Beaches

The Santa Monica Pier on a Perfect Afternoon – 2TravelDads

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The Santa Monica Pier on a Perfect Afternoon - 2TravelDads

Can you think of anything that is more Southern California than visiting the Santa Monica Pier? I don’t think we could name a single thing. Well, maybe a day in San Diego on the Beach surfing… But no, the Pier. Even though a day at the Santa Monica Pier seems like the most touristy and convoluted Los Angeles travel plan you can ever think of it’s actually well worth your time and a visit to LA isn’t complete without some beach time.

Yes, there are so many wonderful free things to do in the Los Angeles area and if you’re going to venture to the beach for the purpose of swimming and pretending to be from SoCal you might pick a different beach, like Manhattan Beach, but the Santa Monica Pier end beach are an ideal, easy to access destination and are just downright iconic.

Finding the Santa Monica Pier

When you ponder life in the West and the history of North America there are few things that pop out: the California Gold Rush, old west towns and cowboys, and then Route 66 and all of the struggles and stories in vintage history that are a part of it. The Santa Monica Pier is the very end of Route 66 (check out the Planet D for their Route 66 trip). As you walk out onto the pier you see the sign that calls it out.

The Santa Monica Pier is also directly next to the Pacific Coast Highway, also known as the PCH. The Pacific Coast Highway is a fantastic California road trip route.

By Chris and Rob – Full Story at the 2TravelDads

Greater L.A. Gay Travel Resources

Lesbian Thailand – Once Upon a Journey

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Thailand is our favorite country in the world to travel to! It’s such a diverse country that has beautiful islands, adventurous jungles, stunning temples, and delicious foods; we can’t get enough of it. Thai people are super friendly and welcoming, it’s accurately called the land of smiles.

Also important: in Thailand, we can truly by ourselves as a lesbian couple. It’s no problem to walk hand in hand, cuddle and/or kiss on the streets. In this blog post, we will tell you all about lesbian Thailand: the best places to visit, our favorite things to do, and practical information for lesbian travelers.

Lesbian Thailand – Where To Go?

Thailand is a much-visited country, but besides popular destinations like Bangkok and Phuket, there are still many hidden gems to explore in this beautiful country. The (gay) hub of Asia, Bangkok, can’t be missed during your Thailand trip, though we will also tell you about the lesser-visited places.

Bangkok

Bangkok is the capital city of Thailand. We absolutely love this busy and dirty (sometimes smelly) city, though we can see why many people hate it. You really need to know where to go in this big city! Besides the famous sightseeing spots Wat Arun, Wat Pho, Lumphini Park, and the many markets, there is a large gay scene.

By Maartje and Roxanne – Full Story at Once Upon a Journey

Lesbian Thailand Travel Resources

Gay Benidorm – The Globetrotter Guys

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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

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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

Barcelona’s Gay Beaches – The Globetrotter Guys

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Barcelona is widely known as one of the most gay-friendly cities in Europe, attracting tens of thousands of LGBT tourists every year. Given its coastal location and year-round climate, its hardly surprising that out of 4km of beaches, more than one has become known as ‘Barcelonas gay beach.’

In fact, both gay locals and tourists to Barcelona are spoilt for choice. Barcelona has no less than 3 gay beaches (with one being very long and technically three in one!). Barcelona’s gay beaches have also been deemed blue flag beaches, awarded for their high levels of cleanliness, environmental standards, safety and facilities.

One of the biggest selling points is how easily accessible the gay beaches are, right on the city’s doorstep. You can easily reach the gay beaches in Barcelona using the cheap public transport regardless of the neighbourhood you are staying in. In fact, one of the things that we loved most when we visited was that we didn’t have to choose between a city sightseeing break or a beach holiday – Barcelona combines the best of both!

Barcelona’s Gay Beaches

Out of the 3 gay beaches in Barcelona, 2 have become more officially known as ‘gay beaches’. The third is still a very popular choice for both gay locals and tourists, so for the sake of this article we will include it in our list as an ‘unofficial gay beach.’

Barcelona’s Gay Beaches #1 – Mar Bella

Mar Bella is known as THE gay beach of Barcelona and is most definitely the go-to choice of both the local LGBT community and visitors. Mar Bella is a little bit further from the city centre than the other beaches, which is possibly why it has become one of Barcelonas only nudist beaches. Being a nudist beach is probably why it has also become the popular gay beach too!

By Sion & Ben – Full Story at the Globtrotter Guys

Barcelona Gay Travel Resources

Gay Sitges – The Nomadic Boys

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New York City may have Fire Island, but Barcelona has Sitges!

