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British visitors are being taken advantage of by bars and restaurants in Gran Canaria through hidden costs, extra charges, and deceptive menus intended toconfuse diners.

An undercover probe by the Daily Mail revealed that tourists were often given menus lacking price information, charged fake taxes, and had items added to their bills that they did not order.

We discovered a set of delicate methods employed by hotel workers to deceive unaware travelers.

These include:

• Menus for food and beverages that do not include prices, enabling establishments to impose high charges after customers have placed their orders.
• Deceptive menus where one smoothie is listed at €1 but actually costs €5.50
• Tourists being asked to pay an extra seven percent “tax” even though it should already be part of the cost
• Variations in pricing displayed on outdoor advertisements compared to the menus inside
• A €3 charge for water, even though customers were promised they would receive tap water
• Travelers mistakenly purchasing extra items

The findings followed after questionable activities were revealed by the Daily Mail in eateries located at well-known Greek vacation destinations such as Corfu, Santorini, and Rhodes.

And holidaymakers in Spainare also becoming targets of numerous deceptive techniques designed to extract their final Euro.

The third biggest of the Canary Islands, Gran Canaria, is home to approximately 875,000 residents yet draws as many as four million tourists annually.

Renowned for its stunning white sand shores, steep ravines, and consistent sunshine, it is a highly favored spot for British travelers, attracting hundreds of thousands each year.

The island’s beautiful landscape has attracted top Hollywood stars such as Brad Pitt and Jennifer Lopez.

But its natural beauty and allure is being compromised for some by the underhanded methods used by waiters and restaurant owners to profit as much as possible.

Unforeseen charges seem to be a common aspect of traveling, as visitors often have to pay high prices for taxis right after arriving at the airport.

Uber and Bolt cannot function on the island as local municipal taxis with rapid meters dominate the market.

A 10-minute trip to the reporter’s hotel cost €25, plus a €3.50 charge once the meter stopped.

The unforeseen expenses continued to accumulate as the Mail toured the well-known destinations of Puerto Rico and Playa del Ingles.

Coming for dinner at Bombon Cafe, which is just a few minutes from Puerto Rico’s beautiful coastline, our reporter was given a drinks menu that didn’t include prices.

A disappointing ham baguette, along with iced coffee and a smoothie, totaled €24.40, whereas an ice cream sundae was charged €13.95. Both the coffee and smoothie were listed at €7.95, which was unexpected due to the unclear menu presentation. Two scoops of ice cream cost €8.45 — but they melted off the cone so fast they had to be discarded.

It has received an average rating of 1.4* from the establishment on Tripadvisor, with 132 out of 158 reviews giving it a single star.

A visitor remarked: “Always verify everything prior to payment; otherwise, you might end up paying €9 for a cup of coffee.”

One individual mentioned they “nearly had a heart attack” upon seeing their total reach €32 for two sandwiches, milk, and fruit juices.

Pricing variations on menus were a recurring feature observed across the island.

At the beachside restaurant Venecio, a big sign promoted roast chicken, fries, and salad for €7.95.

However, the menus given to those who were seated had the item’s price written over to show €10.95.

Once more, the drink menus did not list any prices, and although our reporter repeatedly requested tap water, he was charged €2.50 for a bottle.

As the bottle was brought to the table, he inquired of the server whether it was tap water, and they confirmed ‘yes’ before billing him for it.

The most distressing incident occurred at El Molino, a steakhouse located in the well-known Mogan Mall in Puerto Rico.

A seven percent IGIC tax, comparable to VAT, amounting to €2.47 was added separately to the bill, even though Spanish law states it should already be incorporated into the listed price.

That was included in the charge for their unique T-bone steak.

Once more, there were no prices listed for beverages or desserts, and our reporter was given a ‘large cola’ without being asked about the size.

This happened after they were convinced to order garlic bread, with the waiter oddly mentioning bread and cheese before presenting it as an appetizer and charging €2.50.

Other British visitors reported comparable poor experiences. A visitor from Newcastle mentioned that additional drinks they hadn’t ordered were added to their bill, and when they brought it to the owner’s attention, they did not offer an apology.

Another person mentioned they were charged €55 for two beers, with an unrequested bottle of wine added to the bill.

A pair had the police summoned following their refusal to pay for a chicken kebab they alleged was undercooked.

Matthew, a chef, stated, “Everything was of poor quality until my partner gave me some of her blended kebab. I noticed it was undercooked and voiced my concern, leading to its removal.”

We remained seated, expecting an apology, but it never arrived. I refused to pay, so they contacted the police.

His companion stated that the waiter showed no concern when she informed him that she was given raw chicken. She mentioned, “I made it clear that I wasn’t satisfied with paying for it since it was inedible and probably caused me food poisoning from the portion I had already consumed.”

He then called the police and threatened me and my partner until we finally gave in and paid. So upset, I’ve never been through anything like this before.

The restaurant’s affordable pricing brings to mind Santorini, where the Daily Mail was charged €81 for a meal consisting of three prawns, two coffees, and a plate of beans and pitta bread labeled as ‘complimentary.’ Another British visitor wasasked €28 for a quick coffee and a slice of orange cake on the Greek island.

Meanwhile, the Mail was tricked into paying over five times the estimated cost of a smoothie while eating at Restaurante Bahía Playa in Puerto Rico.

The eatery provides breathtaking ocean vistas but lacks a drinks menu or pricing information. When asked for a drinks menu, the reporter was given a cocktail menu instead.

Requesting the servers once more for a full drinks list, they received a smoothie menu instead. A ‘Triple M’ smoothie containing mango, passion fruit, and melon was priced at €1, whereas a ‘Berry Dream’ drink made with berries, strawberries, and blueberries was listed at €2.

However, the smoothies are priced at €5.50, with the waitress clarifying that the numbers next to the euro symbols are simply names for the beverages.

The customer asked why the drink had a €1 next to it but cost €5.50. The waitress responded: “No, it’s [named] number one. It’s €5.50.”

Tap water was also explicitly requested, but a bottle of mineral water priced at €2.50 was billed.

Tap water isn’t feasible,” a waiter stated upon being asked. “It’s an island and [there’s a lot of] salt, so it’s not drinkable.

Tap water in Gran Canaria is suitable for drinking and complies with rigorous EU safety standards, even though some visitors and residents opt for bottled water to prevent occasional salty flavors.

Some other restaurants only provided bottled water when customers requested tap water. Three establishments in Playa del Ingles charged €3 per bottle.

At That’s Amore, a pizzeria located at the resort’s beach plaza, an employee was observed sipping a glass of tap water. However, even though they requested some, a bottle priced at €2.10 was purchased.

Once more, the menu did not list any beverage prices, and several restaurant reviews are highly critical.

Last month, a visitor mentioned that the restaurant stated its card terminals were malfunctioning, requiring them to pay with cash, yet their account still incurred the same charge.

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