travel news
from November 2006

All gay holiday destinations have their own personalities and, on the whole, a certain type of holidaymaker who’ll fit in just fine. And the word that perhaps most describes Benidorm’s gay scene is comfortable: there’s little of the label-queen style battles you get in Ibiza; hardly anything of the leather, fetishwear and muscle bears you find in Gran Canaria; and only a touch of the posing you trip over every time you step into a bar in Sitges. It’s a place favoured by ‘ordinary’ people - and I’m using that in the sense that my other half’s gran would have used it: normal, down-to-Earth people with no pretentions, who know how to have a good time by being themselves. It’s in part down to the large number of Brits who own bars and businesses out there and who make their fellow Brits feel so welcome, along with their lovely Spanish counterparts. For some reason, it’s not a destination popular with the Germans - unlike, say, Gran Canaria. And as a result, if your Spanish isn’t quite up to par, you’ll have little difficulty being understood.

The vast majority of the gay bars (and they do tend to be bars: Benidorm’s not a destination for those in search of all-night clubbing, although the bars are almost all open until about 4am and most have darkrooms if that’s your thing! Some of the larger bars - like Mercury have a bit of dancing space, too) are situated in the steep and winding streets of the picturesque old town, well away from the noisy straight areas behind Levante beach. Despite the presence of thousands of pissed up (mainly British!) straight tourists just a few hundred yards away, Benidorm has been voted the safest city for gay holidaymakers in the country.

Like many gay destinations, there’s a ‘circuit’ to follow if you want to be in the bars when they’re busy. Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to work out what it is from night to night, so your best bet is to pop into somewhere like Bar Chaplin on Calle San Vicente where you can pick up a scene map and hosts Dave and Dave will be glad to let you know what’s happening where and when. Drinks are generally only a little bit cheaper than in England - although of course they include those ridiculously large Spanish measures of spirits: a rule of thumb is that the more stylish and trendy the bar is, the more your booze’ll cost you! So, a bit like over here, then!

The dyke scene is, sadly, non-existent - although we did spot a few lesbians, with gay men, in a couple of the bars.

Hiring a car can be a good way of getting about - especially if you’re not with a package tour operator and need to get from Alicante airport to Benidorm under your own steam. It also gives you transport for visiting Alicante itself and the host of small, secluded beaches and beautiful towns and villages up and down the coast.