quite challenging… but over all, it was definitely a week of relaxing and enjoying the pleasant weather.
I loved walking along the waterfront in the mornings, down to the little supermarket where we bought most of our food from. Crackers, cream cheese and chorizo was our snack of choice and we basically ate it for lunch every day if I remember rightly! It’s still one of my favourite go-to snacks even now. Isn’t it funny how a food can instantly transport you back to a certain time or place?
We stayed not far from Puerto de Mogán, on the south side of the island. We stayed fairly local for our entire stay, and enjoyed the local vicinity as much as we could – including playing mini golf by the beach which was GREAT fun. A holiday isn’t a holiday without a little bit of mini golf, right?
Having a bit of a reminisce about our holiday is making me realise that Gran Canaria or any of the Canary Islands really would make a fantastic first attempt at travel abroad with Pickle. We could go off-season so it’s not as expensive, and avoids the real scorchio temperatures whilst still being nice enough weather for shorts and a t-shirt. It’s not too long a flight, there’s no time difference and there’s plenty to explore to make for fun day’s out when we’ve had enough of the pool. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on any upcoming Gran Canaria holiday deals, and fingers crossed, we’ll be exploring the island again soon, but as a family with children rather than just a care-free couple. I do hope Pickle behaves a little more than my foster brother though… otherwise, it won’t end up feeling like a holiday at all!
Disclaimer: this is a collaborative post with Holiday Gems (this post includes a link to their website). All images, thoughts and opinions are my own.