Las Palmas is the capital of Gran Canaria, one of Spain’s Canary Islands located off the northwestern coast of Africa. The city is a major cruise port known for duty-free shopping and ts sandy beaches. At Playa de Las Canteras, a coral barrier lines the beach and shelters swimmers.

We strolled through the narrow streets to Playa de Las Canteras where we layer our towels out and soaked in the sun and sand. After a short nap on the beach we packed up and followed the marbled boardwalk along the shoreline, stopping for a local beer and sangria.

As we sipped our drinks we watched the tide go out to expose the coral barrier. Further up the beach a lot of surfers bobbed in the water patiently waiting for the perfect waves.