Gay beach

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, USA

Move over Provincetown because there’s a new contender for the Atlantic Coast’s top LGBT beach, located in the friendly state of Delaware on a peninsula east of Washington DC. Here you’ll find gay Rehoboth Beach, a windswept coastal town filled with over 200 gay owned and operated businesses, tax-free shopping and pretty stretches of beach in walking distance from town.

Alternatively, the adults-only Hotel Three Sixty offers 360-degree views of the rainforest and ocean from its clifftop setting. The gay scene in Quepos is low-key, but there's a fun club in town with dancing and live music that draws a mixed crowd, and LGBTQIA+ parties and events take place throughout the year, including Pride on the Beach in July.

Where to stay

Tulemar Resort (rates start at $365 per night) spreads across a dramatic 33-acre tract of jungle with its secluded private beach, just south of Quepos on the road to the national park.

Its cultural offerings, including immersive art installations and live performances, provide an unforgettable stay.

The Setai, Miami Beach

1 Hotel South Beach Miami

Baker Beach in the Presidio district is the place to go nude in friendly company, all in view of the bay’s famed Golden Gate Bridge

5.

Reachable by some combination of car, bus and tourist train, it’s more secluded than other places on this list, but on warm days visitors shouldn’t have trouble spotting the densest concentration of queer.
Clothing optional: Yes

Es Cavallet, Sant Josep de sa Talaia, Ibiza

The beach has several sections—clothed straights, naked straights, clothed gay, naked gay—and if you’re into mixing and mingling in the buff, you’re going to want to go to the far southern end.

Now protected under the Wreck Beach Preservation Society (WBPS) set up by a group of protesting naturists in the 1970s, the beach now acts as a haven for the gay community just 15 minutes from downtown Vancouver, holding various events throughout the year, including the wintertime Polar Bear Swimmers contest and the annual Body Acceptance Day.

Plan your time in Vancouver with our full Vancouver travel guide.

Where to stay in Vancouver

For an opulent stay while visiting Wreck Beach, considered one of the most liberating beaches in Vancouver, check into Fairmont Pacific Rim. Situated along the waterfront, it combines modern luxury with a commitment to art and design, featuring a vast collection of local art and sophisticated dining options.

So lively and ebullient it feels like a resort town, even though it’s only a 10-minute drive from the gay village on Oxford Street.

Clothing optional: No (head to Lady Bay Beach for that)

Patong Beach, Phuket, Phuket Island

If you can pull yourself away from Paradise Complex, Phuket’s raucous LGBTQ+ nightlife hub, the gayest strip of the resort city’s beach is just a 12-minute walk away.

You'll find everything from luxurious beach hotels to budget-friendly outposts from brands like Hilton and IHG.

When it's time to satiate your appetite, be sure to sample a bunny chow, a local street food consisting of a loaf of crusty bread hollowed out and filled with spicy curry. Within either enclave however you’ll find a neat selection of gay beaches and a diverse mix of ages, professions, nationalities and kinks.

For those seeking a more classic luxury experience, The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale provides timeless sophistication, with spacious rooms and private balconies overlooking the Atlantic. Peace and privacy can be fantastic, including the right to doff your trunks and let it all hang out.

But sometimes we’re looking for a beach experience that’s more sociable.

So before the tide goes too far out, we bring you a rundown of the 10 best gay beaches in North America from the Pacific coast of Vancouver to the year-round tropical retreat of the Florida Keys.

Tailor Made Journey

Luxury Beyond Convention

At Mr Hudson, we understand that true luxury lies in the freedom to explore the world exactly as you envision it.

Once there, you’ll find a pan-European selection of men who are far from home and highly motivated to make some new friends to hang out with at Yumbo Centrum at night. The latter is close to Praia Mole, a crescent-shaped beach backed by emerald hills that LGBTQIA+ sunseekers flock to.

Although Santa Catarina Island has become a favored gay weekend getaway among those seeking a less party-driven alternative to pulsing Rio de Janeiro, which is less than 90 minutes away by plane, you can still find opportunities here for revelry.

Along the coast, there is an abundance of stylish resorts, from the tiny beach town of Jurere to the lively city of Florianopolis. Discover more of the nation’s best natural attractions with our Costa Rica travel guide.

Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica | Photo: Etienne Delorieux

Photo: Alex Azabache

Where to stay in Costa Rica

For travellers exploring Playita Beach in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, Kura Boutique Hotel offers an unparalleled blend of eco-luxury and intimate seclusion.

There are also five excellent restaurants, spanning sushi to gourmet Italian, and rooms are airy and comfortable with balconies.

Serving cocktails and Mexican fare from dawn until late, the resort is also known for its go-go boys, drag shows and scandalous antics on the rooftop bar. All day long, and especially at sunset, this compact beach on the eastern edge of town offers a delightful mix of socializing and seclusion, while an unpretentious beach bar dispenses ice-cold micheladas and fresh coconuts.

Fringed with palapa-roofed ceviche restaurants, Zipolite's main beach stretches along the crashing surf for another mile or so and is every bit as gorgeous.

Several upscale hotels are within walking distance of the beach and the town's Instagram-worthy Whalebone Pier. Breezy cabanas with palapa roofs, decks and hammocks impart an easygoing vibe, and the open-air, toes-in-the-sand restaurant is one of the best in town.

Durban, South Africa

Cape Town may receive more international attention, but South Africa's third-largest city is arguably more appealing for a beach vacation.

Someone else blasting jams might be your cue to leaving your Bluetooth speaker turned off.

The Americas

Wreck Beach, Vancouver, British Columbia

Hippie alert.