Gay Costa Del Sol Scene
If you’re gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual or straight and want to go to a club or bar where you don’t have to worry about harassment from the opposite sex, Spain has a very active gay scene. Gay clubs, bars, hotels and associations can be found throughout the country with the greatest presence in the largest and most cosmopolitan cities such as Madrid or Barcelona.
It is currently estimated that there are around four million lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people in Spain with around 62% of Spaniards supporting the movement to legalize same-sex marriages. This law now grants same-sex couples residing in Spain the right to marry and the same property, inheritance and adoption rights as married heterosexuals. Due to this growing support for homosexuality, Spain has become a popular holiday and tourist destination for the gay community.
Since the early 1960s, the Costa del Sol, and Torremolinos in particular, have been a mecca for gay and gay friendly people. With its laid-back lifestyle and visiting or resident artists, singers and writers, the Costa del Sol has become the most popular gay center in southern Europe.
If you head west from Malaga airport, you’ll discover the gay Costa del Sol from the gay beach of Guadalmar, the trendy beach bars of Los Álamos to the gay nightlife of La Nogalera in Torremolinos. Continuing past Benalmádena’s nudist beach to Fuengirola’s more sober gay bars, you’ll find the famous Cabopino gay beach before reaching the quieter scene of Marbella’s posh resort.
The Costa del Sol is less than a three hour flight from the UK and is a year round resort area offering real value and something for all gays and lesbians.
Torremolinos has a great gay nightlife, second only to Madrid and Barcelona. While Sitges and Gran Canaria mainly attract visitors from the UK, the Netherlands and Germany, Torremolinos is still a very Spanish town with most of the gay bars packed with local Spanish guys. The age of the gay crowd is younger than in Sitges and Gran Canaria, and the big clubs attract a very young gay crowd from 18 to 30 years old.
There are more than 30 gay and lesbian venues in Torremolinos concentrated in a small gay town called Nogalera. Most bars don’t open before 11pm, so be prepared to party until dawn. The most popular gay venues at the moment are The Gate Bar, which attracts hot guys over 30, the Parthenon Club and Home Disco. The largest gay sauna in southern Europe will open here at the end of this year.
There are no true gay hotels in Torremolinos, but you will find many beachfront gay Bungalows that are located in the center of town, just a five minute walk from all the gay bars. The gay bungalows offer a free parking space and complete privacy.