A holiday or stop off with extrasA number of expats of different nationalities living on Sal Island are taking advantage of what the Canaries can offer. For those needing to refresh their wardrobe, renew their 6 month visa, replace household items or just take a break, then a trip to Gran Canaria is becoming ‘the break to take’.
The flight from Sal to Gran Canaria is in-direct with a drop off and pick up in Praia, Santiago, but the flight back from Gran Canaria to Sal is direct and takes less than 2 hrs.
Those travelling on to other Canarian islands, other countries or travelling to Sal via Gran Canaria are taking advantage of some reasonably priced flight tickets and/or the luggage allowance offered by Binter Canarias. If you are arriving on Gran Canaria and have booked and paid for an onward flight to Sal, you may be able to buy an additional 23 kgs of goods to bring with you but, it all depends if you have the time and also, the price you pay for the ticket and the conditions of that particular ticket price for luggage allowance.
FLIGHT and BAGGAGE ALLOWANCE
I had booked my outbound and return flight in advance as there were still cheaper flight prices available a few months before I intended to visit the Canaries. There are different flight prices with different allowances with Binter Canarias, but you need to read the conditions for each so you can choose the best for you (if they are not sold out). The cheapest available this time was 99e + tax each way. I chose to pay 99 euros plus tax for the outbound flight from Sal which allowed me to take 1 x 23kg suitcase and 6 kg hand luggage. For the return flight I chose to pay 125 euro plus tax, which allowed me to bring back from Las Palmas 2 x 23kgs of hold luggage and 6kgs of hand luggage. As far as I am aware, 2 cases means two cases, not 3 cases with the 46kg allowance split between 3 cases!
Be aware that if you do exceed more than the numbered case allowances for any of their price tickets (with the various specified allowances) you will have to pay extra. One person had to pay 125 Euros for one additional bag! Binter are also very strict if you have exceeded the weight allowance in your cases.
You need to think what you want to bring back with you from the Canaries. My plan was to fill my suitcases and hope that everything I saw and wanted would fit into them.
From Sal I took with me (as the luggage allowance conditions stipulated for the price ticket) one large suitcase. Within the suitcase I had two more empty cases, ready to fill for the return journey. The smallest of the two cases inside the main suitcase would be used as my hand luggage for the return flight and hopefully weigh no more than 6kilos. I was hoping that the other internal case and the main case could each carry a max of 23kgs, as per my allowance for the 125 euro + tax flight ticket allowance I had paid for on the return flight.SANTA CATALINA
Santa Catalina, Las Palmas was where I was based. I would be using public transport such as the turquoise coloured GUAGUA Global buses and also the Municipal buses of Las Palmas buses which are yellow.
You could hire a car to make your way around if you are happy driving on the right or making your way around some of the busy roads and motorways and finding nearby parking. I decided hiring a car would be too stressful on this visit so I opted for buses.
I was informed that I could also get a Global bus from/to the airport for 2.95 euros from/to Las Palmas. You need to take the bus number 60, but you must also ask the driver if it takes you to Santa Catalina. On arrival in Las Palmas the bus first stops at San Telmo Bus Station, and then it proceeds onto Santa Catalina Bus Station. Both bus stations are underground.
Santa Catalina GUA GUA Global bus station is at the port area and near to the El Muelle shopping centre and Santa Catalina Park. You can get great views over the port from the upper levels within El Muelle.
AIRPORT BUS STOP: As you come out of the airport turn right and walk down towards a car park building structure on the opposite side of the road, the bus stops are on the left side of the car park. I took the bus into Las Palmas on arrival, the bus (No.60) took about 20-25mins to reach Santa Catalina Bus Station and it did cost 2.95e.
TAXI FROM AIRORT TO LAS PALMAS: I had also been informed it could cost me around 30–35 Euros to get a taxi from the airport into Las Palmas with luggage. However, if you can book a taxi in advance and agree a price, then it’s cheaper. For my return journey to the airport, a friend arranged for a taxi driver that they usually used, to come and collect me at the place I had been staying in Santa Catalina and take me to the airport for my early morning check-in and flight back to Sal, this only cost 25 euros. If travelling into Las Palmas from the airport you will be using the main GC-1 motorway and you will drive through Telde, so you should notice the large stores. You should also notice a MAKRO and other stores on each side of the GC-1 motorway.LAS PALMAS: The shops, bars and restaurants are plentiful. There are also many Hyper Dino supermarkets, some other food chain stores and some smaller supermarkets and there are a number of hotels that travellers can choose from in Santa Catalina.
EL CORTE INGLES
El Corte Ingles is one of the main shopping stores in central Las Palmas. It is situated on the road ‘Avenida Jose Mesa y Lopes’. It sells clothes, perfumes, shoes, it’s known as being a bit more expensive than most other stores. On the top floor you will find a large number of items that are reduced in price. El Corte Ingles also has a separate store opposite, selling electrical goods and other household items.
Avenida Jose Mesa y Lopes also has many other shops, too numerous to mention, then more off the various side streets.
EL MUELLE (Santa Catalina):
El Muelle is in Santa Catalina, Las Palmas.
It has large a Hyper Dino supermarket on the ground floor, selling mainly food, cleaning and washing items. In EL MUELLE there are lots of different shops and a C&A store, some eating facilities upstairs which include MacDonald’s and the ‘Wok Chinese Restaurant’. At the Wok there is an offer of all you can eat for12 euros, but they ask that you don’t waste any food on your plate. NOTE: There are many other Chinese Buffet restaurants in Las Palmas, some charge less, but may have less of a choice in their buffet.
