BEAR ISLAND
Gran Canaria is all about fun!
by Lobo
Let me give you some raw numbers so you get the idea. You arrive in Gran Canaria after a 3-hour flight from mainland Europe. Maybe you are staying at one of the seventeen men-only complexes. Yours is hosting a big pool party today, with a DJ and two hundred guests. You take a shower and discover the Yumbo, the World’s biggest LGTB leisure centre. It’s an open-air gargantuan complex open twenty hours a day, every day of the year, with almost a hundred gay venues around a landscaped square. The Yumbo Centre can host thousands of guys for dancing, drinking and cruising every single night of the week. And this is not even Pride, or Mardi Gras. Just a regular Tuesday in the middle of the Winter!
The following day together with around a hundred other men, you cross the Dunes of Maspalomas and the oasis inside them. Considered to be the World’s largest and most picturesque cruising ground. Half an hour later you reach “El Siete” the gay beach (literally “Number Seven”), where six hundred more men are waiting for you in the Sun, with little or no clothing at all (I repeat, in Winter)... there’s even a bear zone, just on the the right! In the evening, you can choose from eleven men-only clubs where you shake off your sand and your shyness. Finally you have dinner at one of the hundreds of restaurants in the area. You decide to start a calmer second night and order a cocktail in one of the thirty gay terrace bars. You breath deeply with a smile in your head while staring at the blinking lights outside and suddenly realize it's like a “gay disneyland!” There’s no time to get bored, everything grabs your attention, and everything is definitely BIG.
WELCOME TO THE CANARIES
The Canary Islands are by far the most important beach destination in Europe, thanks to their sunny, subtropical weather all year round, but away from the dangers and natural hazards of other countries. They are part of Spain and the European Union, though they are located much closer to the Atlantic coast of Morocco. The seven islands are incredibly diverse with the landscape ranging from 30 km-long golden, sandy beaches with turquoise waters, to dramatic valleys with 4 km-high volcanoes. From quaint mountain villages to luxury marinas and vibrant modern cities. From breathtaking deserts to foggy forests and snowy peaks…. all within an hour-long drive! Canarian culture itself is a captivating blend of European modernity, Spanish openness, African serenity and Latin American charm that takes some time to discover.
The largest tourist resort is called Maspalomas, on the Southern tip of Gran Canaria island. To call Maspalomas “gay-friendly” is almost irrelevant and self-evident. This place has been welcoming gay tourists for 30 years.. Yes, there’s a gay district in Playa del Inglés, around the aforementioned Yumbo Centre and nearby Tirajana Avenue… but you will spot gay couples holding hands all over the island.