Gay Hotels and Men-Only Resorts Around the World

Gay hotels are rarer than they used to be, and many of the old guesthouses have closed. But the ones that remain are some of the best places in the world to stay as a gay traveler: small hotels where the pool is the social center, everyone at breakfast is there for the same reason, and clothing is often optional. This guide covers the gay hotels and men-only resorts still open outside the US, region by region, from Gran Canaria to Cambodia: the men-only and gay-only places, plus the gay hotels that welcome everyone. It also lists the well-known names that have closed or changed, since many lists online still recommend them. For the US, see our guide to the best gay resorts in the US.

Gay-Only, Men-Only or Gay Friendly? What the Labels Mean

Hotels use these terms loosely, so it helps to know what you're booking:

• Men-only: only men can stay, and often only men can visit. These are usually small, and many are clothing-optional.
• Gay-only: built for gay guests. Most take gay men, and a few take lesbians too, but they don't take straight couples.
• LGBTQ, "hetero-friendly": a gay-branded hotel that's open to everyone. The Axel chain is the best-known example. The crowd is mostly gay, but you'll see straight couples at breakfast.
• Clothing-optional: you can be nude in some or all of the shared areas, usually the pool and sun deck. It's rarely required. The few places where nudity is mandatory say so clearly.
• Adults-only: no children. Most gay hotels are adults-only, but the label on its own says nothing about who the hotel is for.

Gran Canaria: The Men-Only Capital of Europe

Maspalomas and Playa del Inglés, on the south coast of Gran Canaria, are widely considered to have the biggest cluster of men-only resorts anywhere. Most are bungalow complexes built around a heated pool, most are clothing-optional, and the gay bars of the Yumbo Centre and the dunes of Maspalomas are a short walk or taxi away. The island is busiest in winter, especially during Winter Pride in November.

• Club Torso: a men-only resort of 12 bungalows around a heated saltwater pool and jacuzzi, with a gym, a sauna and a basement lounge. Clothing is optional, and reviewers say most guests go nude. clubtorso.com
• Rainbow Golf Bungalows: 21 men-only bungalows next to the golf course, with a heated pool and a sauna. Clothing-optional. rainbowgolfbungalows.com
• Aqua Beach Bungalows: a recently renovated men-only complex in Playa del Inglés with 25 bungalows, a loft and a villa, a heated saltwater pool, a magnesium-salt jacuzzi and a gym. Clothing-optional. aquabeachbungalows.com
• Villas Blancas: a gay-owned, men-only resort with two pools (one heated all year), a sauna and a large heated jacuzzi. villasblancas.com
• Seven Hotel & Wellness: a men-only hotel by the golf course with a heated saltwater pool, a wellness center, a sauna and massage. Nudity is allowed in the public areas.
• Atlantic Sun Beach: a men-only hotel on Calle Roma, about 100 metres from the beach. Check its nudity policy when you book.
• Birdcage Resort: a four-star men-only resort near the Yumbo Centre with a tropical garden, a pool, a hot tub and a spa, and nudity allowed at the pool. It books through its own reservation page at birdcage-resort.amenitiz.io.
• Mar Bianco Luxury Apartments: men-only apartments in Maspalomas with a heated pool. marbiancoluxuryapartments.com
• Vista Bonita: a 20-room resort in Sonnenland with a pool, a sauna and a hot tub. It now markets itself to gay men and lesbians rather than men only.
• AxelBeach Maspalomas: the big-hotel option. It's an adults-only, "hetero-friendly" gay hotel with 92 apartments, a pool, a sauna and a jacuzzi, and pool parties, shows and DJs. axelhotels.com

Spain: Axel, Torremolinos and Sitges

Beyond Gran Canaria, Spain's gay hotels are mostly the opposite of the small men-only resort: bigger, design-led and open to everyone, with a mostly gay crowd.

