The Ultimate Gay Travel Guide
The Gay Passport is your complete Gay Travel Guide. Looking to Drink, Play or Sleep we have reviews to help. Award-winning & Updated 2023.
One of the Spanish Canary islands off the coast of West Africa, Gran Canaria is a longtime favorite destination for gay partygoers and beach lovers. The island benefits from year-round sunny weather and beautiful landscapes, although the main reason people come here is to enjoy one of its many, many resorts.
The sheer number of gay venues, as well as their quality and variety, make Gran Canaria one of Europe’s top gay party destinations. It is so gay-friendly, in fact, that there are actually plenty of high-quality gay-only hotels across the island. When you add to that the wealth of incredible gay-friendly and adult-only resorts, gay visitors to Gran Canaria are genuinely spoilt for choice when it comes to booking their accommodation.
Absolutely, Gran Canaria is a very gay-friendly destination.
It’s worth noting that overall Gran Canaria is very popular with families. If you want to avoid a swimming pool full of screaming children it may be best to opt for an “adults-only” resort or even one of the exclusive gay-only resorts. Around Playa del Ingles and Meloneras there is an abundance of gay-only or “hetero friendly” hotels.
These resorts are mostly concentrated around the south of the island in Maspalomas, which is where most of Gran Canaria’s gay scene is. In particular, gay visitors tend to stay around the adjacent areas of Playa del Ingles and Meloneras.
Playa del Ingles is home to Yumbo shopping center, which houses dozens of gay bars, cafes, and clubs for the most convenient gay bar-hopping you have ever experienced. Meanwhile, Meloneras home to Maspalomas beach features the region’s only stretch of gay beach, around Hut 7. This beach can either be accessed by walking along the beach from Maspalomas or crossing the sand dunes from Playa del Ingles.
Paso Chico is made up of six self-catered bungalows, arranged around a pleasant pool area with loungers. The small size of the place gives it a very intimate and homey vibe, while the bungalows give you all the privacy and comfort you need for a great stay. Each bungalow features a living room, separate bedroom, bathroom with basic toiletries, kitchen with microwave, toaster, and kettle, and a small terrace.
There are few hotel services involved, except for daily cleaning, weekly change of linen, and beach towels. You can save some money by getting their ECO rate, where you accept only having one cleaning a week.
By far the best thing about Paso Chico is its location for gay nightlife. Your bungalow isn’t just close to Yumbo center: it’s literally across the street. This is just about the closest you can get to staying within the center itself, which means you can enjoy the wealth of local gay cafes and bars throughout the day, as well as the clubs at night.
Of course, this comes with quite a high level of noise at night, so it’s best to only stay here if you’re planning to be one of the ones making the noise.
AxelBeach Maspalomas is part of the international Axel gay hotel chain. Like all the hotels in the group, AxelBeach is designed with gay men in mind, but is hetero-friendly. This makes it a particularly good option for gay visitors traveling with straight friends, as most of the gay hotels in Gran Canaria are gay-only.
The hotel has 92 apartments, all of which sleep two or three people. All the apartments are spacious and comfortable, decorated in a simple but modern style. They all feature a lounge area, bathroom, kitchenette, separate bedroom, and a furnished balcony. The latter can either overlook the street or the hotel’s beautiful pool and gardens.
The lounge garden is a special addition to AxelBeach, a lush patch of greenery with Hawaiian hammocks that’s the perfect spot for some quiet chill-out time. Meanwhile, the pool is a great place to enjoy the Canarian sun, with plenty of sun loungers, stylish beds, and a cool Sky Bar serving delicious cocktails and snacks throughout the day.
At night, the bar becomes an excellent mingling spot, giving you an opportunity to meet up with fellow gay and hetero-friendly guests before heading out to Yumbo for the night. The gay nightlife center is only about 10 minutes away on foot, so you can save up your taxi money for trips to the Maspalomas gay beach.
AxelBeach has a wellness center offering massages and luxury treatments, and there is also a hairdresser and a barber on site to keep you looking sharp. For gym bunnies, there is a decently-sized, well-equipped gym on site.
Bohemia Suites & Spa is an adults-only resort hotel located just next to Playa del Ingles. It is a popular option with gay visitors to Gran Canaria due to its beautiful, creative design and its proximity to the Yumbo gay center. Indeed, most of the island’s gay nightlife is under a 10-minute walk from the hotel, while the beach is a similar distance in the opposite direction.
Bohemia Suites & Spa features colorful and inventive design, with rooms that are both stylish and unique. Most of them have perfect views over the sea, visible through large wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling windows with private balconies. All rooms have luxury amenities such as a tablet device with 4G internet across the island, iMac, iPod dock, mood lighting, and Molton Brown toiletries.
360º Restaurant, as the name indicates, offers spectacular views of the island, but it also serves up truly delicious food. Atelier Cocktail bar also comes with great views, and is one of the best spots on the island to watch the sun go down with a tasty cocktail in hand.
