Best areas of Gran Canaria and Tenerife - recommendations please

[Holymoly321]

DH and I are thinking about going to either Gran Canaria or Tenerife for a very cheap self catering deal in Feb next year. We'll be with our 4yr and 2 yr old DS's. Can anyone recommend areas in either Gran Canaria or Tenerife that are nice where there is a lot to do for youngsters and good restaurants, nice beaches etc? We don't want to hire a car this hol if poss as it bumps up the cost quite a lot. Also, will the weather be warm enough for a t-shirt on the beach? Many thanks in advance!

Gran Canaria - Mogan or Maspalomas definately
Tenerife - Los Cristanos, all beaches are black sand

DONOT under any circumstances go to Puerto rico in gran canaria - we went there when dc1 was nearly 3 and it was the crappest resort i've ever been to! (and i've been on plenty of cheap drinking holidays in my younger days!!!)

most of the apartment blocks/ hotels are at the top of a very steep hill and the resort is filled with people in union jack shorts eating chips! even dd was fed up of chips by the end of the week!

but i agree Mogan was beautiful - we had a cheap car for some of the time and spent every day there!

dont know anything about tenerife - only went once and was drunk a lot!

ooh good tips so far. I seem to remember Puerto Rico being not great! think we'll give tenerife a miss tho if all the beaches are black sand - I know it's just sand but I like my sand to be sand coloured! Will it be warm enough for tshirts in Feb?

Yes but cool at night, our friends had a time share and went last week Jan first week in Feb and they always said it was hit and miss with the weather being cloudy sometimes and a cardi was needed