Axel Hotels

Axel opened its first hotel in Barcelona in 2003 and now runs 11 hotels in 10 locations. Its hotels are adults-only and describe themselves as "hetero-friendly": built for gay guests, open to all. Most have a rooftop pool and bar that work as a social space.

• Axel Hotel Barcelona: the original, with a rooftop pool and a spa.
• Axel TWO Barcelona: 87 rooms with a rooftop pool and jacuzzi.
• Axel Hotel Madrid: an 88-room hotel in Barrio de las Letras, opened in 2017, with a rooftop pool.
• Elsewhere in Spain: Axel also has hotels in Valencia, Bilbao and San Sebastián, and beach hotels in Ibiza and Maspalomas.

Gay Hotels in Madrid

Hotel

Axel Hotel Madrid, Madrid

Madrid, Spain

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Torremolinos, Sitges, Seville and Ibiza

• Hotel Ritual Torremolinos: an adults-only LGBTQ hotel that bills itself as the largest in southern Europe, with two pools, a sauna, a spa and a gym. The rooftop has a nude zone with an infinity pool. hotelritualtorremolinos.com
• Casa Brisa: a gay-owned, men-only guesthouse a short drive from Sitges, next to Garraf Natural Park, with a large pool. Clothing is optional at the pool and sun areas. casabrisa.es
• Parrots Sitges Hotel: a gay-owned hotel that's part of the Parrots group in Sitges, a minute from the gay beach.
• Banana Gay House: a men-only, 18+ guesthouse in Seville with a spa and jacuzzi, where nudism is allowed in the common areas. It runs men-only spa days and a pool-closing party in September. bananagayhouse.com
• AxelBeach Ibiza: adults-only, with direct sea access, a seafront pool and a spa.

Greece, Portugal and the Rest of Europe

Greece

• AxelBeach Mykonos: an adults-only LGBTQ hotel with a main pool and pool bar, and suites with private pools.
• AxelBeach Crete: Axel's newest beach hotel, in Hersonissos, with around 40 rooms, a pool and a wellness area. It's adults-only and LGBTQ, but not exclusively gay.

Portugal

• The Late Birds Lisbon: a "gay urban resort" in Bairro Alto, adults-only, with a seasonal outdoor pool and some of the highest guest ratings in the city. thelatebirdslisbon.com
• Villa 3 Caparica: aimed at gay men over 25, with a clothing-optional pool and spa, a sauna and a gym, near the beaches south of Lisbon. It sells day passes. villa3caparica.com

Germany, the Netherlands and France

• ArtHotel Connection, Berlin: a small LGBT hotel in Schöneberg that describes itself as "hetero-friendly". arthotel-connection.de
• Axel Hotel Berlin: an 87-room adults-only gay hotel in Schöneberg, a few minutes from Nollendorfplatz. Its wellness area (jacuzzi, sauna and hammam) was temporarily out of service in October 2026.
• Hotel Deutsche Eiche, Munich: a historic gay and lesbian meeting place with 36 rooms and its own bathhouse. Local press reported in August 2026 that its future was uncertain, so check before booking. deutsche-eiche.de
• Dunez, Drunen: a men-only resort with a sauna, steam bath, pool, whirlpool and camping. It's seasonal: the 2026 season ended October 4, and it reopens March 19, 2027. dunez.nl
• Cinq & Sept, Hérault: a 200-year-old mansion in the south of France with nine or ten suites and a clothing-optional pool. It has run as gay-only (men and women) from May to the end of October. The property appears to have been listed for sale in 2026, so confirm directly before booking. cinqetsept.com

Gay Hotels in Berlin

Hotel

Axel Hotel Berlin, Berlin

Berlin, Germany

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Mexico

Mexico has two very different gay hotel scenes: the resorts and boutique hotels of Puerto Vallarta, and the small, mostly clothing-optional hotels of Zipolite, the country's nude beach town.

