Gran Canaria: Gay paradise at east end of the Mediterranean Sea near Spain and Morocco

Compared to the northern climates (esp US, Canada, Northern Europe) in February, even Portugal's winter will probably seem warm - although the ocean is still too cold for most

people. Culturally and for sight-seeing, Portugal and Morocco would be your best bet for a 'warmer' winter vacation. However, with that being said, I'm a sucker (literally too) for the great sand dunes at Maspalomas on the southern end of the island of Gran Canaria. I've visited  times times it the last seven years during March.  Daytime temperatures range from 18-24 degree celsius - generally toward the higher end,  but clouds and rain (or Saharan winds bring yellow sand) are not completely uncommon.

      For a gay holiday, it's a fun place - although the men seem to be ranging toward the

middle-age and older bracket. Younger guys (teens-20-30s) are abundant enough but they're usually traveling in groups and as couples so it's harder to 'meat' them. I recommend staying in Playa del Ingles - since it's got everything and is closer to the Yumbo (main shopping center that also has most of the gay clubs, including several sex clubs, backroom bars.)

You have to plan a bit to get the right transportation routing to be able to visit all three places affordably and on a set 


Me, hiking nude in the dunes at Maspalomas.

schedule. There are not really many flights from Morocco to the Canary Islands . Since there are Spanish territory, you'll find more flights and better fares from Spain (or even London (Gatwick) and even Germany. By the way, there are thousands of older Northern European seniors who descend on Gran Canaria en masse - it's a bit like Florida in the US in the winter. They come for the sun and cheap food - menus are in 7-8 languages (mostly North European).

Don't count out Spain as a connecting point between all your 3 destinations. Spanair (a Star

Alliance member) has lots of flights to all 3 places and you can sometimes get good discounts - although they are more than just this airline serving them.

Seville - not far from the Spain-Portual border is a great sightseeing town and it's warmer there than Madrid or Lisbon. Also there are flights to Gran Canaria from Seville. You can also reach Morocco easily from Seville. Sample itinerary: Start at Lisbon (you can also end up there by doing the following in reverse)- It's lovely place for several grand days of sightseeing (city views, palaces, art and history, great dining), If you have time, try to go north to Fatima for a 'religion' touristic experience, which was the site of the mystic appearance of the Virgin Mary to 3 teenagers that reoccurred every year since 1923?). Sunday morning is the best time to visit Fatima - since that's when all the pilgrims / sufferers come to receive healing (walking on the knees) to mass.

Then travel south stopping perhaps at Evora or along the coast west of Lisbon, then go along the south coast (the Algarve) by train / bus to Spain (Seville).There are nice seaside

resorts along the way (best in summer of course), or stop at the far west, Cabo de St. Vincente. This is where Columbus studied at King Henry the Navigator's school, located on the southern most eastern tip of Europe. I also loved stopping at Tavira, a quaint seaside town with a unofficial nude beach (probably still too cool for most beachgoers in March, but great during the warmer months. There are bus and trains to Spain from Tavira. Nearby is the town of Cadiz, from where Columbus set sail for the New World; it is a nice side trip. It was his first land fall at Gran Canaria, and where he always stopped (at least 4 times) to replenish supplies. If you have time on Gran Canaria, you can visit the Columbus House, where he stayed during these stopovers and see the little museum and also the Cathedral nearby.

This is a photo of a horse-drawn buggy for rent in the plaza just outside the Cathedral of Seville. 

By the way, Columbus' body is buried at the Cathedral in Seville - which is one of the most outstanding church building in the world (converted once to mosque during the Moorish occupation and then back to a cathedral ) Once you hit Spain and see Seville (worth at least two days), you can fly to Gran Canaria (or try a hydrofoil or passenger ferry from the south of there (near Gibraltar) to Tangiers in Morocco. (check out schedules because there may be seasonal limits). Tangiers give you just a taste of Morocco - hardly the best and even maybe a distaste - because you'll be swamped by self-declared 'tour guides' who just want to make bucks ( a lot - if they can rip you off) to walk with you in tow around town and then end up taking you to a relative's restaurant or carpet or souvenir shop to try to bargain down ridiculously over priced meals or items. Traveling in Morocco alone and without a clear head and definite plans can be a bit daunting - maybe things have changed since I visited there a decade ago. If you fly into Casablanca or another city with hotel reservations and a set timeframe, you'll probably be less likely to get lured into going along with some cute Moroccan young guy who's just flirtatious enough - with a smiling face to beguile you. I took the train from Tangiers to Fez and was fortunate enough to meet a school teacher who ended up inviting me to his home and having a meal with his family.

