Spain

Gay Maspalomas, Canary Islands – wolfyy

by
gay maspalomas

The Canary Islands are a fantastic destination for gay travelers, especially once the bustling summer tourism season slows down in mainland Europe. Maspalomas is known for being a completely gay resort town in Gran Canaria, the largest of the Canary Islands. Full of outgoing, friendly guys, you’re pretty much guaranteed a good time.

What’s so special about the Canary Islands? Well, other than breathtaking landscapes (check out the Maspalomas Dunes), summer never really ends here in the Canaries. Spain’s southernmost territory, they’re just off Africa’s Western Sahara coast! With so much warm weather to spare, Maspalomas actually hosts two gay pride festivals every year.

Before summer even begins, Maspalomas hosts their first pride of the year, typically in May. As November rolls around, travelers ditch the cold weather up north for sunny dance parties at Maspalomas Winter Pride. I had an absolute blast dancing at the enormous Yumbo Centre. I made dozens of international friends through the week, many of whom I’ve planned more travel with!

gay maspalomas winter pride

Maspalomas Gay Events & Hotels

Gran Canaria has way more to offer than just gay pride weeks. There are a bunch of other gay event weeks to choose from. Summer Fiesta, Bear Carnival, and Festish Week Maspalomas are just a few. What makes these events even more special though, is how conveniently close most Maspalomas hotels are to the main events. It’s easy to find a hotel or resort in the center of the action. Having everything within arm’s reach makes a party-filled vacation so much more relaxing.

Gay hotels in Maspalomas are pretty easy to find, but there are definitely a few crowd favorites. Especially if you want to have convenient access to the main event locations on foot, you might want to consider booking in a certain part of town. I’ll give you all the details about where to stay based on your personal preferences and preferred vibe!

Full Maspalomas Gay Travel Guide on wolfyy

Gay Canary Islands Resources

Madrid Gay Shopping – The Globetrotter Guys

by
Addicted & ES Madrid

When it comes to gay shops in Madrid, the majority are focused on clothing and apparel showcasing some of the best gay clothing brands around such as Addicted and ES Collection.

Madrid’s gay scene is unapologetically sexualised, so it’s no surprise that these shops reflect that scene. The list gay shops in Madrid below focuses on shops found in the gay area of Madrid, Chueca. This is also where you will find the majority of the gay bars and clubs in Madrid.

It is definitely worth checking out these gay shops and picking up some new gear when visiting Madrid, we don’t have many of these shops on offer at home in the UK!

Gay Shops in Madrid

One of our favourite brands for swimwear, Addicted and ES Collection are both high quality Spanish brands. The shops sells everything from underwear, to swimwear, t-shirts, vests/tanks, shorts, jeans, sports gear and Addicted now also has a fetish collection.

Full Story at The Globetrotter Guys

Madrid Gay Travel Resources

Gay Spain – The Best Gay Cities – The Nomadic Boys

by
BLOG - Gay Spain - The Best Gay Cities - The Nomadic Boys

Madrid Pride…Barcelona Circuit…Sitges gay nude beaches…Gran Canaria Yumbo Centre…a mere humble sprinkling of gay highlights happening across Spain each year!

We’ve been coming to Spain religiously every year since we came out as baby gays. We love it here. Not only is it one of the most gay friendly countries in the world, but there is always a fantastic party taking place across all the major cities and islands. Spain also has some of the world’s most famous gay parties like Madrid Pride (one of the largest Pride events in the world) and Barcelona’s Circuit Party (the biggest international gay festival in the world).

Whilst Spain hosts some of the best mega parties on our planet, what we also love about the country is the variety of different events on offer. So whilst the muscle boys will thrive at the Circuit parties, bear gays and their fans are also spoilt for choice in Spain. The country has some of the biggest and best bear events, in particular, the Bear Carnival in Gran Canaria every March, and the Sitges Bear Week every September.

In short, the Spanish know how to throw a decent party…especially a gay party! These are some of the best places in Spain to check out for gay events and parties:

Madrid

The Spanish capital is famous for being the best gay city for partying in Spain. We love visiting Madrid, whether it’s for Pride, or just an ad hoc weekend of partying. Either way, we know that a visit here is always going to be a lot of fun.

