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Planning your family holiday is a big deal, there are a lot of factors to consider which can make it feel like quite a daunting task. We’re here to help you find the perfect trip for your family with insider tips on saving a pretty penny, no matter what your budget is.
Today we’ll be focusing on family holidays to Gran Canaria. Why? A great destination that offers year-round sunshine, while still being a short-haul flight away. Gran Canaria has beautiful beaches and an array of family-friendly hotels and resorts from basic self-catering to boujee all-inclusive, and there are always great deals to be found (that's where we come in 😉).
Two of our Pirate crew just got back from Gran Canaria, where they were scoping it out as your next family holiday destination and checking out the best hotels on the island for families to suit every budget. We've also found some epic deals on the TUI site to get you there, plus money-saving tips before you start your search.
We've only picked hotels that offer kids' clubs and pirate-approved facilities that are great for the family too, so you won't get bored on your holiday.
Use TUI's free child place finder. With two paying adults, one child goes free. These places are limited, but the tool makes it easy to find them.
Use the calendar to get an overview of different prices on various dates. Going just a few days earlier or later can change the cost significantly.
Check the package cost for different durations. Sometimes, more nights work out cheaper, so it's best to scope out all the options before you book.
Look for all-inclusive deals. When there are hungry little mouths to feed all day, all-inclusive can often work out the best value as you'll not need to worry about additional food and drink costs.
Situated right on the beach in Bahia Feliz, the TUI BLUE Orquidea is a great budget-friendly all-inclusive option for families.
The hotel has 5 pools, which are heated between November and April, there’s a splash pool for the little ones too. There’s a kids’ club and baby club at an extra cost to keep them entertained and give the parents some chill time too.
We would recommend downloading the TUI Blue app, where you can see all the activities and times each day, including poolside games and nighttime entertainment. There's so much on to keep them entertained.
As the hotel is all-inclusive, you won’t need to worry about extra spends for food and drinks. Meals are served in the main buffet restaurant and the menu changes daily. There’s a kids’ section offering the basics for the fussy eaters. During your trip, you get one dinner at one of the à la carte restaurants, which you’ll need to reserve on the app. (Tip: do this in advance, as they fill up quickly)
For the adults, we particularly enjoyed that there’s Cava included at breakfast, and self-pour sangria, beer and wine stations around the hotel. You’ll also find slush and soft drinks at these spots too.
We found an all-inclusive week for a family of three with 43% off.
We loved the TUI BLUE Las Pitas apartments as they're located right next door to the TUI BLUE Orquidea and you have full access to the facilities. The apartments are self-catering and come with a kitchenette area, so it's perfect for families who prefer to have flexibility to cook or go out for food, while still enjoying the resorts pools and activities. You can also upgrade to all-inclusive, but it's worth checking how this stacks up against staying at the TUI BLUE Orquidea on all-inclusive, as that can work out cheaper.
We've found a great last-minute deal with a free kids' place and 52% saving from £700 total for a family of three.
Because of the free child place, upgrading this deal to all-inclusive works out a pinch cheaper than booking TUI BLUE Orquidea which is all-inclusive as standard, and you'll be using the same all-inclusive restaurants.
The RIU Gran Canaria was one of our favourites that we got to visit, it's totally lush.
The resort is all-inclusive and there's a huge selection of restaurants and bars, including a 24-hour sports bar for drinks and snacks. We got to sample the all-inclusive food here for lunch, there were loads of options and the pizza and fresh pasta were to die for.
It's a great location for exploring, and only a short trip away from the famous sand dunes, Maspalomas beach and a range of bars and restaurants to explore if you want to escape the all-inclusive for a night.
There’s a kids club and a huge kids' splash park. On Fridays there’s a ‘RIU party’ where there are loads of fun neon props and a stage that the whole family can be involved with.
Last minute dates have some decent savings on this hotel, but you'll need to be ready to shoot off fast to score the best discount.
Oh, so you want to be fancy, fancy!? The last hotel on our visit was the beautiful 5-star Maspalomas & Tabaiba Princess in Maspalomas. It's grand from the second you walk into the hotel lobby and the rest of the resort did not disappoint.
Although on the pricier side, this one was our top pick for families, as the kids' pool area was absolutely epic. It spans one whole side of the hotel with a jungle theme so they definitely won't get bored. There are six pools and some with adult-only areas too, if you want to drop the little ones into the kids' club and relax.
For all-inclusive, you'll have your pick of restaurants and bars, even the main buffet felt luxury.