I spent quite a while trying to get some accomodation for my week long stay last week. i have been to Playe del Ingles before and decided that Maspalomas or Meloneras would be a bit less dated and more chilled.
It turned out that last week was fairly busy in the resorts and it was difficult enough to get anything.
Eventually I found the Campo Golf Bungalows on Tripadvisor and they were available. I booked them with some trepidation as I thought the location was probably a bit far away from everything. I also wondered how I was able to get the last one when so many other properties were gone already.
Anyway I neednt have worried as I was very happy with these bungalows. They are spotless and while a bit dated- like much of this area- they had many plus points.
The apts are in a quiet location and there was not much noise at all. We were not beside the road but the traffic is not heavy at night anyway. About half of the eighty units seem to be owner occupied so this made the complex feel like a community.
i noticed that when I was sitting at the coffee bar near the pool that many people seemed to know each other which I liked. There are tenants from the Uk, Germany and Scaninavia so I didnt feel we were out-numbered by any one nationality.
The pool area never gets too busy and there were always beds available when we wanted to stay in the complex. The man who runs the coffee bar is very friendly and we stopped off in the afternoons for a beer and a toastie or a coffee. There is free wifi at the coffee area which is handy if you dont fancy roaming charges.
In general I found all the staff very friendly and helpful. I asked reception could we hold our room a little longer on our last day and they organised the cleaner to leave our room til last. We were able to keep our room until 2 pm instead of 12 which meant we were able to go the beach. We had to head to the airport at 4 so this was perfect. There was no extra charge for this.
The bungalows themselves are basic but very clean. We arrived at night and I thought they were very dark at first. However they are not- they all get the sun at some stage of the day. The beds were comfortable and I had a great nights sleep everytime. I know some people found them hard according to reviews here on TA but I think unless you are used to sleeping in a soft bed, you will be fine.
The shower also seems to be a problem for some people here. The first night , my friend had a long shower and shave and there was no hot water for me. However I went first every day after that and I found that if you didnt run the water for a long time, there was plenty of hot water for both of us. The shower is also very powerful, so I felt very clean after using it.
The Supermarket in the complex is very basic but handy for things like water, coffee etc. There is a large supermarket a few minutes down the road and I noticed most people did a big shop there and then topped up locally as they went along.
The grounds are lovely as everything is well tended and clean. There are lots of flowers and plants around the complex.
We walked down to Maspalomas beach most days and its only a 25-30 minute walk. Its very pleasant too as you walk past the nature reserve on the way. There are plenty of places in Maspalomas to have drinks or food and we used to have breakfast down here most mornings.
If you walk a further ten minutes along the shoreline to the right after the lighthouse, you find several restaurants serving Italian, Mexican etc. They are all very modern and a little more expensive then Playa Del Ingles. We ate down here one of the nfghts and I would highly recommend the Gran Italia. We also tried the Mexican Sushi restaurant but I thought that while the sushi was ok, the Mexican food was very processed.
Most nights we headed down to the Yumbo Center and again this was only a 25 minute walk. We would walk down and then take a taxi home. It only cost €3.50 so its quite cheap. Taxis are very plentiful so its always easy to find one when you are not in the mood for walking. A taxi to Maspalomas is also only €3.50 from the Campo Golf Apts.
We found some great restaurants down on Avenida Tirijana near the Yumbo including Barbados and Merlins- you should try them when you are in town.
We went to Mogan for the day too. Its easy to get to- we walked up to the Amusement park along the river bed and got the bus outside there. They come along every 30 minutes and take about 45 minutes to get to Mogan. The first two buses were full but they seem to monitor this as another bus came along ten minutes after the scheduled bus that was full. Mogan has a lovely small beach and lots of lovely cafes and restaurants. Its also very pretty and makes a nice change to the other resorts.
I think the Campo Golf Bungalows are a great budget place to stay in Gran Canaria. I will stay there again as they are clean, quiet and close enought o everything you need. We paid €385 between us for one week to stay here which is amazing value.
Some of my friends stayed in one of the 5 star hotels down the road last November and they loved it there. However they paid over €800 Each for a week.
I guess my point is that you get what you pay for and I would rather pay for somewhere clean and basic and then spend the money on dinner and trips.
If you are young and love nightlife, I think it would be better to stay in Playa Del Ingles as it is much livelier. If you are into luxury or on honeymoon, then the hotels in Meloneras are a better bet. I think this place is perfect for a budget week away in the sun where you want to chill out and get a tan.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
