Gay hotels Gran Canaria – a gay guide to the island
An interaction to gay hotels Gran Canaria – gay and gay-friendly hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs on the island
Looking for gay hotels Gran Canaria? You’ve come to the right website. If you want to stay in Playa del Inglés, then you might want to find somewhere to stay relatively close to the Yumbo Centre – where most of the gay bars are concentrated. It’s marked on the Gay Welcome accommodation map, so you can easily see which gay hotels, guesthouses, apartments and bungalows are close. There are quite a few good 4-star hotels in Play del Inglés – and you will also find quite a few apartments and other holiday homes for rent. In the Maspalomas and Meloneras areas, which have seen the most development in recent years, there are now lots of very good 5 and 4-star hotels. There’s no real gay centre here, so any of these would be fine to stay in. Most of these are very gay-friendly. If you’re staying in Las Palmas, the capital of Gran Canaria, book into one of the larger hotels that look out over the Playa de Las Canteras. Las Palmas is great place for a holiday, with all the restaurants, shopping and nightlife you could want. Don’t forget, however, that most of the gay bars are in Playa del Inglés 45 minutes away by taxi. To start searching for gay hotels Gran Canaria, click the link below:
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An introduction to Gran Canaria
This little piece of Spain, some 150 km off the West African coast, is a hugely popular holiday destination. It’s hot all year round, easy to get to and not expensive. Gran Canaria, with over 800 thousand inhabitants, is the most populous island of the Canary Islands. Conquered by the Spanish in 1483, the Port of Las Palmas served as a stop-over for Christopher Columbus on his first trip to the Americas. Las Palmas and Santa Crus de Tenerife, jointly, are the capital of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands. The islands are believed to have been already populated around 500 BC by north Africans. The archipelago consists of 7 islands: Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro.
Gay life in Gran Canaria
It is quite surprising that Gran Canaria, which is only really reached by plane, is one of the largest gay destinations in Europe. Particularly loved by Germans and British holiday-makers, the island attracts gays from all over Europe and increasingly the world. Once in Gran Canaria you will soon understand why the island is so loved by its gay visitors. It is inexpensive, extremely gay-friendly, has a very diverse gay scene, good gay hotels, fantastic weather, deserted beaches and one of the most convenient deserts you will ever find, just steps from your hotel room. It is a combination that can not disappoint.
The south of the island is warmer and sunnier than the north. The two favorite hotspots there are Maspalomas and Playa del Ingles – where most of the gay hotels are located. The former has miles of beaches and sand dunes that seem to go on forever. The latter is home to the famous Yumbo Center – a shopping centre during the day and a huge gay entertainment centre at night, with dozens of restaurants, bars, clubs, etc. It caters for almost every gay scene and because it’s all duty free it’s a very cheap destination. It’s one of the many reasons why so many people return again and again to the island.
Both Maspalomas and Playa del Ingles were famous for low budget holidays. Recently, however, with the opening of top five star hotels, it has started to attract the more affluent holiday makers.
Getting to Gran Canaria
Due to being such a popular destination, the island is served by many inexpensive charter flights, low cost airlines and national flag carriers. The airport is well connected to almost every country in Europe, all year around.
If you have time to spare, you might want to try the Spanish ferry company Naviera Armas who offer several routes to Gran Canaria from mainland Spain and from the autonomous city of Melilla on the north coast of Morocco.
Getting Around
Renting a car is the best way to getting to know the island, however, Gran Canaria has a good public transport. The bus company Global offers routes around the island, with inexpensive hourly departures to and from Maspalomas to the airport.
Official taxi services equipped with a taxi meter using official prices approved by the local government are also at your disposal at the airport: Socomtaxi accepts payment by credit cards and Radio Taxi San Juan (+34 928 683 713). Limo services are also available from Canary Forum and Canary Limousine.
With water temperatures that vary from 18C in the winter to 22C the rest of the year, sailing around the island can be an extremely pleasant way to see Gran Canaria from the sea. Several companies offer sea trips – some offering dolphin and whale watching and deep-sea fishing.
To move between islands, they Gran Canaria’s inexpensive ferry services - Fred Olsen, Trans Mediterranea and Naveira Armas.
If you are in a hurry or get sea-sick easily, air services between the islands are offered by Binter and Islas Airways.
Shopping in Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria has two distinctive shopping areas: The Southern Area, located around the many tourist spots of Maspalomas, Playa del Ingles, San Agustin, Puerto Rico and Meloneras. The Yumbo Centre, located right in the middle of Playa del ingles, offers the largest concentration of restaurants and shops, particularly for the gay visitor. It’s also close to many of the gay hotels in Gran Canaria.
The Northern Area has some of the best shops in the island, located at the historical Triana Street and its surroundings, and if you are looking for a shopping centre, The Mesa y Lopes offers a wide range of department stores and boutiques.
Top links
Best sites for meeting other visitors or locals
Spain’s Chueca.com is increasingly popular – and is your best bet for hooking up with local Gran Canarians while on the island. To meet up with other visitors, try Gaydar, Manhunt or Grindr on your smartphone.
Best local gay listing magazines
The UXXS Magazine is your best bet for all the latest local gay events, bars, club nights etc. It’s written in Spanish and English, and is available from most gay shops and bars etc. You can try the Gay Welcome Events section to see if ay big events are planned for the island.
Best local gay websites
For local guides, news, travel services and other resources, check out the Gay Gran Canaria and Gay Mas Palomas websites.
Best general tourism guide
The official Gran Canaria website is great – with a wealth of information in nine different languages – from what to see and do, restaurants, sports, spas, and information on beaches.
Best restaurant guide
The Lonely Planet website is your best bet we think for local Gran Canaria restaurants. You might then cross-reference any you find on the TripAdvisor website to see how well they were reviewed.
Best shopping guide
Your best bet for a good overview of the shopping available on Gran Canaria is the Canary Forum website. It’s not terribly pretty – but has some good information on it.
Club Torso is a new complex, exclusive gay, located in Maspalomas, on the south of Gran Canaria
If you are a gay man, Club Torso Maspalomas is the place to stay while visiting Gran Canaria.
It is very well managed, the staff is excellent, extremely friendly (multi lingual)and the facility is top-notch.
Bungalow style, with separate living room and bed room, nice bath room with shower/tub, fully equipped kitchens. The rooms and grounds are immaculately clean.
This is a men’s only resort (nudity is allowed on the premises), very international young clients.
Nice bar – resto on the premises serves full inclusive breakfast.
And lunch, snack and beverages (including alcohol). Club Torso has a large pool, Steamy Jacuzzi and lots of comfortable loungers to lay out in the sun. This is better than any of the Key West, California resorts, a real find.
Located just out of the city, it is very quiet, about a half mile into the city center or to the beach or dunes. Cabs here are very reasonable (usually under 3,50 Euro). I felt very welcome and made good friends on my short 6 day stay and I am looking to return soon with some friends in tow to show them the wonderful hospitality.