Barcelona and Sitges, Spain's Gay East Coast

Rav23 Canada : Ontario : Toronto	Original posting: Rav23 06 Apr 2009, 00:02 Hi guys, I'm planning a trip in August for Barcelona and I've heard quite a bit about Sitges. This is my first trip to Spain, so i'm looking for any input in regards to accommodations in Barcelona and if it's worth visiting Sitges. 1) Mostly it's going to be myself in the city (unless i can get a few friends come with me) but i've been looking into hotels vs apartments/lofts. Any thoughts on which is more accommodating in terms of price and convenience? 2) Also I'm not a big clubber but I've heard quite a bit about the night life in Barcelona, so any input on club/bars is quite welcome. And also any experience anyone has had in Sitges as well. Thanks for all the help guys, Ravi.
seaview U.K. : LONDON : Stratford	Follow up: seaview 07 Apr 2009, 06:01 I've been to Sitges several times and can definately recommned it, its a small very gay town with many bars all within easy walking distance of each other. There are also many gay and gay friendly restaurants, so if you are travelling on your own there is absolutley no need to be concerned. The town has two main gay beaches, one nude and one not, the naked one is about 10 minute walk from the town centre the covered beach is right bang on the town centre. The train from Barcelona to Sitges is very quick and cheap it takes about 40 mts. As far as accomodation is concerned - thats a personal choice that depends on your budget and style, but I'm sure both Barcelona and Sitges hove something to offer. BTW - Majorca is also worth a visit, there is a small lively gay scene in Palma, which is a beautiful town with a great all round culture and feeling. The island is stunning - but best stay away from certain mainstream resorts on south west coast. Enjoy.
cuggsy U.K. : Gloucestershire : Bristol	Follow up: cuggsy 07 Apr 2009, 06:09 I hope to go in September, my last visit was 12 years ago so I am sure some things have changed. It is a really friendly resort, perhaps a little more expensive than other places like Benidorm but worth a visit. Palma de Majorca is good too but the scene has contracted quite a lot, the bars seem less and less, oh for the days of "The Black Cat"
edrenalin Australia : New South Wales : Sydney age: 26 role: Versatile ')" onmouseout="hide_tag()" alt="">	Follow up: edrenalin 07 Apr 2009, 06:25 coming to barcelona in august for a few days looking for friends and fun to show me a good time. leave a message with name and number *beep*
jecv U.S.A. : California : San Diego age: 18 role: Versatile ')" onmouseout="hide_tag()" alt="">	Follow up: jecv§ * [msg] 07 Apr 2009, 06:27 I lived in Barcelona for four months. I would say the best clubs are DBoy and the Arena clubs (esp VIP, on La Gran Vía). Metro is good if you're for an obvious, guaranteed hookup. I never went to Sitges, but would recommend it, as it is extremely gay (most gay guys in BCN make it there at some point), and it is a spectacularly gorgeous town. There is also a gay beach (which doubles as the city's nude beach) in Barcelona... it is called Playa Mar Bella, and it is pretty much an entire nightclub's worth of hot guys on one beach. As for accommodations, anything would do, I suppose, but I can specifically recommend Hostal L'Antic Espai (www.anticespai.com). It is in a great location in the heart of the city (L'Eixample near Plaza Catalunya), owned by a really agreeable gay couple, competitive prices, and just an all-around great unique little boutique hotel. Have a good trip!
Rav23 Canada : Ontario : Toronto	Follow up: Rav23 11 Apr 2009, 06:18 Thanks for all your help so far guys, anymore help is always appreciated :). Rav.
lenavig1 Canada : Ontario : Ottawa age: 56 role: - ')" onmouseout="hide_tag()" alt="">	Follow up: lenavig1 12 Apr 2009, 10:01 hi there, I loved Sitges and took spanish classes with the Hola Sitges Language school which provides great appartments for rent right on the beach...but of course you are going the very high season and very expensive season. Prices nearly triple as compared to prices in May or October, when the weather is still very good. Barcelona is fabulous for architecture and music: do not miss a concert at the Palau de Musica Catalana.. The Catalans (because they are bilingual there: Catalan and Spanish) are very friendly, and gay friendly in particular. In Sitges there are 3 gay beaches: the fully dressed one right in the middle of town, the clothing optional one at little bit out of the main action (north ) and the nude gay beaches at the south of Sitges: you have to walk a bit out of town following the train tracks... Sitges has the reputation of being the most expensive of Spain...so plan ahead....
thickhard U.S.A. : New York : New York	Follow up: thickhard 13 May 2009, 13:34 I have plans to be in BCN in July, and was thinking of spending some time in Sitges. Anyone have a suggestion for a specific hotel or B&B in Sitges? I prefer clean, neat, well run, not too fancy, smaller, but most important is QUIET since I am a light sleeper - so nothing next door to a club or bar. Thanks in advance!
dudua Spain : Cataluña : Barcelona age: 36 role: Top ')" onmouseout="hide_tag()" alt="">	Follow up: dudua 13 May 2009, 19:00 Hey guys, There's this nice website with a lot of gay-related info about Barcelona (maybe a bit outdated, but still 90% correct): http://www.gayinspain.com/gay/barcelona? lang=en If you need more details or recommendations about specific places, I'll try to help you. Enjoy BCN!
