island

The island is popular with Brits who can’t wait until summer to get some sunshine, with 22C weather and plenty of sunshine to enjoy in March, and lots of stunning unspoilt beaches

Those looking for a cheap, sunny escape for March might want to take a look at this island that offers plenty of sunshine and inexpensive pints. Best of all, it’s a short haul destination so you don’t have to spend hours on a flight.

Gran Canaria is often overlooked when it comes to the Canary Islands, with Tenerife welcoming the most visitors, but it’s growing in popularity as a destination especially for winter sun. In March, the island enjoys daily highs of 22C and seven to eight hours of daily sunshine; a tempting prospect seeing as the UK only gets three to four hours on average in early spring.

Flights from the UK average about four-and-a-half hours, and there’s a range of routes to choose from. EasyJet has flights from Bristol, London Luton, and Manchester year-round, as well as offering seasonal services from regional airports. Meanwhile Jet2 offers routes from airports including Belfast, Birmingham, and Glasgow, with a new London-Gatwick service beginning end of March.

TUI flies from Cardiff and Newcastle upon Tyne year-round, while Ryanair offer routes from Birmingham, Bournemouth, and London-Luton among many others. Flights from London-Stansted on Ryanair start from just £24.99 in March.

Most Brits head to the south of the island, the warmest part of Gran Canaria. Maspalomas is famous for its sand dunes which cover an area of about 1.5 miles. Dunas de Maspalomas is a protected nature area that has hiking trails that allow you to explore the desert landscape surrounded by palm trees and set around a natural lagoon.

Walk along the promenade and you’ll reach the lively Playa del Inglés neighbourhood. Known for its bars, restaurants, and lively nightlife including live music, it’s also home to several shopping centres. In Maspalomas, you’ll also find the Yumbo Centre, which is where many of the island’s LGBT+ friendly bars and clubs can be found. At night, the area is known for its colourful drag shows and it’s especially busy in May with the arrival of Pride.

Pint prices vary across the island, but are generally inexpensive as you’d expect in a Spanish destination. You can generally find pints from €2 to €3 (about £1.74 to £2.60), although some bars notoriously offer happy hour deals from €1 (about 85p).

Across the island, there’s plenty to do, from visiting volcanoes to days at water parks. Many people hike the Roque Nublo trail, which takes just over an hour and takes you to one of the island’s highest points. A relatively easy hike, it offers incredible views of the volcanic landscapes, and looks particularly lush and green in spring.

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Palmitos Park is a fun family day out set in the mountains and has nature walks, exotic reptiles, and even dolphin shows, while the Angry Birds Activity Park is a colourful playground that’s a must for kids who love the mobile game.

Puerto de Mogán is often called the ‘Venice of the Canary Islands’ and is well worth a visit for its sheltered beach and stylish marina. It even has canals, and you can take a boat ride through its narrow waterways with whitewashed traditional houses along the way. The capital of Las Palmas is also a popular day trip, especially the old town of Vegueta where you’ll find museums, historic sites, and art galleries.

Have a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com

Love Island All Stars viewers were left baffled during the latest episode on Monday

Love Island fans fumed over a “wild” All Stars twist on Monday (February 16), as they asked, “What’s going on?”

The third series of the popular spin-off returned to ITV2 last month, with a group of ex-islanders returning to the South African villa for another shot at romance.

Audiences have already seen lots of heated clashes, numerous bombshell entrances, and surprise dumpings over the past few weeks. Belle Hassan has found herself embroiled in several dramatic scenarios, after Lucinda Strafford formed a bond with her partner Sean Stone whilst she was in villa USA.

Belle’s exchanges with Lucinda and Sean have remained frosty in recent episodes. More drama unfolded when Belle began getting to know Scott van-der-Sluis, much to the annoyance of his partner Leanne Amaning, reports OK!.

The surprises continued when Sher Suarez and Jack Keating became the latest pair to exit the villa last week, after receiving the most votes in a nail-biting game of To Be Honest.

Sunday’s (February 15) episode saw the girls receive heartfelt phone calls from home, with the stars resolved to leave the drama behind them. The confrontations appeared to be put on hold during tonight’s episode, with Belle declaring that she was “retiring” from the drama.

As they prepared for the day, Sean attempted to reconcile with Belle, stating: “We had a night off Belle. No drama.”

Belle responded: “I’m retiring now,” prompting Sean to enquire: “Can we retire together?” Belle confirmed: “Yeah, the storms clearing. No more hurricane.”

Sean then questioned whether they could be “best friends”, with the former partners subsequently sharing a hug. Belle also resolved matters with Scott at the firepit, whilst Leanne and Lucinda observed from the daybeds.

Love Island viewers were baffled by the sudden shift in atmosphere, with many taking to X (formerly Twitter) to voice their opinions. “The switch up is wild today, what’s going on?” one viewer questioned.

Another commented: “I’m so tired of this storyline,” whilst a third remarked: “The switch up is crazy. Surely the producers have got involved to sort all the drama?”

A fourth fan expressed similar frustration, stating: “Belle couldn’t make it any more obvious she was pulled my producers. Every second it’s, ‘Hurricane Belle is over,’ or, ‘I’m so glad the drama is over’. I’m so tired,” with another equally puzzled viewer sharing: “I’m confused how Belle can make amends with Scott AND Sean but not Lucinda or Leanne? Why is she always 10x angrier at the girl and not the boy?”

Elsewhere during tonight’s instalment, the couples tested their connections in a game of Knowing Me, Knowing You. Following their defeat in the challenge, Whitney Adebayo and Yemen Sanders deepened their bond over a date, whilst Sean asked Lucinda to become his girlfriend.

Love Island All Stars airs Sunday to Friday on ITV2 and ITVX at 9pm

For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new Everything Gossip website

LOVE Island host Maya Jama uses all the experience under her belt to ensure that the show’s contestants stay happy.

The 31-year-old was pictured in a revealing black dress with a belt for Love Island All Stars Games Night episode.

Contestant Lucinda Strafford, 26, stormed off the set in tears following a row.

In an unusual move, Maya paused the game to comfort her.

Love Island fans are convinced that Maya secretly hates one girl after they spotted a huge clue during last night’s challenge.

The drama got so bad that host Maya was forced to step in and comfort Lucinda after she stormed off and broke down in tears.

TIMES UP

Love Island’s axed couple revealed as Maya returns for most brutal dumping yet

SHE’S BACK

Love Island villa in chaos as Maya Jama arrives and new row explodes

Maya made a return to the villa for the Honesty game, where islanders were asked to answer brutal questions in front of all of the other couples.

With the Islanders in their couples, they had to decide between themselves which other couple fits the bill. 

But eager eyed viewers noted that Maya seemed to secretly dislike Belle after spotting how she pulled up Belle.

Maya asked: “Which couple has the least sexual chemistry?”

Belle said it was Leanne and Scott due to him previously being in a love triangle with her.

This led to Belle shouting at Scott for saying that she was the one doing the chasing.

A stern Maya interrupted and said: “Belle, if it wasn’t 70-30 what was it?”

Belle replied that Scott was fully invested and that he had a good way of dancing around things to make things look right.

Fans took to social media and one wrote: “MAYA CALLING BELLE OUT FOR TALKING BS.”

Another said: “The fact Maya could’ve stayed where she was but went after Lucinda shows that even Maya knew Jessy, Belle and Samie were doing too much.”

A third added: “Maya having to step in to comfort Lucinda bc of the bullying. Belle, Jessy & Samie COUNT YOUR DAYS.”