Monday, 28 January 2019 12:21

Gran Canaria Has Its Own Popcorn Beach

El Confital: Gran Canaria's popcorn beach El Confital: Gran Canaria's popcorn beach photosgrancanaria.com

Popcorn beach in north Fuerteventura has become an Instagram thing in the last few months but Gran Canaria has an equivalent spot on its north coast. 

El Confital beach, famous for its barrelling surf wave, peaceful boardwalk and views of Las Palmas city, even gets its name from the little white rocks that cover its shore.

Confite is an old Spanish word for a type of little white sweets made with sugar and cornflour that look just like popcorn and the Insta-famous little white beach stones. El Confital literally means 'the field of Confite'.

Actually, they aren't rocks or coral as some people have reported but rhodoliths: The remains of a type of red algae that grows in deep water in the Canary Islands. As this algae develops it grows a hard centre and when it dies these hard centres wash up on the shore.

There used to be a lot more confite at El Confital but much of it was collected and turned into lime to paint the nearby houses in La Isleta and Las Coloradas. 

However, if you head to El Confital at low tide and walk about halfway along the boardwalk you should find enough confite for a decent picture. Even if the tide has washed it away when you go there is plenty more to see and do at El Confital beach. 

There are aboriginal caves on the cliff face behind you and great views of Las Palmas city from the cross high above the beach. Or you can carry on past the end of the boardwalk and explore the rugged coast all the way up to the military fence. 

 

Published in Tip of the day

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Tip of the day

  • The Parafarmacia In Gran Canaria Is Not A Chemist!
    The Parafarmacia In Gran Canaria Is Not A Chemist!

    If there is one thing we hate it is visitors being tricked in Gran Canaria. In the past we've warned about overcharging at Gran Canaria chemists, and rip off electronics shops in resorts. 

    In this Tip Of The Day we return to the island's chemists or rather, to the island's fake chemists.

    A chemist in Gran Canaria is called a Farmacia and always has a green cross sign. Farmacias are the only place tobuy medicine in Spain, even basics like paracetamol.

    However, there is another kind of shop in Gran Canaria that looks and sounds like a chemist but doesn't sell medicine. This is the Parafarmacia and it also uses a green cross sign.

    A parafarmacia is a herbal medicine shop that is not allowed to sell any normal medicine such as paracetamol, ibuprofen or antibiotics. 

    Instead, parafarmacias sell herbal alternatives to medicine but don't have to prove that they work and they can charge whatever they want.

    We recently heard from a visitor to Gran Canaria who went into a parafarmacia and was charged 40 euros for a herbal alternative to Ibuprofen. It was only when they read the label that they realised what had happened. 

    To locate a genuine farmacia, see this website and search within your municipio (Puerto Rico is in Mogán, Playa del Inglés is in San Bartolomé de Tirajana). At weekends and on fiesta days many farmacias close but there is always one open, known as the farmacia de guardia, in each municipio.

    Search for the nearest one to you with this tool

    Lex Says: To keep costs down, see this article for the way to ask for generic medicine rather than expensive branded alternatives. 

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