However, the true highlight of this gay-friendly hotel is its wellness facilities. As well as the Siam Spa, which offers a range of traditional Thai wellness treatments, the hotel has a large spa area featuring various pools, saunas, and baths in every temperature imaginable. There is also a gorgeous pool area surrounded by a lush garden, and a small gym. For those in need of something more intense, their Bohemia Health & Recovery center offers holistic health packages that include physiotherapy, nutrition, and personal training.
Bohemia Suites & Spa has won two Conde Nast Johansens Awards for Excellence and is ranked as one of the top 3 hotels in the Playa del Ingles area on TripAdvisor.
H10 Playa Meloneras Palace is a luxury 5-star resort located in the ritzy and high-end area of Meloneras. Playa de las Meloneras is less than a 10-minute walk away, but gay visitors will probably want to take a taxi to Maspalomas, one beach over, for the gay beach area. Yumbo center with its thriving gay nightlife is also a short taxi or bus ride away.
The gay-friendly hotel is inspired by the architecture of Antoni Gaudi, and features some striking design elements such as the unique seashell shape of its central building. Inside, the rooms are simple but relaxing, with tiled floors and soothing tones of blue and white. They come with either sea views or views of the hotel garden, and all of them include a private furnished terrace.
H10 Hotels always pride themselves on their Despacio Spa Centers, and this is no different. There is an indoor dynamic pool, jacuzzi, sauna, Turkish bath, hydromassage beds, and an ice fountain, as well as various luxury massages and treatments to choose from.
Two large outdoor saltwater pools overlook the ocean, and a very good hotel gym is open to guests. However, there are many more ways to keep up your workouts: keen golfers will enjoy the selection of large exclusive golf courses nearby, while classes ranging from tennis to tai chi are led by an expert team of staff.
There are two semi-formal restaurants on-site, one buffet and one a la carte, as well as various bars and lounges dotted throughout the resort. In peak season, you can expect live music and other shows, meaning you’ll be entertained even if you choose to stay in for the night.
Birdcage Gay Resort is a boutique-style resort in Playa del Ingles, less than a 10-minute walk away from Yumbo center. Its intimate and quiet atmosphere makes for an incredibly relaxing stay, which means you can party away your evenings and then recover peacefully in your little slice of Gran Canaria heaven.
The hotel is centered around a lovely pool and garden area, with a lush variety of local plants and flowers providing the perfect scenery for a dip in the pool or lie down on a hammock. The permanent smooth background music gives the whole place an exceptionally chilled-out vibe, (the jacuzzi also helps). Any level of the dress (or lack thereof) is allowed, so you can truly make yourself at home.
Breakfast is included and is served on the terrace, with a fresh and delicious variety of hot and cold foods. Best of all, it is served until mid-day every day, which means you can sleep in a couple of extra hours after a big night at Yumbo. Meanwhile, the lounge is a pleasant place to chat with your fellow gay guests, read a book, or have a few drinks.
All of the staff, from the owners to reception to the therapists in the wellness area, are exceptionally friendly and helpful. They help elevate the resort into a superb boutique experience, giving you all the personal attention you need without ever feeling intrusive.
Villa Adler is the single highest-rated hotel in Playa del Ingles on Booking.com, which is evidence of both its high quality as a hotel and of just how gay-friendly the area is. The hotel is made up of 8 bungalows, giving it a very intimate boutique vibe and ensuring that every customer receives the highest standard of personal service.
This men-only gay hotel in Playa del Ingles is located about 15 minutes from both the beach and Yumbo center. It is even closer to the Cita Center, meaning that just about every gay hotspot in the area is walking distance from your private bungalow.
The bungalows themselves are incredibly sleek and stylish, decorated in tones of grey and black. Everything you need for a comfortable stay is provided, including a spacious living room with a fully-equipped kitchenette, plenty of wardrobe space in the bedrooms, private terrace area, and modern bathrooms with superb walk-in showers.
The hotel also has a lovely saltwater swimming pool, which is kept unheated (ideal for sweltering summer days). A small but friendly bar allows guests to mingle, and an extremely high-quality breakfast is served every morning at your own private terrace. As is the case with many gay hotels in the region, the poolside area is fully clothing optional.
Hotel Nayra is just a block away from Yumbo center, placing all of Gran Canaria’s best gay nightlife right on your doorstep. When you fancy heading to the beach, Playa del Ingles is just a 20-minute walk away (and the gay beach in Maspalomas a further 20 minutes across the dunes).
This adults-only hotel has all the facilities you would want for a Gran Canaria stay, including a good outdoor pool, a chill-out area with Balinese beds, massage room, fully equipped gym, and poolside bar to keep the drinks coming throughout the day. It doesn’t offer any particular activities, which is kind of ideal for those who never get around to doing these anyways. Instead, you have a quiet, relaxing, vibe, with no pressure to “take part” in anything.