The Madrid Pride (“Orgullo Gay de Madrid”) takes place every year in June/July, and it is huge. It is not only one of the best Pride events in the world but also one of the largest. Every year, around 3-4 million people descent on the Spanish capital from all around the world. We absolutely love it because as well as guaranteed beautiful weather (remember to pack plenty of sunblock cream!), the entire city gets involved and it becomes one giant rainbow street party. The focal point is around the gay neighbourhood in Chueca, where the bars spill out into the streets, and free outdoor concerts take place.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Spain Gay Travel Resources

Gaixmple Gay Hostels in Barcelona – The Nomadic Boys

by
Gaixmple Gay Hostels in Barcelona - The Nomadic Boys

For a lively city like Barcelona, it can be easy to get tangled up with all the different options for hostels to stay. Should you go cheap and single? Splurge and treat yourself? Go central? Find a remote hideout on the fringes? Do you want to be close to clubs? Or maybe by one of the fabulous gay beaches…

We’re no strangers to the city. After all, it is one of the friendliest gay cities in the world, so we feel we know it as well as we know our hometowns. Whenever we visit we like to base ourselves near the Gaixample area – a fabulous neighbourhood in the Eixample district. There are so many gay clubs, shops, LGBTQ-themed and owned businesses to explore that you feel super comfortable engaging in PDA. It even rivals the likes of Greenwich Village in New York City, Soho in London, and well, all of Amsterdam!

The busiest months tend to be the summer. Not only do you have the sun, beach parties and bars staying open later in the evenings, but you also have a little thing called… Pride! Plus, Barcelona doesn’t just have regular Pride, but a beach Pride party in Sitges as well. These factors mean that bookings can be filled months in advance. So we strongly recommend booking your hostels ahead of time to avoid any disappointment!

Gaixmple Gay Hostels

In this article, we’ve compiled a list of the best Gaixmple gay hostels in Barcelona for all travel group sizes. Each one has a unique style and offers a completely different experience. So if you’re travelling to Barcelona on a budget, or you simply enjoy the camaraderie a hostel provides, then keep on reading! And if you prefer the comforts of a hotel, make sure you also check out our guide to the best gay hotels in Barcelona.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

LOCATION Gay Travel Resources

Gran Canaria Gay Bars -The Globetrotter Guys

by
Gran Canaria Gay bars -The Globetrotter Guys

If you are looking for Gran Canaria gay bars, then look no further!

We have been to Gran Canaria over 8 times now and for good reason. It is one of the most welcoming and gay friendly destinations we have ever travelled to and has some incredible gay nightlife.

The majority of the gay bars in Gran Canaria can be found in the Yumbo Centre in Maspalomas. The Yumbo centre is a large multi level outdoor shopping centre by day and gay nightlife hub by night.

On our last visit we counted that there were over 30 gay bars in the Yumbo Centre alone ranging from drag bars, to casual bars, clubs and cruising bars.

We are always completely spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing a gay bar in Gran Canaria which is why we have put together a shortlist of our personal favorites.

The idea (or challenge) is to follow this list in order for the perfect big gay night out in the Yumbo Centre!

Lets get started!

Our Top 6 Gran Canaria Gay Bars

1. Sparkles

Sparkles is one of the best show bars in the Yumbo centre and the perfect start to our gay bars in Gran Canaria guide.

We went for the first time in 2019 and wished we had gone sooner. We haven’t laughed so much in years.

The show lasts up to 5 hours and we were thoroughly entertained and kept in hysterics for the entire time.

These queens can dance, sing live, lip sync for their lives and seriously get the crowd going and up on their feet. In my case quite literally as towards the end of the evening I ended up in a lip sync competition myself as Nicki Minaj – it was scary but so much fun!

By Sion & Ben – Full Story at the Globtrotter Guys

Canary Islands Gay Travel Resources

The Best Barcelona Gay Hotels – The Nomadic Boys

by
The Best Barcelona Gay Hotels - The Nomadic Boys

Sassy, cosmopolitan, super cool and sooo gay!

That sums up just why we love Barcelona so much and why we keep returning every year for more! Regardless of how long you plan to visit, how much ground you hope to cover, and the kind of vibe you want to be around, Barcelona is filled with multiple options for gay travellers. We’ve always found the perfect place to suit our needs – whether we were just craving a short city break or a full-on romantic reenactment of our honeymoon.

There are plenty of choices for those willing to paint the town green (with those dollah dollah bills y’all), or who need to keep a tight grip on those purse strings. Either way, Barcelona is a calling you…so it is your duty to answer!

We’ve rounded up our picks of the coolest Barcelona gay hotels in this guide, so you will have all the info you need to book your own perfect fabulous stay.

Barcelona Gay Hotels – Where to Base Yourself

Situated in the Eixample district, the main gay area is nicknamed, Gaixample (pronounced: gay-sham-pleh). Here you can find tons of LGBTQ bars, clubs, cafés, restaurants and shops to explore. It’s an entire gay village that we get all to ourselves! Who will be the Queen of the village? That’s a hard question as there are tons of candidates vying for the spot…but obviously, it’s us! If you want to be walking distance to the most hip-and-happening gay hangouts, as well as the main tourist sights of Barcelona, then this is where we recommend you base yourself. Read more in our gay travel guide to Barcelona as well as our guide to the city’s best gay bars.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Barcelona Gay Travel Resources

Salou’s Gay Bar – The Globetrotter Guys

by
Salou's Gay Bar

Salou has been a popular destination for sun seekers for years. It is another typical brits abroad destination with lots of families, many hotel resorts and miles of beaches along its coast. It also has a huge theme park which is well worth a visit.

