Spend just a few days here and you notice the golf courses, the villas, the hotel and the landscape. Stay longer, and eventually you begin to notice something else: the rhythm this place develops over the course of an ordinary day.
In Salobre, the day begins as soon as the first light falls across the golf course.
Early morning
In Gran Canaria, sunrise and the start of the day shift far less between summer and winter than they do in Central Europe. In summer it begins to get light at around seven; in winter, roughly an hour later.
My own day, however, is governed less by the clock than by my collie. In summer we usually set off at around 7.15; in winter, closer to eight. Our first walk takes us around the Old Course and lasts about an hour. Coffee comes afterwards.
At that hour Salobre is already awake, but not yet properly in motion. Among the greenery along Calle Swing, around the golf course and in the residential complexes, a few cats shelter away and tend to appear in the same places each morning.
Small changes are noticeable around the villas too. When you live in a complex where holiday guests come and go, you gradually learn to spot them. A different car suddenly stands outside a villa. A breakfast or bread delivery appears by a door for the first time. A terrace that was empty yesterday is occupied again the following morning. Often, without having met anyone yet, you already know: new guests have arrived.
And with them, the mix changes too. Germans, Britons, Scandinavians, Dutch, Spaniards and many other nationalities spend their holidays alongside one another, each bringing a slightly different rhythm to the day.
Joggers, dogs and a small gesture
On my walk I meet people out for a stroll, with or without a dog, and a surprising number of joggers. Fast and slow, ambitious and leisurely – and occasionally someone who clearly found the Canarian sun more convincing than the sunscreen the day before.
Every now and then a car passes too. Tradespeople, guests, staff or holidaymakers heading out early. There is one small habit I still appreciate: people greet one another. Sometimes a brief wave from the car is enough, a nod, or a “Buenos días” through an open window. Nobody makes much of it.
Yet for me, that uncomplicated courtesy is part of Gran Canaria – an everyday habit that is no longer quite so natural everywhere else, and one I would miss here. Greetings among walkers and joggers vary too: some stop for a few words, others simply nod and carry on.
The mood is almost always good. Which is hardly surprising. Many of the people you meet here in the morning have something that everyday life often lacks: time. No commute to the office, no school run, no rush-hour traffic. For some, these are the two or three weeks of the year they have been looking forward to for months. You can sense that in a place.
The people who keep Salobre green
Among the most familiar faces are the gardeners. I see five or six of them on my route almost every morning, while others are already spread across different parts of this extensive resort. Their work begins with the daylight.
As a guest, what you mainly notice is the result: well-kept green spaces, trimmed plants, palms, flowers and the vegetation lining the roads and villa complexes. Spend more time here and you begin to understand just how continuous that work has to be. In Gran Canaria, vegetation grows twelve months of the year. Given the size of Salobre, the gardening team probably never really finishes – by the time one area is done, another is almost ready to be started again.
After all these years, something else stands out just as much as their work: their friendliness. “Hola, señor.” “Buenos días.” Sometimes a few words, nothing remarkable. But over time, small encounters like these create a sense of familiarity.
Fifteen minutes before the first coffee
My walk usually ends at the first tee of the Old Course. My favourite bench is there. From here the view stretches towards the Atlantic, the Faro de Maspalomas and Meloneras. Almost every morning I sit there for about fifteen minutes.
Nothing special happens. You simply sit there and look. Perhaps that is precisely why, over the years, it has become a habit.
Then it is back to the villa. And finally, coffee.
The golf theatre begins
As the morning progresses, the scene on the Old Course changes noticeably. More and more players appear – a little earlier in summer, while in winter the rhythm shifts slightly later.
From our terrace, overlooking the golf course, I then have a form of entertainment that never appears in a villa description. I call it golf theatre. With a second or third coffee, you can spend a surprisingly long time watching the players.
There is something wonderfully unpredictable about golf. In the morning, nobody really knows how the next few hours are going to unfold. A perfectly struck shot, a ball landing somewhere it most definitely was not meant to go, a rather lengthy search – and sometimes a player's body language is enough to tell you that whatever just happened was not part of the plan. Every now and then you hear a “Fore!”. Apart from that, even a busy golf course is remarkably quiet. The electric golf carts move through the landscape and eventually simply become part of the view.
You do not have to play golf yourself to enjoy watching it.
Not every villa has this view – location and orientation make a considerable difference within the resort.
When very little seems to happen at midday
Around midday, one of Salobre's particular characteristics becomes especially apparent. There is no traditional town centre, no market square, no shopping street, no school or church around which daily life gathers. And yet many villas are occupied, people are playing golf and the hotel has guests.
Salobre doesn't bring people together in one place. It spreads them out.
Some are playing golf, others are by the pool, sitting on their terrace or have long since headed for the coast or the interior of the island. As a result, even when the resort is well occupied, it can feel surprisingly empty.
And you have to like that. This is not a place that constantly tries to entertain you. Instead, it leaves plenty of room to decide for yourself what the day is going to become.
After the round
Eventually, even the longest round comes to an end. Golf, however, does not necessarily finish at the last hole. Afterwards people sit together, have a drink, discuss the good shots and, very probably, spend even longer discussing the bad ones.
One option is the terrace at Salobre Hotel Resort & Serenity. Set high above parts of the golf course, it offers wide views across the resort. Those who prefer to stay at their villa can just as easily spend the afternoon on their own terrace.
Eventually the golf shoes and sportswear disappear. People shower, get ready for the evening and start thinking about dinner.
What shall we do tonight?
There is no need to leave Salobre in the evening either. Salobre Hotel Resort & Serenity offers several dining options, from informal choices to more ambitious cuisine; Sidecar is one of the options for those looking for something more refined.
Later, the terraces fill again. People meet for dinner, have a drink and talk; and depending on the evening, there may also be live music.
I have still heard guests say: “It would be too quiet for me.” I can understand that. The good news is that there is no need to choose between peace and activity.
Anyone who wants to spend the evening in the resort can stay there. Those looking for restaurants, a promenade and considerably more activity can drive to Maspalomas or Meloneras – after around 15 to 20 minutes, you find yourself in a completely different holiday atmosphere. There is enough variety along the coast to deserve an article of its own.
The final walk
As the sun sets, the golf course gradually empties. The last players disappear, the carts become fewer and, little by little, the paths belong more to the walkers again.
For me, this is when my collie comes back into the picture. In the evening I usually take a shorter walk around the New Course. It is considerably shorter than our morning circuit of the Old Course, the temperature is pleasant and the day's golf has come to an end.
Then we head back to the villa. That's it for the day.