Puerto Vallarta

Most of Puerto Vallarta's gay hotels are in or near the Zona Romántica, a short walk from the gay beach at Playa de Los Muertos. Our guide to gay resorts in Puerto Vallarta covers them in more detail.

• Piñata PV: a men-only hotel owned and staffed by men, with seven rooms around a clothing-optional courtyard with a pool, a jacuzzi and a steam room. pinatapv.com
• Spartacus Boutique Hostel for Men: a men-only hostel on Calle Pilitas that opened in November 2024, with 43 dorm beds and a discount at Spa Spartacus.
• Casa Cupula: a gay-owned boutique hotel with 19 rooms and a pool club, open since 2002.
• Almar Resort: an adults-only LGBTQ resort with the Mantamar Beach Club and The Top sky bar.
• Petit Hotel Pilitas: an adults-only LGBTQ hotel with a pool, in the building that was once the men-only Vallarta Cora.
• Blue Chairs Resort: an adults-only LGBTQ hotel right on Los Muertos beach, with a rooftop bar known for its sunset drag shows.
• The Tryst Puerto Vallarta: a gay-owned hotel with a rooftop pool, from the owner of The Abbey in West Hollywood, which welcomed its first guests in September 2024.

Book a Gay Hotel in Puerto Vallarta

Hotel

Casa Cupula Hotel & Pool Club, Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco

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Hotel

Almar Resort, Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco

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Hotel

Petit Hotel Pilitas, Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco

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Hotel

Blue Chairs Resort, Rooftop, & Beach Club, Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco

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Hotel

Piñata PV Hotel, Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco

Zipolite

Zipolite, on the Oaxaca coast, is Mexico's officially recognized nudist beach, and its gay hotels are small, casual and mostly clothing-optional. Our gay Zipolite guide covers the town in full.

• Casa Nudista: a gay nudist hotel, and the one place in town where nudity is required throughout. Adults only, with dorms, glamping and bungalows around a pool and bar, and a nude pool party every Saturday.
• Men Zipolite: a gay-owned boutique hotel with a clothing-optional pool, weekly pool parties and a Sunday drag brunch.
• HEVEN Residence and Villa Aikia: two adults-only, clothing-optional hillside hotels at the quiet west end of town.

Gay Hotels in Zipolite

Hotel

Casa Nudista, Zipolite

Zipolite, Oaxaca

Hotel

Men Zipolite, Zipolite

Zipolite, Oaxaca

Hotel

HEVEN Residence, Zipolite

Zipolite, Oaxaca

Hotel

Villa Aikia, Zipolite

Zipolite, Oaxaca

The Caribbean

• Coqui del Mar, San Juan, Puerto Rico: a gay-owned guesthouse in Ocean Park that welcomes all LGBTQ guests. The whole ground floor is clothing-optional, and so is the Saturday barbecue. There's a pool, a jacuzzi and a rooftop deck, plus an adults-only sister property, Firehouse. coquidelmar.com
• The Tryst Beachfront Hotel, San Juan: an LGBTQ hotel on the gay beach in Condado (the former Atlantic Beach Hotel), with a Sunday drag brunch.
• Gran Muthu Rainbow, Cayo Guillermo, Cuba: Cuba's first LGBT hotel, opened in December 2019. It's an adults-only all-inclusive and has hosted Chill Out Pride week. Cuba's 2026 fuel crisis has closed most hotels on the island, so confirm it's operating before you book.
• Thuishaven, Curaçao: a small adults-only LGBTQ guesthouse with five studios, two apartments and a pool, open to all genders.

