Eva Karg and her Gran Canaria

Nine months were the plan. Almost twenty years is what it became.

When Eva Karg first arrived in Gran Canaria at 21, nothing was certain. A new place, far from home. A chapter without a clear plan. Today, the island is where she lives – and she leads Seaside Sandy Beach as its Director.

What stayed are not just the years, but the connections. The baker knows her. The greengrocer greets her. Familiar faces, everyday encounters that, over time, became something more. Gran Canaria is no longer a destination. It is part of her daily life.

What began as a temporary stay turned into something lasting. Step by step, Eva grew within Seaside Collection, eventually taking on the role she holds today.

That the hotel means more to her than a workplace becomes most visible on the days that usually belong to family. Christmas. New Year’s Eve. Easter. As part of her role, Eva is there – at the hotel, with her team and her guests. And over time, those moments have become part of her own life, too.

A life closely tied to one place. Decisions, conversations, small gestures – every day. Which is why the moments away from it matter. Rare. And valuable.

Favourite Places on Gran Canaria: Between Triana and Maspalomas

Eva’s Gran Canaria is personal. Familiar. Real.

When she has time, she heads to Calle Mayor de Triana in Las Palmas. Historic facades, modern boutiques, cafés, movement, voices. It is lively, slightly chaotic, and full of character. A place where city life and a sense of holiday exist side by side.

For fashion, she does not have to go far. In San Fernando, close to Seaside Sandy Beach, there is a small Italian boutique she returns to. Unassuming. Easy to miss. The kind of place you do not find immediately, but come across over time.

Movement and Balance: Campo Internacional

After days shaped by decisions, conversations and responsibility, Eva looks for places where her mind can slow down.

She finds them in Campo Internacional, along Avenida TTOO TUI. Open paths, palm-lined walkways, familiar routes. Spaces that allow her to step out of the pace of the hotel.

Sometimes she is walking Amy, her Mini Husky, now part of her everyday life. Other times she is training with her personal trainer. Movement is not a routine to complete, but a way to reset. To recharge. To find balance again.

Guests occasionally spot her here as well, in one of those quieter, more personal moments that reveal another side of everyday life on the island.

Time by the sea

Since Amy came into her life, Eva Karg has discovered another side of Gran Canaria. When she wants to be close to the sea, she often drives to Playa de Tauro, just south of Puerto Rico: a quiet stretch of golden sand from the Sahara, still wonderfully unspoilt, with the Atlantic opening out in front of it.

There are no sunbeds here, and no lifeguard. Instead, there is space, simplicity and a designated area for dogs, which can be used at any time of day. For Eva, Tauro Beach is a place to breathe. For Amy, it is a small favourite spot by the sea.

Sunset in Meloneras

Among Eva’s favourite rituals on Gran Canaria is watching the sunset in Meloneras. Often, she finds herself at the Sunset Café on the promenade, with the Atlantic in front of her and the evening slowly changing around her.

As the sun moves towards the horizon, the light softens, the noise fades and everything becomes a little quieter. A drink is part of it, but it is not the point. It is about the pause: looking out, letting the day settle, before the evening begins.

When the island celebrates

Gran Canaria does not always move slowly. There are days when everything shifts. During Carnival, Maspalomas changes its rhythm. Music fills the streets, colours and costumes take over, and the atmosphere becomes impossible to ignore. For a few days, the island lets go of its usual calm.

Eva is not watching from the side. She is part of it – on one of the floats, with friends, carried by the energy around her. Maspalomas Pride brings a different kind of movement. Around the Yumbo Centre, the atmosphere becomes more international, more vibrant, more open. Visitors arrive from across Europe, filling the streets, the terraces, the nights. For Eva, both belong. Two moments that show a different side of the island she calls home.

Gran Canaria as a way of Life

Sometimes, home is not where you are born. It is where you decide to stay. For Eva Karg, Gran Canaria is many things at once. Everyday life. A place to return to. A place that has grown with her over the years. Through her role at Seaside Sandy Beach, she experiences the island not only through her own routines, but through the people who visit it. Guests who come back. Guests who discover it for the first time. Guests who, in their own way, begin to find their place here. Because Gran Canaria is never just one place. It shifts. With the light. With the people. And at some point, everyone finds their own version of it.