The Top Gay Holiday Destinations of 2009

What are the hottest destinations for gay travellers in 2009? HolidayCheck's users have been pretty much everywhere and have given a lot of feedback on the best gay-friendly places to check out. That's how we can be sure of offering 5 unbeatable tips.

Gran Canaria – The Gran Canarias gay scene is concentrated in the southern part of the island, especially around Maspalomas and Playa del Ingles. The nightlife is frenetic and can be found around the Yumbo Center in Playa del Ingles. There are loads of bustling bars here, around 40 of which cater to a predominantly gay crowd. The Yumbo Centre is a typical shopping centre during the day, but at night it's probably the biggest gay scene in all Europe. The Playa del Ingles nudist beach is a popular place for gays and lesbians to hang out.

Mykonos - This style-conscious gay paradise is also popular with artists and the fashionista set. This combination gives the island a special quality that's just hard to beat. The island is very small and 90% of the action is concentrated in Mykonos town. Gay beaches to explore are the Super Paradise Beach and the Elias Beach.

Barcelona - Barcelona is a cosmopolitan and open city. It's also a favoured gay destination. There's plenty on offer culturally too and although there is no specifically gay area there are a lot of gay bars in the 'Eixamle' district as well as gay shops, discos and pubs too.

Maledives - Even if some are generally intolerant of the scene,the island is nevertheless a popular place to visit amongst the community. Some hotels in Ari Atoll (Hotel Diva Maledives for example) and Baa Atoll (Hotel Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu for example) are more than happy to welcome gay holidaymakers.

Ibiza - There's scarce a resort in Europe that caters for gay holidaymakers to the extent that Ibiza does . The locals are a tolerant and easy going bunch and are happy to welcome a broad mix of visitors to the island. The gay scene is concentrated in Eivissa old town. As far as the beach is concerned, the southern end of Platja d’es Cavallet is a popular meeting point.

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