We visited Salou in 2018 with our friend for a cheap getaway and being two gay guys and a lesbian immediately googled ‘gay bar Salou’ to see what gay Salou had to offer (if anything).

We found that when it comes to the gay scene in Salou, it is very small. The bar we went to for our visit has now closed, but a new bar has opened since:

G Bar – Gay Bar Salou

G Bar is Salou’s Gay Bar – part of the G-Family which has bars across France.

By Sion & Ben – Full Story at the Globtrotter Guys

Spain Gay Travel Resources

Gay Marbella – The Globetrotter Guys

by
Gay Marbella - The Globetrotter Guys

We have travelled extensively in Spain. We love the beautiful towns you find all along the coast and best of all, we have found every single one to be very open and gay friendly, including the very trendy Marbella.

Marbellas old town is beautiful with Plaza de los Naranjas (square of the oranges) and its surrounding streets being a particularly picturesque and quaint area to explore.

To the west of the town along what is known as the golden mile of sandy beaches, you will find Puerto Banus filled with posh clubs and expensive yachts – a posers paradise.

When it comes to a gay scene in Marbella, it has a very small one. We visited with friends a few years ago and managed to find two gay bars in Marbella, one called Mikonos and one called Fenix.

These were both very small and packed to the brim with people. Part of the attraction of only having two gay bars meant that it felt like the whole gay population of Marbella was in one place giving it a very friendly atmosphere.

We had a lot of fun that night and got home at 8am…

By Sion & Ben – Full Story at the Globtrotter Guys

Spain Gay Travel Resources

Gay Benidorm – The Globetrotter Guys

by
Gay Benidorm - The Globetrotter Guys

In all honesty, we didn’t expect there to be a single gay bar in Benidorm, let alone a thriving gay scene!

Everything we knew was based on the hit UK TV series ‘Benidorm’ showcasing the destination as a very typical ‘Brits abroad’, cheap fun in the sun beach getaway. But there is so much more to this Spanish coastal town!

You can broadly split Benidorm into two. One half is the New Town, where you will find the clubbing strip which is cheap, tacky fun at its best, and doesn’t claim to be anything else!

The second half is the Old Town which took us by surprise. The Old Town, although just minutes away, is a far cry from the style of the New Town. The Old Town is much more traditional, picturesque, has some incredible tapas bars, and most importantly for this article, is where you will find Benidorm’s gay bars!

Read below for a full guide to gay Benidorm, it’s gay bars, beaches, and more.

Benidorm Gay Scene

Benidorm’s gay scene actually goes all the way back to the 1960s, when its first gay bar, called Gay Bar Pretex opened.

Since then, Benidorm’s gay scene has grown throughout the narrow, cobbled streets of the Old Town. There are many small gay bars and a few clubs scattered around which can easily tempt you into a bar crawl.

By Sion & Ben – Full Story at the Globtrotter Guys

Spain Gay Travel Resources

Gay Torremolinos – The Globetrotter Guys

by
Gay Torremolinos - The Globetrotter Guys

Torremolinos is the gay hotspot of the Costa Del Sol. We knew plenty about other popular gay places in Spain like Madrid and Barcelona, but were very surprised to find out that Torremolinos also has a huge gay scene to rival these cities.

Torremolinos is on the South coast of Spain and is part of the Costa Del Sol – literally the ‘Sun Coast’. It’s been an incredibly popular tourist destination for years given that it is only ten minutes from Malaga airport, has hot weather for the majority of the year and beaches stretching all the way along the coast.

When it comes to gay Torremolinos, it has a very long and interesting gay history. Torremolinos was considered to be the liberal, hedonistic escape in Spain during the Franco era and it was here that Spain’s first ever gay bar opened back in 1962.

With this in mind, it starts to make sense why Torremolinos has eventually become a thriving destination for gay travellers with a lot to offer in terms of it’s gay scene.

Perhaps we were late to the party, but this was news to us!

We spent three weeks in Torremolinos and here is everything you need to know, read on for our Torremolinos gay guide.

Gay Torremolinos

The main gay area of Torremolinos is very easy to find and is known as the La Nogalera area.

The gay area is just off Plaza de la Nogalera and forms a huge square of densely packed bars and clubs.

By Sion & Ben – Full Story at the Globtrotter Guys

Andalusia Gay Travel Resources