Best Dog-Friendly Hotels in Gran Canaria and Lanzarote

Before you go

What happens when you get there

Weight limits

The 5 kg Canary convention is still everywhere and it is the biggest single problem on these islands. Anything above it is a deliberate decision the hotel has written down. NH Imperial Playa publishes 25 kg for two dogs, the Sheraton at Caleta de Fuste publishes two dogs at 18 kg each, MYND Yaiza and Sholeo Lodges take 15 kg, and Villas Alondra and both H10 hotels in Playa Blanca take 10 kg. Salobre, Gloria Palace San Agustin and Gloria Palace Amadores stop at 5 kg.

Fees

EUR 10 a stay at Villas Alondra, H10 White Suites and the two Gloria Palace hotels. EUR 12 a night at Hotel Parque Tropical and EUR 15 a stay at Salobre, Seaside Sandy Beach and Seaside Los Jameos. EUR 20 at MYND Yaiza and the Radisson Blu in Costa Teguise, EUR 20 a night at H10 Rubicon, EUR 25 a night at NH Imperial Playa, EUR 35 at Hotel Cesar and ILUNION Costa Sal, EUR 50 a stay at Secrets Lanzarote and the Grand Hyatt, EUR 60 at the Sheraton. Suites 1478 in Vegueta is EUR 40 a night, the top of the range.

Dog beaches on Gran Canaria

All the official ones are in the municipality of Mogan in the south west. Playa de Los Frailes and Playa de Aguamarina both allow dogs all day inside a marked zone, and Playa de Tauro allows dogs with no time restriction in a signed section, which is the closest one to the Amadores hotels. Playa de El Perchel at Arguineguin is time-restricted, 07:00 to 10:00 and 18:00 to 21:00, which makes it the gentler option for a dog new to the sea. Check the hours with the town hall before you build a day around them.

Dog beaches on Lanzarote

Playa de las Coloradas in Playa Blanca, also called El Afre, has a 150-metre marked stretch for dogs with calm shallow water, open 07:00 to 10:00 and 19:00 to 21:00. Playa de Guacimeta at Playa Honda has 165 metres of quiet sand set aside for dogs, next to the airport approach and the cycle path along the runway fence. Playa Blanca also has a fenced dog park opposite the Parque del Mediterraneo that is open 24 hours, which is a very useful thing on a first evening.

Timanfaya and the Manrique sites

Dogs are not admitted to any of them. The Cabildo's cultural centres state that only assistance dogs may enter, and that covers Montanas del Fuego in Timanfaya, Jameos del Agua, Cueva de los Verdes, Mirador del Rio, the Jardin de Cactus, the Casa Museo del Campesino and the Castillo de San Jose. The Islote de la Fermina in Arrecife marina is the exception and it is a good one, a Manrique design reopened as a pet-friendly public venue with water bowls provided. La Geria's bodega terraces, the Teguise Sunday market and the village of Haria are all open-air, so a Manrique day is still possible.

Volcanic ground and paws

This matters more here than almost anywhere in Europe and hardly anyone writes it down. Black basalt sand, the malpais lava fields and the dark picon gravel used on paths and in the La Geria vineyards soak up heat all day and stay dangerous well after the air has cooled. On a 26-degree afternoon that ground can sit above 50 degrees. Hold the back of your hand on it for seven seconds before you let the dog walk. The Papagayo tracks, Timanfaya and most of both interiors have no shade at all, so carry water on every walk.

Island hopping

The ferry beats the plane here. Fred. Olsen Express carries pets free on all inter-island routes and gives you three ways to travel, a pet sofa in a pet-friendly lounge where the dog sits beside you on a supplied mat with a safety attachment, ventilated shaded pet rooms on the outer decks you can visit during the crossing with cameras so you can watch from your phone, and a carrier option for pets up to 10 kg on the lounge floor. Corralejo to Playa Blanca links Fuerteventura and Lanzarote in about 25 minutes. Canaryfly flies inter-island at EUR 10 in cabin up to 8 kg and EUR 25 in the hold, paid at check-in.

Vets

On Gran Canaria, AniCura Albea Hospital Veterinario on Avenida Ansite 9 in Las Palmas publishes emergency cover from 00:00 to 23:45 every day, with the general clinic open 10:00 to 21:00, on 928 26 28 20. On Lanzarote we could not verify a 24-hour clinic from a primary source, because out-of-hours cover runs through a rota rather than a permanent hospital, so ask your reception for the current guardia number on the day you arrive rather than trusting a list.

Best walks

On Gran Canaria the Las Canteras promenade runs three kilometres south from NH Imperial Playa's door and the track up onto El Confital starts a few minutes north, a wild open headland with the Atlantic on one side. The Paseo Costa Canaria runs from Playa del Ingles east past Playa del Aguila to San Agustin, and the Meloneras seafront path goes from the Maspalomas lighthouse west to Pasito Blanco. The palm grove paths in the Oasis lead down to the Maspalomas lagoon. On Lanzarote the Playa Blanca promenade runs from the old harbour past Playa de las Coloradas east to Marina Rubicon, with the dirt track out to the Papagayo beaches carrying on from there. Puerto del Carmen's Avenida de las Playas runs for several kilometres past Los Pocillos and Matagorda, and the coast path west goes to Puerto Calero's marina boardwalk. Inland, the lanes around La Asomada and La Vegueta and the black vineyard country of La Geria are quiet and open, best walked early or late.

When to go

October to May, and January and February are the point of the whole thing. Both islands hold 20 to 24 degrees through the deep winter with very little rain, which makes them one of the very few places in Europe where a dog holiday works properly in January without cold, mud or a long drive. From roughly April to November the volcanic ground is the limit rather than the air temperature, so walking moves to dawn and dusk. July and August in the southern resorts are not worth it with a dog.