Gay Hotels in San Juan

Hotel

Coqui del Mar Gay Hotel, San Juan

San Juan, Puerto Rico

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Central and South America

• Villa Roca, Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica: an adults-only boutique hotel that has long been popular with gay travelers. Its own website no longer markets it as gay or clothing-optional, so check its current policy before booking. villaroca.com
• Undarius, near Punta del Este, Uruguay: a gay men-only, clothing-optional hotel with a pool and hot tub, about 400 metres from Chihuahua, one of Uruguay's two official naturist beaches. It's seasonal, open roughly October to April. undarius.com
• Lugar Gay, Buenos Aires: a men-only, 18+ B&B in San Telmo, next to Plaza Dorrego, with a hot tub.
• Hotel Joohn Los Almendros, Melgar, Colombia: a gay-only, adults-only hotel with a pool, a sauna and a bar.
• Pousada Villa Encantada, Salvador, Brazil: an LGBTQ pousada with a pool, 300 metres from Flamengo beach.

Asia

Southeast Asia has some of the best-value men-only hotels in the world, especially in Cambodia, Thailand and Bali.

• Arthur & Paul, Phnom Penh, Cambodia: a men-only hotel with five rooms in a 1930s building, a 16-metre lap pool, a hammam, a sauna and a jacuzzi. The pool and spa are clothing-optional. arthurandpaul.com
• MEN's Resort & Spa, Siem Reap, Cambodia: a gay men-only resort with six suites and four rooms, a pool and massage, in the gateway town for the Angkor temples.
• Blu Cabin Ari Gay Poshtel, Bangkok, Thailand: a men-only "poshtel" with a pool, a sauna, a steam room and a gym, about 10 minutes' walk from Ari BTS station.
• Aquarius Gay Guesthouse & Sauna, Phuket, Thailand: a men-only guesthouse in Patong with a sauna, a steam room and a rooftop terrace. Clothing-optional.
• Phuket Gay Homestay, Thailand: a five-room men-only homestay in Kathu with a clothing-optional pool and an evening steam sauna.
• MAN Resort, Bali, Indonesia: a 37-room resort and day club in Legian, marketed "for men and their friends", with a 25-metre pool, a sauna, a steam room and a spa. It isn't clothing-optional.

Australia and New Zealand

• Hideaway Noosa, Queensland: a men-only beach resort for gay and bi men at Peregian Beach, with a saltwater pool, a hot tub and a men's movie theatre. Clothing-optional. hideawaymensresort.net
• Turtle Cove Beach Resort, near Cairns: an LGBTQ+ adults-only resort with its own clothing-optional beach, open since 1993. It went up for sale in mid-2026 and now markets itself to all respectful adults, so check it's still taking bookings. turtlecove.com
• Guysers, Rotorua, New Zealand: a men-only B&B with two rooms and an outdoor spa pool. Clothing-optional throughout. guysers.co.nz
• Autumn Farm, Golden Bay, New Zealand: a queer retreat with camping, cabins, a lodge and a dorm on three acres. Its New Year summer camp, the 31st in 2025–26, draws mostly gay and bi men, and its Naked Week is for men.

South Africa

Cape Town has a couple of men-only guesthouses.

• Pink Rose Guesthouse & Spa, Somerset West: a men-only guesthouse with four rooms, a sauna, a pool and a hot tub, open since 2009.
• Cactus House, Cape Town: a gay male guesthouse in Oranjezicht, adults-only, with a pool and breakfast included.

Canada

Canada's men-only stays are mostly campgrounds rather than hotels.

• The Point, Ontario: a men-only campground for gay and bi men in Vittoria, with tent, RV and cabin sites and clothing-optional grounds.
• Quebec's men-only campgrounds: Quebec has several campgrounds for men only (hommes seulement), including Camping La Fierté and Camping Plein Bois, which are listed on the province's official tourism site.

Women-Only and Lesbian Hotels

They've almost disappeared. We couldn't confirm a single women-only hotel still operating in Europe in 2026. Skala Eressos on Lesbos, long the best-known lesbian destination, has lost its women-only hotels: the Sappho Hotel is a regular hotel open to all. The International Eressos Women's Festival still runs every September. For now, the best options for lesbian travelers are the gay-only hotels that welcome women, like Vista Bonita in Gran Canaria and Cinq & Sept in France, and the "hetero-friendly" chains.

