A lot of people seemed to recommend this place to me, and I finally made it on the penultimate day of my week hiring a car.
Before I headed to the dunes, there was something more pressing that needed addressing, and that was getting a full English breakfast. I don't have a sense of smell or taste (this happened way before Covid brought this lack of senses back into the news), but I still like the things I used to like back in my tasting days, and I really wanted one after months of Italian and Spanish cuisine (proper Brit abroad I know).
The first place I went to was shut, naturally, but I found another place further down the road, and it was well worth it. Nice and cheap, and satisfied the urge.
Maspalomas is very touristy, and didn't really appeal to me, but I did want to visit the sand dunes, so onwards I headed. The dunes are quite a bit further along than the main tourist spot, and I parked on the street close to the entrance.
The entrance to the dunes is quite hidden. I walked a longer way around, but essentially you have to walk through a hotel, and you arrive at the dunes. I've always liked the beach, and sand dunes (shout out the wonderful Merthyr Mawr back home in Wales), but my first reaction here was not of amazement, or wonder, but rather a bit of pain.
Now it looks impressive, but goodness me was it windy. Super windy. This wind whips up the sand from the dunes, and hits you hard. I know the term 'sandblasted' is more commonly associated with decorating, but it felt appropriate for what was happening to my body here.
The constant shellacking was already taking its toll, mere minutes into my journey. I had sunglasses and a face mask which helped, but it wasn't fun. The video below shows just how windy it was during my Maspalomas trip. You can hear the wind, and see it constantly moving from left to right on the screen.
I'd made the effort to come here, so continued furrowing onwards, and spotted a few other brave souls walking the marked paths. The dunes are vast, and these marked paths were certainly welcome. You get the choice to head in two basic directions, and I decided to walk towards the beach.
It was about a 30 minute walk or so, up and down meandering sand dunes, and made all the more difficult by the constant wind. I made the beach, but conditions there weren't much better, and after seeking refuge behind a bin (pardon the pun), and having a drink of water I headed back. I had to turn my cap around below not for style reasons, but to stop the wind picking it up and sending it flying.
The place was nice don't get me wrong, but it was just hard to enjoy when you can't really lift your face to appreciate the surroundings. Maspalomas is also quite famous for it's nudist areas, and on one of the occasions I did manage to look up, an old man in the buff was my reward, wonderful.
Here's a selection of photo's from my visit (another leg shot for all my fans). I'd really like to visit again when things are less windy, as it was difficult to truly enjoy. I hope this doesn't put you off visiting, as I'm sure it's well worth it when conditions are more favourable.
The dunes are vast and impressive, and as mentioned previously, the marked routes are a nice touch. There are plenty of bins for rubbish etc, and the beach is a very impressive size.
I got back to the hire car, a bit of a broken man. Covered in sand, with my trainers in a similar state. True to form, I did find sand for weeks after, adding to the frustrations of the day. Pro tip, choose a non-windy day for your visit.