Dani, to school in the nearby Ciudad Jardin (Garden City) district of Las Palmas. Because Alex couldn’t mix
with other kids, I became a house husband - which to my surprise I found a lot more hectic than my last job in the UK, as a subtitler at the Sky Sports Centre. Whilst adjusting to many aspects of island life, I continued to freelance as a journalist for Spanish and UK media and it was against this background that I wrote a book about life in Gran Canaria that is just being published
(pictured left). Going Local in
Gran Canaria (£11.99, Summertime Publishing) is as much a guide for the discerning tourist seeking delights away from the main resorts, as a handbook for the potential future resident looking
at key issues such as education, tax, health and property. For example, relocating with
school-age children is undoubtedly more problematic than moving without them, but on the upside your
THE LOWDOWN ON THE GRANDEST CANARY
National hero – Manchester City and Spain’s David Silva. He learnt his trade by juggling oranges with his feet in Arguineguín and “ wishes Manchester’s weather is more like Gran Canaria’s”.
National dish – Papas arrugadas, baby wrinkled potatoes boiled in salty water, accompanied by mojo – a sauce which can be orange, red, or green and either mild or spicy depending on the combination of olive oil, vinegar, paprika, thyme, oregano and coriander.
Where to party – As the venue’s name suggests, Seven (Centro Comercial Plaza de Maspalomas) comes alive every night of the week to the sounds of R ´n´ B and the funkiest Latin house this side of Havana.
48
aplaceinthesun.com
kids won’t have any problems fi nding penpals.
Main
Church of San Sebastian above Aguimes
Top left
Apartments Holiday - Puerto Rico
Above
Gran Canaria windsurfi ng
Education & Healthcare If you want to follow an English-style education, your best bet are the private schools (colegios privados). Many of these are English
establishments in Gran Canaria which follow the UK National Curriculum. The largest is the Canterbury School (
www.canterbury-school.com) with an infants in Las Palmas, a primary and secondary in San Lorenzo, and a primary in Maspalomas. Of course for us, one of the big considerations was also the standard of medical care. However we were assured by our consultant – one of the world’s leading fi gures in childhood leukaemia – that Alex would follow exactly the same protocol as he had in the UK.
Indeed, people relocate from Gran Canaria purely for health reasons – and its favourable climate is benefi cial to sufferers of varied diseases, including arthritis, MS, and SAD. Its impressive two main public hospitals – both located in Las
Palmas – refl ect the capital’s status as the seventh-largest city in Spain. You’ll spot the older hospital, Complejo Hospitalario Universiario Insular Materno Infantil (Avenida Marítima del Sur
GRAN CANARIA
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