Gone or Changed: Don't Book These

Gay hotels close quietly, and many lists online still recommend these:

• Villa David, Puerto Vallarta: a well-known men-only, clothing-optional hotel. Closed in 2023.
• Hotel Mercurio, Puerto Vallarta: closed in 2024.
• Elysium, Mykonos: the famous gay hotel now operates under a different name, Anandes.
• Haus Romeo, Austria: the men-only mountain hotel's website now redirects to a different apartment business.
• Tom's Hotel, Berlin: its own website says the offer has been discontinued.
• Golden Banana, Siem Reap: stopped operating as a men-only hotel in 2018.
• Amistad and Golden Bear, Amsterdam: Amistad is now a general hotel open to all, and Golden Bear is no longer run as a gay hotel.

Tips for Booking a Gay Hotel

• Check the policy on the hotel's own site. Men-only, gay-only, clothing-optional and day-pass rules change, and booking sites are often out of date.
• Book early. Many men-only guesthouses have fewer than a dozen rooms, so the best ones sell out first in peak season.
• Ask about day passes. Many men-only resorts and clothing-optional pools sell day passes, which is a good way to try one before booking a stay.
• Watch the seasons. Gran Canaria peaks in winter, the Mediterranean in summer, and some places close for months: Dunez closes over winter, for example.
• Read recent reviews. Small hotels change hands, and a new owner can change the crowd overnight.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there still gay-only hotels?

Yes, though there are far fewer than 20 years ago. The biggest cluster of men-only resorts is in Maspalomas and Playa del Inglés on Gran Canaria. There are also gay-only or men-only places to stay in Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Mexico, Uruguay, Cambodia, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, plus men-only campgrounds in Canada.

What is a men-only resort?

A men-only resort only takes men as guests, and usually as visitors too. Most are small, built around a pool, and clothing-optional, and they're aimed at gay and bi men. Some also have a sauna, a steam room or a bar.

Where are the most gay resorts in Europe?

Gran Canaria. Maspalomas and Playa del Inglés are widely considered to have the biggest cluster of men-only resorts in Europe, including Club Torso, Rainbow Golf Bungalows, Aqua Beach Bungalows, Villas Blancas, Seven Hotel and Atlantic Sun Beach. Spain's mainland, Ibiza and Mykonos have bigger gay hotels, mostly from the Axel chain.

What does "hetero-friendly" mean at a gay hotel?

It means the hotel is built for gay guests but open to everyone, including straight couples. Axel Hotels and ArtHotel Connection in Berlin describe themselves this way. Expect a mostly gay crowd, but not an all-gay one.

Are gay hotels clothing-optional?

Many men-only resorts are clothing-optional at the pool and sun deck, and a few allow nudity everywhere. Very few require it: Casa Nudista in Zipolite is one of the exceptions. Bigger gay hotels like the Axel chain are clothed, though some, like Hotel Ritual Torremolinos, have a nude rooftop zone.

Are there gay all-inclusive resorts?

Very few. Gran Muthu Rainbow on Cuba's Cayo Guillermo was the country's first LGBT hotel and has run as an adults-only all-inclusive, but Cuba's 2026 fuel crisis has closed most hotels on the island, so confirm it's operating before you book. Most gay hotels are small guesthouses or boutique hotels instead. For an all-inclusive gay vacation, many travelers book a gay cruise.

Are there women-only or lesbian hotels?

We couldn't confirm any women-only hotel still operating in Europe in 2026. A few gay-only hotels welcome both gay men and lesbians, such as Vista Bonita in Gran Canaria and Cinq & Sept in the south of France, and the LGBTQ chains welcome everyone.

More Gay Travel Guides

• The Best Gay Resorts in the US
• Gay Resorts in Puerto Vallarta
• Gay Zipolite: Mexico's Nude Beach Town
• The Gay Cruise Calendar
• Gay Nude Beaches in the US