Mogan; A Hidden Gem!

 After a summer of interning with the childrenswear buying team at Dunnes, there's nothing I needed more than a relaxing sun holiday- so that's exactly what I did! 

I headed to a place called Puerto de Mogan in Gran Canaria for 10 days. For anyone who hasn't heard of Mogan before, it's not far from Puerto Rico. We came across Mogan in April while we were staying in Puerto Rico as they do boat trips back and forward between the two, especially on a Friday when Mogan holds the Markets.  We only spent the day here but absolutely fell in love and knew we had to come back for longer! We flew into Gran Canaria Airport and then it's about 40 minutes in a taxi to where we stayed. 

Puerto de Mogan is by far one of the prettiest places I've ever been. Although it's quite small, it has everything you need; bars, restaurants, shops & it's own beach. The people are so friendly and we became particularly fond of the staff in Mogan Mar who went out of their way to welcome us into their restaurant, and ensure everything was perfect for our meals. The menu is endless and the food is so good too which was a bonus! 

On the food front- we ate somewhere different most nights and all were as nice as the others. Dennehy's is an Irish bar at the far end of the Marina which I'd definitely recommend. Although it is an Irish bar they do all sorts of food so you wouldn't be stuck for something to pick... I'm a fussy eater so you know it's good when I don't struggle to find something. Otherwise, there's strips of restaurants right along the marina & the beach so there's lots to choose from. The only thing I'll say is, if you're a bit of a party animal Mogan can be pretty quiet at night, but Puerto Rico is only a 15/20 minute taxi away and the bus will take you there too. However, if you're tame like me (in my old age of 25), Mogan is perfect. The bars stay open late enough and you can sip drinks on the beach if that's what you fancy.

The only real downside to Mogan is trying to find somewhere to stay. As the title says it's a bit of a hidden gem and not many people know about it, and this is possibly because there's so few places to stay that have all the general holiday criteria- pool, balcony, location etc. While there is apartments around the marina a lot of them don't have a pool, but the beach is so near that this probably wouldn't bother a lot of people. Me, however, I love nothing more than lying by the pool!

We stayed in Cordial Muelle Viejo. These apartments are relatively new and you can tell by how modern they are. The apartments are so spacious; they've a bedroom, sitting room, bathroom and kitchen area equipped with everything you could need & more. Each apartment also has it's own private balcony which comes with a table and chairs, and sun-loungers. The pool was my favourite part. If you follow me on Instagram or Snapchat you would have seen it numerous times :) It was an infinity pool which overlooked the sea and to the right of the pool was the beach. If you've ever stayed in Marina Suites in Puerto Rico this place is definitely on par- I think I might even prefer it! There's plenty of sunbeds & there's even about 6 leather double loungers that you can use at no extra cost & they are so comfortable! The apartments have security at night and you need your key to get in & out which means no one can just walk in and use the pool. Slightly on the pricey side but you pay for what you get!

While we were in Mogan we decided to be the big kids we are and book some day trips. Since Aqualand & Palmitos Park are owned by the same people, when you book one you get the other cheaper so it cost €49.50 for both parks when they cost €30+ separtely. Something to note, if you're going from Mogan there's buses that go directly to the parks but cost between €16-20 for two people return. This is something the tour guide failed to mention so it did add an extra €40 to the trips but it was worth it! We swam with a beautiful seal in Aqualand and it's an experience I'll never forget! 

There's also plenty of boat trips and water sports like jet-skiing, parasailing, banana boats, which all happen in Mogan port so you don't even have to leave the area unless you want to! I can't recommend this place enough! 

If I could pack up and leave for Mogan for good I'd be gone yesterday, but it's back to the grind on Monday to finish this Masters! I've a few more trips planned before Christmas so hopefully I can find the time to keep updating & I've some more post ideas in mind that I'm working on. Forgot how much I love to write!! 

R x