matteocr Italy : Lombardy : Milan age: 42 role: Versatile ')" onmouseout="hide_tag()" alt="">	Follow up: matteocr [msg] 13 May 2009, 20:16 Sitges Try to hotel Romantic in the cebter very small very nice, quite , no pretention....
thickhard U.S.A. : New York : New York	Follow up: thickhard§ [msg] 14 May 2009, 03:19 Thanks I will check out that site - here is a question about Sitges. It seems like there are several different beaches and several different parts of town. Is there a specific area where I should try to stay? I dont mind walking (in Provincetown, I typically stay at a hotel that is a 45 minute walk to the beach - but its a fantastic hotel so I dont mind at all).
fckbud Spain : Madrid : Madrid age: 46	Follow up: fckbud 14 May 2009, 07:41 You guys will love Sitges... It is soooooo beautiful, and the gay scene there is incredible... Not much of a sex bar scene, if that is what you are looking for (For that, mixed with resort, I highly recommend Playa Inglesa in Canary Islands). But Sitges is a picturesque beach town with a lot of designer shops and great restaurants. The bars range from discos to quiet venues. To stay, I would definitely suggest the gay-owned Hotel Liberty, across the train station and near the main entrance plaza where the bus from BCN and El Prat airport leaves you. It runs about €55 to €60 per night for high season.. summer... with breakfast included. The owners are really fun and in the early evenings, the hotel bar becomes a prime stopping point before heading out. The only gripe I have is the beach... It is very crowded and the water isn't as pleasant (very murky) as it would be in other spots on the Mediterranean. There are a lot of gay Britons living in Sitges, so language won't be a problem. Have fun!
lenavig1 Canada : Ontario : Ottawa	Follow up: lenavig1 14 May 2009, 09:42 I would specifically not recommend Romantic if you want quiet... they put me in the 'annex', next door to a loud discotheque.....closed at 4 am... or so
thickhard U.S.A. : New York : New York	Follow up: thickhard 14 May 2009, 13:49 lord. THANKS for that heads up about the Romantic. I just found them through Pink Pages and sent them an email asking for more info - their site is rather vague on details. I am a light sleeper, so a club next door is a definite NO NO for me. On the typical hotel.com type sites I only find hotels right on the beach, which would also seem to be very noisy. Hotel Liberty sounds good - any other suggestions from anyone else who has been to Sitges? Thanks again for all the help guys! This entire trip is turning into an internet based adventure!
thickhard U.S.A. : New York : New York	Follow up: thickhard 14 May 2009, 14:02 Hotel Liberty looks great, but its 115 euro per night, so not such a great option for me. Anyone know anything about Antonio's Guesthouse? It looks quite nice, for about 20 euro less per night.
thickhard U.S.A. : New York : New York	Follow up: thickhard 14 May 2009, 15:50 thanks - but I already have fantastic accommodations in Barcelona for only 30 euro/night, I need info on Sitges only now.
notyermate U.K. : LONDON : Hackney	Follow up: notyermate 12 Jun 2009, 02:51 It seems like eveyone is going to Bcn in August... :P How lucky am I? I'll be there as well from the 5th till the 17th and maybe even a bit longer. I might actually go to Sitges for a few days after the 17th. So any more info is always welcome...
notyermate U.K. : LONDON : Hackney	Follow up: notyermate 13 Jun 2009, 18:02 Not a very buy thread, is it?... just trying to keep it going for a bit... Any more info on Bcn and Sitges?
Tim_Kruger Germany : Berlin : Berlin	Follow up: Tim_Kruger 14 Jun 2009, 08:37 we will visit Sitges and Barcelona in early september!
photobloke U.K. : Dorset : Poole	Follow up: photobloke 15 Jun 2009, 04:29 i'm going to sitges and barcelona july 2nd, about my 6th time. Sitges has a great weeknd gay scene, most of the bigger bars have gorgeous strippers, XXL has darkrooms and is very blokey, Prinz club is small but strippers and hot shower night (its a shower on stage for anyone to strip and shower in!), I got stripped naked by a hunky stripper. Piano Bar is music based quite tasteful, parrots is where everyone starts for a drink to watch passers by. Sitges gets much much less busy from mid september to april, but if you can catch the festiovals and the fabulous firweorks shows its a real treat. August is best (and the most expensive). Barcelona has some nice bars like Dietrichs, lots fo saunas full of hot Spanish men, but avoid the one neaerst Place Despanya unless you want to spend all your time saying no thanks (or yes please!) to Rent Boys - dozens of fit ones, but 30 minutes was all i could take before it got annoying and left! Barcelona is a fabulous city even without a gay scene, but the gay nude beach is also full of eye candy. The nude beach in sitges is quite a hike over coastal cliffs, is very small, and is next to a busy mainline rail line - gay men love taking the risk of getting killed to go cruising in the woodland across the line rather than walk over a bridge on top of a hill. The trains are VERY fast and come storming out of a tunnel, so dont do it!