You want a lively resort with lots to do, but you don't want your bed to vibrate at three in the morning and a party in your swimming pool until dawn. 

Don't worry, as Gran Canaria's resorts have the balance between busy and bedlam about right. The grizzly 18-30 all-night pub crawls that used to plague Playa del Inglés were banned years ago and the island's nightlife, while lively, is firmly under control. Accommodation providers, both tour operators and complexes, now market themselves to the right audience rather than taking any booking and hoping for the best.

You can thank Tripadvisor for that: Bad reviews are bad news and the best way to avoid them is to match the right people with the right places.

Party spots

Gran Canaria's party people hang out at the main shopping centre in Puerto Rico, the Yumbo centre, Kasbah / Plaza Centre and Aguila Roja / Irish Centre in Playa del Inglés. 

Unless your accommodation is right next to one of these hotspots, you won't be disturbed by noise late at night.

For example, in Puerto Rico, it's only the complexes right by the main shopping centre that are noisy. Anything more than a couple of hundred metres away is unaffected. The same goes for the Yumbo and Kasbah centres in Playa del Inglés. Most of Puerto Rico and Playa del Inglés are tranquil at night.

In any case, most of the accommodation close to the big centres in PR and PDI caters to people who don't care about late night noise because they are the ones making it.

In other resorts, like San Agustín, Puerto de Mogán and Maspalomas, there is no night-time noise at all as most people are tucked up in bed by one in the morning.

The only exception to this is during local fiestas at places like Arguineguín and Puerto de Mogán where the locals let their hair down for a few nights every year. If the locals are making a racket, we advise you to just join in. 

Check reviews

Tripadvisor is an excellent place to double check that your accommodation options aren't close to a party spot. Don't be swayed by the odd report of noise as every complex gets occasional noisy guests, but do take notice if you see a trend of former guests mentioning late-night noise. 

If you have any doubts, ask on Tripadvisor's Gran Canaria forum or in our Gran Canaria Info Facebook Group; Both have a good selection of Gran Canaria locals happy to give honest answers.