CENTRO COMERCIAL LAS ARENAS shopping centre (Santa Catalina)
Las Arenas is situated on the far end of Las Canteras beach to Santa Catalina. The bus 45 or 47 from Santa Catalina Park can take you Park to Las Arenas, cost 1.40e. If taking the bus on your return please ask the bus driver if it is going back to Santa Catalina, I got on one and it went off in another direction! On one occasion a taxi cost me 5euros door to door.
Las Arenas has a range of shops including Media Markt stores, Primark, H&M and CARREFOUR.
Carrefour sells other items such as food, clothing, bicycles, office furniture and more. It has an English and Asian food section. In the English section you will find Heinz Baked Beans 0. 86. Am I sad or what!
LIDL – EL MIRADOR – LAS TERRAZAS
You will also drive past these shopping centres if travelling along the main GC-1 motorway from the airport into Las Palmas.
To reach these places by bus I first took the no.12 Yellow bus from Santa Catalina Park to San Telmo Bus Station, cost 1.40e. Note : The No.12 yellow bus drops you off on the main coastline road outside the San Telmo bus station and you have to walk down the steps or ramp into the San Telmo GUA GUA (Global) station.
From San Telmo Bus Station (GUA GUA) I took the bus to ‘Valle de Jinamar’ to take me to Lidl’s, this again cost 1.40e. NOTE: There are a few other Lidl’s on the island but this was the nearest to Las Palmas and within a walking distance to two other shopping centres (if you don’t mind walking along the roadside).
Lidl and El Mirador are on one side of the GC-1 motorway, but Las Terrazas is on the other side of the motorway, accessible via the underpass.
BUS to LIDL : from the San Telmo Bus Station take Global bus No 55 to LIDL. Cost 1.40e
BUS to El Mirador: from San Telmo Bus Station take the bus no: 59 to El Mirador. Cost 1.40e
BUS to Las Terrazas: from San Telmo Bus Station take the no: 75 to Las Terrazas. Cost 1.40e.
If you are walking from Lidl’s to El Mirador it will be about a 20-30min walk along the roadside. If walking from Lidl or El Mirador to Las Terrazas (other side of motorway) walk down to the roundabout, under the underpass and then back up to Las Terrazas, it should take about 30-40mins along roadside.
You will need to take into consideration the number of shopping bags you are carrying or weight of heavier items, walking may not be practical.
LAS TERRAZAS shopping centre.
Is also off the main GC-1 motorway. It has many Outlets selling reduced items including an Outlet store for El Corte Ingles.
Las Terrazas is very popular with locals and visitors to GC. It has a cinema, go-karting, many shops as well as outlet stores, eating facilities, Mercadona Supermarket, Media Markt and much more. I didn’t note a Primark and H&M there, but you will find those at El Mirador (also at Las Arenas). In addition to the El Corte Ingles Outlet In Las Terrazas there are other stores selling household items and furniture such as in Jysk and LoKura.There are Jysk Stores in the UK. Here is the Jysk Store Online (Spain), for shopping Ideas: LINK: JYSK-SPAIN
When I first wanted to visit Las Terrazas I was told to take the no.1 bus which stopped on the side of the motorway near El Mirador and then walk under the underpass to the other side of the motorway. It was a bit of a walk and one which I didn’t fancy if I had bags of shopping to carry at the end of my visit to Las Terrazas. As I didn’t know at the time that there was a no.75 bus stop was to take me back to Las Palmas, I ended up paying 20 euros for a taxi back into Santa Catarina! Note: I am not sure where or how far away from Las Terrazas, the no.75 stop is situated.
ALCAMPO – IKEA – LEROY MERLIN
They are next to each other in the area or town called Telde. There are a number of buses that you can take from Las Palmas to Telde that can drop you off outside IKEA and you can walk from one store to the next. Again, using he bus to carry all your shopping may not be suitable.
You can look these stores up online:
IKEA: http://www.islas.ikea.es/grancanaria/desktop/es_es/Catalogos/catalogos_online
LEROY MERLIN:http://www.leroymerlin.es/tiendas/telde.html
ALCAMPO: http://www.tiendeo.com/Telde/alcampo
SPAR – MERCADONA
There are numerous SPAR stores dotted all over the place, but also the larger MERCADONA supermarkets. I didn’t get time to look in any Spar shops, but I did visit Mercadona a few times as I found the range of food available very good. My particular joy in Mercadona when finding Heinz Baked Beans at 0.95 a tin and a cooked barbequed chicken for around 5 euros made my face light up J.
The nearest Mercadona store to Santa Catalina Park was along ‘ Calle Rupublica Dominicana’.
WALKING: From Santa Catalina I walked along Calle Sagasta which led onto Calle del General Vives and turned right at the Desnudos store which was on the corner of Calle Juan Manuel Duran Gonzales, known locally as JM Duran (the road before ‘Avenida Jose Mesa y Lopes) which, eventually leads onto Calle Rupublica Dominicana. The municipal buses pass near to the Mercadona but I do not know the bus numbers.
CAR HIRE and TAXI
Obviously it is better if you can use a car to reach these places or share the cost of a taxi with a friend or family.
There are plenty of car hire agencies and taxi’s are plentiful in and around Las Palmas. You won’t see taxi’s waiting at Lidl.
AIR FREIGHT
If you do want to arrange for items to be delivered by plane to Sal Island via Binter Canarias you can contact Binter Canarias by email, or visit their offices on Gran Canaria.
Alternatively, arrangements can be made to have personal shopping carried out in or around Las Palmas and flown over to Sal. Charges and costs will depend on travel time, transport costs and customs charges on top of item costs.
NOTE:There are more stores on Gran Canaria other than the ones referred to above.
There are more blogs about trips to Gran Canaria. Links under ‘Recent Post’ top right of page.
Cape Verde Consulate, Gran Canaria: LINK-CAPE-VERDE-CONSUL-GC
