The Agaete Valley in north-west Gran Canaria might just be the best place in Gran Canaria to buy a holiday home. Here’s my guide to the area and to the Agaete property market.
Agaete in a nutshell
It’s sunny and peaceful, hosts lively local fiestas, has a pretty town and a fishing village complete with beaches, and some of the best natural scenery in the Canary Islands.
- Small, rural municipality in north-west Gran Canaria with just 5500 inhabitants.
- Has the best climate in north Gran Canaria with blue skies most days.
- Stunning scenery, beaches and natural swimming pools.
- Good Selection of property; coastal, town and rural.
- Peaceful area with laid-back locals and famous fiestas.
- 25 minutes drive from Las Palmas and 45 minutes to the airport.
Agaete climate and weather
The Agaete municipality in northwest Gran Canaria has by far the best weather in the whole of north Gran Canaria. This is because the low cloud that blows off the Atlantic and sticks to the steep north coast doesn’t reach Agaete.
Agaete gets an average of 5 cloudy days in December and four in January; the two cloudiest months of the year. Most days, it has blue skies and warm temperatures between 18ºC and 26ºC. However, it gets more rain than the south of the island so it is far greener.
The Agaete climate is so good that it produces some of the island’s best mangos and the valley is even mild enough for coffee plantations.
Agaete culture and life
Agaete has a reputation as an artistic and musical town. Its municipal brass band has been going for over 100 years and provides the music for many of Gran Canaria’s big fiestas and processions. The Espacio Tea bar also features quality local musicians on a regular basis and the town does seem to produce more than its fair share of musicians and artists, For example, Pepe Damaso, the most famous living Canarian painter, was born in Agaete town.
Agaete is famous for its annual parties. The La Rama celebrations, attract thousands of locals for a long weekend of processions and parties at the beginning of August and Puerto de las Nieves hosts Bio Agaete, the island’s coolest music festival, in late August. Each village in the municipio also has its own romerias (local fiestas) throughout the year.
Apart from fiesta time, and at weekends in Puerto de las Nieves, the whole Agaete area is peaceful. The palm-studded valley has orange orchards and a good vineyard, and lots of farms grow the famous Agaete coffee under their fruit trees.
Agaete property zone guide
Agaete Town
Most valleys in Gran Canaria have a coastal town where the fishermen lived, and an inland town for the farmers and shepherds. The Agaete Valley is no exception and the old town, called Agaete, is about 500 metres from the sea. It’s a charming town and all the houses are painted white. Agaete centres around the church square and has several restaurants and bars. Most of the houses sprawl up the hill in front of the church although the town has spread along the valley floor towards the sea.
There is also a new area of Agaete just south of the old town called La Candelaria. It’s a modern development with terraces of houses with a few design flourishes like rounded windowsills and ornate chimney pots. La Candelaria was built just before the crisis and it’s only now that the last few units are selling. While it lacks the charm of other areas of the town, La Candelaria houses are perfect lock-up-and-leave holiday homes and the area just two minutes’ walk from the church square.
Most houses in Agaete town are townhouses with flat roofs and the old ones have traditional open inner courtyards.
Agaete property prices start at around €1000 per square metre and rise to €1500. Houses in the newer developments closest to the sea are more expensive than the older houses in the town itself.
Puerto de las Nieves
The coastal village of Puerto de las Nieves is famous for its fish restaurants, pebble beaches and white houses with blue windows. It used to be a fishing village but is now a low-key tourist spot popular with Canarians who pack in on the weekends to eat fish by the sea. During the week it is a sleepy place and local fishermen still work out of the harbour.
Property in Puerto de las Nieves isn’t easy to find because of a boom in tourist rentals and a general lack of property in the whole Municipio.
Property prices in Puerto de Las Nieves are an average of €1600 per square metre but anything with a sea view is more expensive.
La Suerte
As you drive up the Agaete Valley from the town, you come across a housing estate on the left-hand side of the road called La Suerte. It has a fascinating history because it was originally built by Finns. Nowadays lots of La Suerte properties are used as holiday homes by both locals and foreign owners. It has superb south-facing views up the valley and down to the sea.
La Suerte is a quiet place with no shops and just two restaurants that cater to people driving up the Valley on the weekends. Most houses have tiled roofs, gardens and either a terrace or balcony.
Some properties in La Suerte need a thorough refurbishment but it is an attractive location for a holiday home and a well-decorated property with outside space would make a good holiday rental.
Property in La Suerte is around €1200 per square metre although prices vary considerably depending on whether the house has been modernised.
The Agaete Valley
The Agaete Valley is one of Gran Canaria’s most beautiful spots. It has steep sides
Apart from San Pedro Village just up the road from La Suerte, all the property in the Agaete Valley is rural. The entire valley is protected by law and nobody can build new houses so the area will always be rural. San Pedro itself is a small village with a restaurant and local shop.
Property in the rural areas of the Agaete Valley rarely comes onto the market because most owners still farm the land and because it is a popular holiday rental destination.
Turmán
Turmán is a housing estate that overlooks the bottom of the Agaete Valley between the town and Puerto de Las Nieves. Lots of properties in Turmán have superb sea views and most have terraces and balconies. As it is south-facing it gets sunshine all day long.
Property in Turmán doesn’t come on the market all that often as it is a popular holiday home spot for locals and any property with a decent view does well as a holiday rental. Prices start at €1500 per metre but frontline properties or those with a view sell at a premium.
Looking for an Agaete property?
I’m Laura Leyshon and I am a British estate agent living and working in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria city. If you’re looking for an Agaete estate agent, look no further: Agaete is one of my favourite spots in Gran Canaria and I keep up-to-date with its property market. If you want to buy an Agaete property, please get in touch and let me know what you are looking for.
Selling an Agaete Property?
Agaete is a popular area with both foreign and local buyers and is also a high demand-tourist rental area. Quality property in Agaete tends to sell fast and at market price provided that it is well advertised amongst all markets. If you have a property to sell in the Agaete area, I would love to hear from you…