Cardenas Real Estate Agent Blog – Gran Canaria

It’s been a frantic week in London at the World Travel Market, but The Canary Islands have grabbed all the interest and even an award. One of the biggest tourism shows in the world, the WTM took place at the ExCel Centre in Canary Wharf from 9-12 November. The Canaries stand covered 823 square metres and cost 430,000 euros to put together, apart from being a beacon to tour company executives, it was also voted the best stand at the event.

The interactive display sang the praises of all 7 islands, with Gran Canaria one of the jewels in the crown. The stand had interactive displays and featured 4 main themes, Volcanic Experience, Wellness Delight, Family Welcome, and Water Sports Experience. All this was backed up with an advertising campaign around London, many traditional black taxi cabs displayed large adverts on the side, for the Canary Islands, and Herons Quay Bridge, an important gateway to Canary Wharf, was draped with a 50 metre advertising board.

Gran Canaria can look forward to reaping the rewards of this publicity as more tourists flock to the island and many more decide to invest in property among the beauty of Gran Canaria.

Some two years ago, a friend of us (over 65) told us he had been attending Pilates lessons at the Maspalomas Golf Club, and he felt that his health and physical well-being had gained much by them.  We had already heard something about the method, so Antonio and I did go and started taking lessons twice a week at the Pilates Centre. That is probably one of the best decisions we ever took.

The Pilates method, named after his German born creator Joseph H. Pilates (1880-1967), consists of hundreds of exercises, with many variants, to be done on either a mat or one of the specially designed “machines”, called Reformers.  With the exercises, combined with deep conscious pectoral respiration, you do feel all muscles and ligaments stretching and an increasing flexibility and strength of the whole body, but all happens in a gentle, progressive and pain free way. One of the main objectives of the method is to strengthen the body’s centre – the “Powerhouse” as J. Pilates called it – located in the abdominal and lumbar area, and so protect the vertebral column, improving the body’s balance, the upright posture and – last but not least – the pectoral breathing capacity, amongst other benefits like concentration, coordination and precision of your movements.

Pilates is a wonderful method for anyone, but I daresay its benefits are greater still for people of our age, since it helps to fight stiffness of the limbs, osteoporosis, arthrosis or similar undesirable but unavoidable signs of decay…

Therefore I feel it is now my turn to recommend the Pilates Centre, within the beautiful setting of the Maspalomas Golf Club. It is well equipped with the latest reformers and run by a professional Pilates instructor, Mauricio Ambiado.  He makes you feel relaxed and entertained by constantly varying the exercises and keeps a smiling – though serious – eye on your doing them properly.  For information call: +34 675 844 934, http://www.pilatesmaspalomas.webs.com/

By Rolande Chagrin Chevènement

I have read in  the Canarias7 newspaper great news about a new project which will make Mogán even more attractive than it already is.

The project consists of 3 new beaches, improvement to the existing ones and a new promenade between the Las Marañuelas beach in Arguineguín, and the beach in Anfi del Mar.

Francisco González, the Mayor of Mogán, explained that the project has a cost of 20 Million Euros of which 10 Million Euros will be paid by the Spanish Goverment, 5 by the Canarian Goverment and 5 by the Townhall and private companies.

The project also includes 5.500 sqm of facilities and bathing areas with platforms providing easy access into the natural sea pools.  Access to the different sandy beaches will also be improved by making them suitable for disabled people.

The article does not state when the project will commence but we all hope that it will happen soon :-)

By Ramón Sánchez

Source: Canarias 7, http://www.canarias7.com/articulo.cfm?id=146321