Radisson Blu Resort Gran Canaria

The Radisson Blu Resort Gran Canaria is built for divers who want the evening to be about recovery rather than logistics. You have generous balconies, ocean views, air conditioning and enough space in the larger suites to make a week away feel properly liveable, not merely slept in.

The mood is polished but practical: two outdoor pools, a saltwater pool among them, a spa, restaurants on site and bars where you can stop without organising another expedition. Couples can keep things simple with a sea-view room; families or groups have suites that give everyone room to spread out. Children of any age are welcome, and there is a kids' club alongside the pools and family facilities.

This is a sizeable resort rather than a small hideaway. That matters in a useful way when you want choice after diving: a balcony, a swim, a treatment, dinner, or simply the air conditioning and a chair.

You are in La Playa de Arguineguín, on the south coast of Gran Canaria, with Aquamarina and Patalavaca Beaches about 50 metres away. Playa de Patalavaca is roughly 300 metres from the property, while Anfi Beach is about half a mile away on foot. The hotel is beachfront, so the sea is not a sightseeing project requiring a taxi and a committee meeting.

Arguineguín is close enough for a change of scene, with Playa Arguineguín around 1.4 miles away on foot and Puerto Rico under 2 miles from the hotel. Restaurants are close by too: Valentino is roughly 800 feet away, and Restaurante Montsemar is about 0.6 miles away on foot.

For a day beyond the immediate coastline, Maspalomas Lighthouse and the Botanical Park of Maspalomas are both around 6 miles away by the shortest listed route. Gran Canaria Airport is about 20 miles away, with a driving time of roughly half an hour.

The sensible choice depends less on a room label than on how much space you want around the dive bags, clothes and post-dive limbs. A sea-view room suits a couple who want a large bed or twin beds and a balcony without paying for unused rooms. The Junior Suite with Garden View gives a little more breathing room for three, while the one-bedroom suites make more sense when you want a separate living area rather than a larger bedroom.

For families or a group of divers, the two- and three-bedroom suites are the useful end of the range. The largest option accommodates up to eight, so you can keep the group together without turning the sitting area into an improvised dormitory. The two-bedroom sea-view suite also includes a sofa bed, which is the sort of detail that matters once everyone has returned hungry, salty and slightly less sociable than at breakfast.

All rooms and suites have air conditioning, a seating area, satellite television, free Wi-Fi and a private bathroom with a bathrobe and slippers. Suites add a kitchen with an induction hob, microwave, oven and Nespresso coffee maker. Daily housekeeping, wardrobes, a minibar and a drying rack cover the ordinary practicalities, while the balconies and sea views give you somewhere to sit when the room itself has done its job.

Breakfast is served as a continental buffet, which gives you the straightforward start a diving day normally requires: choose, eat, and get on with the kit and the weather. La Canaria serves a buffet throughout the week, with cold and warm dishes, desserts and a different theme each evening, including Spanish, Italian, Tex-Mex, international and outdoor barbecue nights.

There are two restaurants at the resort. The rooftop restaurant brings the ocean into the evening rather effectively, while the poolside bar keeps drinks within reach when lunch has merged into sitting about. An outdoor lobby bar adds another place for a sea view and a drink without making dinner out of the occasion.

Special-diet menus are available on request, and the buffet includes children's meals and a child-friendly selection. Room service and a minibar are also available, useful when the day has left you in no condition to debate whether getting dressed counts as an activity.

Two outdoor swimming pools give you a choice of fresh water or salt water, with two further pools for children. Sun loungers, a sun terrace, gardens and pool or beach towels make it easy to claim a horizontal afternoon. The beach is close enough to replace the pool when you want sand rather than tiled decking.

The spa is the more convincing option when your shoulders have collected the day's work. You have a hot tub, sauna, Turkish bath and a relaxation area, with massages and beauty treatments including body treatments, facial treatments, manicures and pedicures. A fitness centre is available too, although nobody will judge you for choosing the steam room instead.

If you still have energy to spend, there are tennis courts, table tennis, billiards and hiking, while golf is available within 2 miles. Tennis equipment, water sports, table tennis, billiards, hiking and golf carry an additional charge. Live music and evening entertainment provide something to listen to after dinner, and the kids' club, indoor play area and outdoor play equipment give younger travellers their own timetable.

Gran Canaria Airport is around 20 miles away, and the drive takes roughly 25 to 30 minutes. An airport shuttle is available, and car hire is offered at the property. If you are driving, free private parking is available on site without a reservation, with valet parking also available.

Check-in starts at 3 pm and check-out runs until midday. You need photo identification and a credit card at check-in, and the hotel asks you to share your expected arrival time. The minimum check-in age is 18. A 24-hour front desk, luggage storage and express check-in and check-out are useful around flights that refuse to respect normal human hours.

Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel, and a minimarket, ATM, lift, room service, laundry and dry cleaning add the sort of backup that saves a trip into town for one forgotten item. Children of any age are welcome; cots are available on request, while extra beds are not available. Pets are not allowed.