Sitges is a charming gay seaside town located around 40km (25miles) south from Barcelona. It has many antique shops, bespoke coffee shops, tapas bars and lots of queer hangouts. Located in the Catalonian region, it’s a delicious mix of the refreshing sea air, coastal scenery and local spirit, with modernist touches.

Did we also mention that Sitges is all about beaches, beaches and more beaches?! The town has gay beaches, nude beaches, gay AND nude beaches aplenty! For such a small town (population is less than 30,000) Sitges not only has a large LGBTQ community living here, it receives thousands of gay tourists each year. This is one of many reasons why we rate it as one of our top destinations in Europe. Whether you come here for your holiday or visit as part of a day trip from Barcelona, Sitges is one gay mecca you cannot miss!

This is our comprehensive gay travel guide of Sitges – a place we think is easily one of the most gay friendly travel destinations in the world.

So just how gay is Sitges?

Sitges is leading the pack in terms of its attitudes towards the LGBTQ community. Whilst Spain is already one of the gayest countries in the world, being one of the first places in the world to legalise same-sex marriage back in 2005, Sitges manages to stand out ahead of other cities for many unique reasons.

Not only does Sitges have a huge gay scene, but the locals are also extremely gay-friendly. Although…they don’t really have much of a choice: every year they get a pink invasion with thousands of LGBTQ travellers descending on the city during the summer months, especially during Pride in June and the Bear Week in September.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Sitges Gay Travel Resources

Barcelona Gay Beaches – The Nomadic Boys

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We love going to the beach – and the Barcelona gay beaches, only solidify our love for the seashore.

With its epic beach parties, stunning crowds, beautiful weather and lots of activities, Barcelona has a beach to suit every mood. There are beaches for when you need some private time or for when you want to become the life and soul of the party. Each beach has a unique energy and attracts different crowds. However, they all have one thing in common: they’re all fabulous and worth shouting about!

This is our guide to the best gay beaches in Barcelona to check out:

What is the official gay beach in Barcelona?

Barcelona is well-beloved for its beaches and is recognised globally for how incredible they are. In fact, National Geographic has listed it as the number one best beach city in the world.

Whilst only two out of Barcelona’s beaches are considered officially “gay”, we found that every single one we went to is gay-friendly. The official gay beaches of Barcelona are San Sebastian and Mar Bella. However, there are a few others to check out, particularly as you head into Sitges.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Barcelona Gay Travel Resources

Mykonos Gay Beaches – The Globetrotter Guys

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Mykonos is the number one gay hot spot in Greece. You could feasibly say that every beach in Mykonos is a gay beach in one way or another!

There are many beaches all around the island however the following beaches are the main gay beaches in Mykonos that we suggest you visit.

We have ordered these Mykonos gay beaches in descending order of ‘gayness’. Enjoy!

Elia Gay Beach, Mykonos

Elia is the most popular gay beach in Mykonos. We had the chance to go during Xlsior festival so it was extra busy and extra gay! (Read more about Xlsior festival here).

Its fairly obvious that this is the main gay beach as you are immediately presented with the pride flag upon entering the beach.

Full Story at The Globetrotter Guys

Greece Gay Travel Resources

The Dinagat Islands – Keep Calm and Wander

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The alarm wakes me up at three in the morning. It’s time to get up and catch the 3:30 bus for Surigao City from Butuan City. By 7, the early morning breeze kisses me as I sit in a motorized boat. Today, I am crossing the Pacific Ocean through Surigao Strait. I’m on my way to explore the mythical group of islands in Caraga Region in the Southeastern part of the Philippines.

The Dinagat Islands

They say that traveling to this place must be done early in the morning to avoid big waves. I’ve heard a lot of stories on how beautiful Dinagat is – unpolluted air, crystal oceans, and white beaches. I was intrigued by all the adjectives my friends used to describe this place – and I can’t wait to see it myself. They told me, too, that there’s an abundance of seafood – and I’m planning to devour as much as I could. 

Our first stop was at San Jose, the island’s capital and center of commerce and trade. If you are planning to discover the entire island or go island hopping, you should buy the things you need from here.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Find the Sitges Gay Beach! – The Globetrotter Guys

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Find the Sitges Gay Beach! - The Globetrotter Guys

Sitges is one of our favourite small Spanish towns. It’s also one of the most gay friendly towns we have been to with some great gay beaches.

The thing we like most about the gay beaches in Sitges is that they are easy to access. We have found that in many destinations, the gay beaches are quite hidden and it can take a lot of effort to find them. However in Sitges, the main gay beach is right in your face in front of the town centre.

Read moreFind the Sitges Gay Beach! – The Globetrotter Guys