I arrived in Gran Canaria at 7 pm one December evening with the rain lashing and the wind howling. Apparently they had never experienced a tropical storm on the island before but I had brought one with me.

The next day dawned with blue skies and brilliant sunshine and I was able to view the hotel, H10 Playa Meloneras Palace, in a new light. The view from the balcony looked over one of the swimming pools and beyond I could see the sea.

It was quite breathtaking and I couldn’t wait to explore. In fact, I spent the whole week exploring as the hotel is so vast and my sense of direction a bit awry.

The hotel looked and felt as if it had been designed by a Gaudi-inspired architect. At night as the sun was setting the view from my balcony was even more spectacular.

It wasn’t really necessary to leave the hotel at all because everything was there. A spa, a shop, three bars, a beauty salon, tennis courts, table tennis, two swimming pools as well as a children’s pool and much more.

There are three restaurants in the hotel but I usually ate breakfast and dinner in the Tamadaba Restaurant which has a buffet menu with chefs on hand to cook specially for you. Personalised omelettes for breakfast, I was in heaven. There was a vast array and variety of food and the cuisine of different countries were featured regularly. Lunch was served at the poolside restaurant and it was great to drink coffee in the sunshine after a swim.

I did manage to drag myself away from the hotel eventually and the walk along the seafront to the Lighthouse was a lovely way to end the day, stopping off for a nightcap in one of the many bars. Meloneras beach below the hotel was small but never crowded and the restaurants on the sea front specialised in seafood at extremely reasonable prices.

I spent a whole day going on a tour to the middle of the island and visiting Las Palmas, the Capital of Gran Canaria on the way back. The scenery changed dramatically as we travelled from the beach to the mountains.

There is so much more to see on the island than sand, golf courses and swimming pools. A week is not enough to do it justice and I could have spent several days in Las Palmas alone visiting the museums and gardens, not to mention the shops.

One day I took a taxi to Puerto Rico and then a boat to the harbour at Mogan. This is a beautiful little harbour town and should not be missed on a visit to Gran Canaria. I found a wonderful restaurant, Que Tel, where a leisurely tapas lunch with gorgeous wine distracted me from sun-bathing on the beach.

I had never been on a winter holiday before but an annual visit to Gran Canaria in December now seems the only way to spend the run-up to Christmas. In fact, as I face the chill wind on my way home after work I wish I was there right now.

For more information on Gran Canaria: www.grancanaria.com
H10 Playa Meloneras Palace, C/ Mar Caspio, 5, Urb. Las Meloneras, 35100 San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Gran Canaria.
Tel: †00 34 928 12 82 82 Fax: 00 34 928 14 60 32
E-mail: h10.playa.meloneras.palace@h10.es
Website: www.h10.es