Coffee, coast, Canaries: why Agaete is in the spotlight

Some places you only appreciate anew when you see them through someone else's eyes. When Xuso Jones — singer, presenter and a familiar face in Spain — recently shared his Gran Canaria days online, one name surfaced among the usual postcard shots that many holidaymakers overlook: Agaete, in the green northwest of the island.

And yet it is precisely this corner that has something you'll hardly find anywhere else on European soil. In the valley behind the town, coffee grows — and all around lies a coastline that ranks among the finest on the island. Reasons enough not to skip the north.

Coffee from Europe — in the valley of Agaete

The Valle de Agaete is a fertile valley where mango, citrus and vines thrive — and, as a rarity, coffee. That makes Agaete one of the very few places in Europe where coffee is grown at all; the valley is often described as the only commercial coffee plantation on the continent.

One of the best-known addresses for it is Finca de La Laja, which Xuso Jones visited on his trip: coffee plants, vines and fruit trees on a single plot. For visitors, a detour here is the most obvious way to get to know Agaete coffee at its source.

Puerto de las Nieves and the coast

The port town of Puerto de las Nieves is Agaete's maritime face: white houses, fishing boats, a dark-sand beach and calm natural pools for a dip among the rocks. From here people once looked out at the famous rock pinnacle "Dedo de Dios", the landmark of this coast.

If you want to travel on, you're in the right place: the ferry to Tenerife also leaves from the harbour. But for a relaxed afternoon the town itself is enough — a sea view, a fish restaurant, a jump into the water.

Where Xuso Jones ate

For a meal, the singer stopped at La Romántica in Agaete, known for creative cooking with local products. The north is worth it for food lovers in general: fresh fish, vegetables from the valleys, and the local coffee to finish.

His trip then took him to the south as well — to Playa del Inglés, the Maspalomas dunes and San Agustín. It shows how varied Gran Canaria is: the green, quiet north and the sunny, lively south, both reachable in a single day.

Agaete as a day trip

Agaete is easy to experience in half a day to a full day. The nicest combination: the coffee valley in the morning, a lunch with local products at midday, the sea at Puerto de las Nieves in the afternoon. From the south of the island it's a drive worth making — and one that leads far from mass tourism.