Gran Canaria: Agaete & Puerto de las Nieves
I was excited to explore Agaete on the north western side of Gran Canaria and Puerto de las Nieves, the town's small ferry port with black pebble beaches and a very cool fishing-village vibe.
When I checked into the Hotel Rural Las Longueras, Lourdes, the manager asked what I was planning for my afternoon. After wandering through all the beauty of the Hotel’s grounds I said I’d like to go explore the town and she very kindly offered to drive me there on her way home. She drove me around Agaete and Puerto de las Nieves showing all the different areas I should check out. I was feeling very grateful. She dropped me off at the seaside promenade in Purerto de las Nieves, the town's small ferry port, with black pebble beaches and a very cool fishing-village vibe.
Pictured below is one of the houses Puerto de Las Nieves is famous for.
I strolled the promenade that joins the Puerto de Las Nieves with the well-known natural pools of Agaete named Las Salinas. Years ago it was a salt mine, hence its name. Nowadays it is a perfect place for to dip into the ocean with its naturally formed three pools of volcanic rock and sea water. This day was exceptionally windy and the waves were huge, not a good day to venture into the water.
Whitewashed Agaete, built up on a hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean looks like something plucked out of the Aegean Sea. By law, the houses have to be painted with white walls and green/brown doors (in the village and valley) or white walls and blue door (in the port). Hotel Rural Las Longueras where I am staying, known as La Casa Roja (the Red House) is one of only two exceptions grandfathered in and allowed to be “other than white”.
I decided to head to the main square after exploring the port, which was easy to find as long as I scanned the rooftops looking for the Iglesia de la Concepción. This parish church in the main square is younger than it looks, it was built in 1874. It took the place of Agaete’s first chapel (constructed in 1515) which burned down in a terrible fire.
On my drive through town, Lourdes pointed out the many local outdoor cafes surrounding the square as the place to go, and therefore that is exactly what I did when I was ready to sit and enjoy a glass of wine while people watching as all the locals come and go. Everyone here seems to know each other here, this place and the people have so much charm.