	Follow up: hardfuck2 Wow! Sunbuns99. you travel along way just to visit GC. i think its great rthat you do. You obiviously enjoy yourself there. good News for you. there is a €400 million faceleft in the pipeline next year for Playa del Ingles and the Yumbo centre. should be interesting to see will everythinfg remain the same or will be try to drive out all the sex. they woud be mad if they did cause the gay people bring so much money into the area...
sunbuns99 U.S.A. :	Follow up: sunbuns99* I've been to Gran Canaria five times around St. Patrick's Day .. I guess you might have been one of the Irish who was celebrating during one of those times. There are lots of Irish pubs and the day brought out a parade and dancing in the streets. That' s interesting about the facelift / renovation. Do you know when construction will begin and be due for completion? I don't know if I'd enjoy visiting it while that is going on. P.S. Have you been to any of the other Canary Islands? How's the gay / nudist scene of Tenerife, Lanzarote, etc.?
Nudists on the beach at Maspalomas	Follow up: hardfuck2 Nudity is allowed on all the islands but gran Canaria has the busiest gsay Scene. Tenerife is next and the lanzarote and Fuerteventura. If I were you I would take a ferry over one of the other islands for a couple of days to have a look. check out www.fredolsen.es. its in spanish but its easy to work your way around the site as parts of it does come up in english. not sure when work is going to begin. it just said next year sometime. i'm heading over to GC next week, I'll see if i can find out anything about it then and let you know, Keep in touch. this will be my 25th visit.. lol ...I go 2 or 3 times a year...x
	Sunbuns - nude and cruising in the dunes of Maspalomas, March 2011

Follow up: 13 Oct 2007, 06:26 I saw your post on the travel forum about Gran Canaria. I'm going and don't know whether to stay at Tucanes Club Beach Boys or Villas Blancas. Any tips on those or other places? From Sunbuns99 To: Midtown2 I haven't stayed at either place. For two reasons, I go to GC mainly because of the natural setting and also the dunes - being naked and cruising with dozens (if not hundreds) of men occupies my days - so I'm not spending time lounging around at the pool (probably clothing optional at those two gay hotels). I'm also alone when I travel - not a couple as you might be - so you might have a different 'purpose' for your trip - enjoying each other - so a nicer accommodation be best. I love the natural settings /diving/ hiking/ but that's available lots of places so GC is about a gay (sex) vacation (at least in large part for me).. so I'm either out enjoying cruising the dunes and clubbing at night and doing the outdoor stuff during the days - I don't spend much time at the hotel. Therefore, I prefer to stay at a cheaper place (preferably with a kitchenette) and then I can make more trips per year (to other places). Of course, it's easier to make friends at a cozier, gay hotel so that has it's advantages too. BTW, if you decided to look for different hotels, I have had pretty good luck with a UK site called, alpharooms.com I recommend staying right in Playa del Igles so you can be within walking distance of the gay clubs and the beach and dunes. Otherwise, you'll have to take taxis or buses everywhere. The main airport is just south of Las Palmas (large port city on the north tip of the island), you can either take a taxi to your hotel (about 40 euro), but there is also a city bus (#60) leaving for south (Maspalomas-Playa del Igles) (Be careful there is also the same 60 north so don't get on the one going the wrong direction - I did that! ) for much cheaper 3-4 euro --- although need to know where to get off for your hotel. When are you going? I've been the last 3 years in March but I'm not sure I will go again next year -- or try another time of year. Kelly REPLY from Midtown2  Thanks for the info. We are a couple who had been together for 18 years so we are out cruising for sex too. We aren't going until next August but I just booked the flight because you have to book on Delta as soon as the tickets become available to fly for free using miles. We are going to Sitges first. We go there every year and stay at the liberty hotel. We walk to Playa del Muerte every day which combines the cruising, hiking, and nudity into a day long adventure. for the second half of the trip we are going to GC which sounds kind of like Palm Springs on an island. Have you been to http://www.basementstudiosgc.co.uk/? Reply from Sunbuns99: I guess you could call it that the Palm Springs of Gran Canaria Island. Like Palm Springs, it's also more popular in the winter than summer,  but I don't think Gran Canaria would have the same high summer temps. Wow.. I didn't know about the Basement Studios - looks pretty wild - sex in and out of the room 24/7 and the staff will participate if invited (see FAQ). There are a couple of sex clubs in the Yumbo Centre (ground floor) - bars with dark, back rooms, harness slings, wall-to-wall rutting men (it was fun!) Since they cater to tourists, there isn't that strict a dress code at the bars. I guess some might and you do have to strip and leave all your clothes checked (in a bag) when you get in. The strict dress (or undress code) at Basement Studios would cramp my style too much , but the prices - 2 persons 85-100 euro a night are not TOO bad. Still, I have usually stayed for around 30-40 euro / night, but I explained. You certainly get more action that the typical gay hotel - I just wonder how it is in August? Also did you read the additional posting on the Travel Forum (by hardfuck) - he mentioned some major construction (renovation) due to start next year - he's headed to Gran Canaria next week and will try to find out how it might affect the Yumbo and other places. Kelly REPLY from Midtown2  Photo of some greenery among the vast sands of the Maspalomas dunes. Just barely visible are nude people hiking in the sand and seeking shade.