The rooms are decorated in a minimalist yet colorful style, and have high-quality amenities: 4K TV with plenty of international channels is a nice touch. Many of them have a terrace looking directly onto the pool, while some are in a more intimate and secluded part of the hotel. However, all have excellent soundproofing, so you can always have some privacy when you want it.
The staff are especially great at Hotel Narya. Everyone is smiling and extremely helpful, and they are always happy to fulfill special requests or provide advice on the nearby area.
Lopesan Baobab Resort is ranked as the top hotel in Meloneras on TripAdvisor. It has a chic African theme running throughout it, from it’s striking colonial-inspired architecture to the gorgeous wild greenery that surrounds the hotel. Everything is designed to make you feel like you have stepped into an entirely new world, both exotic and beautiful.
Inside, the rooms are more toned down, with simple decor that uses small touches to tie in with the African theme. Many of the rooms have ocean views, while others look onto the resort’s leafy grounds or the mountains of Gran Canaria. All the rooms are spacious and extremely comfortable. It is worth mentioning, however, that the hotel charges extra for WiFI in the rooms.
There are no less than seven pools in this resort, including two children’s pools (which keep the other five mostly child-free). All the pools are surrounded by loungers and stunning greenery, and there is always a nearby bar or cafe for you to keep yourself refreshed.
In fact, the hotel boasts four bars, two buffets, and two restaurants, offering a staggering selection of meals and treats. Each place has its own unique atmosphere, from an African hut-themed buffet to a bar that sits in a stone enclave behind a set of waterfalls.
The resort has a small but well-equipped free gym, but there is also a large independent gym downstairs, which you can pay to attend. There are also several sports facilities available in the hotel, including tennis, table tennis, volleyball, and golf.
If you can bring yourself to leave the resort, Maspalomas beach (including the gay beach section near Hut 7) is walking distance. Yumbo is too far to walk, but just a 10-minute taxi or a 20-minute bus away.
Pasion Tropical is located a bit far away from most of the usual gay attractions in Playa del Ingles and Maspalomas. Indeed, it is just next to San Agustin beach, which is one beach north of Playa del Ingles. This makes it a quieter option, especially as San Agustin beach has all the infrastructure of a resort beach with none of the huge crowds. The hotel does offer a free shuttle service to Yumbo and to the dunes, so the distance isn’t much of an issue. Pasion Tropical is one of the most booked gay hotels in Gran Canaria.
Pasion Tropical is one of the closest gay resorts to a beach, making it a great choice for those who prefer sand to the poolside. The hotel does have a pool, but it is small and more suited to a quick plunge. It’s the surrounding grounds and gardens, however, that makes Pasion Tropical stand out. There is a lot of care put into making this space as beautiful and colorful as possible, giving off a tropical oasis feel.
There are apartments, studios, and maisonettes available, all with comfortable bedrooms and kitchenettes with all you need to prepare your own meals. Some of the apartments have ocean and pool views, and some have private balconies and terraces. They feature modern, colorful decor, with the semi-circular design of the buildings lending the rooms a unique touch.
The rooftop terrace is one of the highlights of the hotel. With many loungers and Balinese beds, it has a stunning view of the sea and the surrounding area, and is a great spot for a bit of sunning. Downstairs, there is a small outdoor gym, which can cover basic workout needs.
Seven Hotel & Wellness is a gay hotel in Gran Canaria, dedicated entirely to gay men. A reflection of how gay-friendly Gran Canaria is, it is also a superbly modern hotel, with stylish design and a stunning location – the view of the green mountains from the pool and restaurant is breathtaking.
The rooms are decorated in a simple monochrome style, almost entirely pure white. This makes for a wonderfully refreshing place to unwind after a day in Gran Canaria’s sweltering heat – and that’s before you go freshen up in one of the incredible walk-in showers. As well as a variety of room and suite sizes, you can also book a villa with a private pool, for the ultimate indulgence.
Otherwise, there is an awesome heated saltwater pool, which includes in-pool loungers if lounging in the sun isn’t enough for you. The gym is small but very pleasant, located outdoors under a shaded structure. For a more exciting workout, other activities are on offer, including windsurfing and sailing. As the name of the hotel indicates, there is also a wellness center offering treatments and massages.
The hotel is located just next to the huge Maspalomas golf course. Yumbo center and it’s many gay bars and clubs can be reached within 20 minutes by bus or under 10 minutes by taxi. While it is possible to cross the Maspalomas sand dunes to reach the gay beach, this is a 45-minute hike over hot sand, so the free morning shuttle to the beach is a handy perk.
One of the best things about staying in a gay-only hotel will always be the staff, and here it is no different. Everyone at Seven Hotel is dedicated to making your stay unforgettable, and can also give you advice and tips on what’s happening in the gay nightlife of Gran Canaria. Seven Hotel is one of the most booked gay hotels in Gran Canaria.
The Gay Passport is your complete Gay Travel Guide. Looking to Drink, Play or Sleep we have reviews to help. Award-winning & Updated 2023.