Gay Guide
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About LGBTQ+ Alicante
Benidorm's first gay bar opened in 1962, in the old town, in the middle of Franco's dictatorship. Most accounts name it Pretex; locals still argue for Petit Vendome in the alley of Los Gatos or El David on Calle Mayor, but every version lands on the same year. That same year, as the local papers still tell it, the Diocese of Orihuela-Alicante put a cross on the hill above town as a warning about what Benidorm was turning into. The warning did not take. Benidorm, less than an hour up the coast, has grown into a long-established gay resort town, and its bars are listed here alongside Alicante's.
In Alicante itself the scene sits in the Casco Antiguo and the old Barrio at the foot of the castle of Santa Bárbara. Divina, Cienfuegos and Menuda Lagarta cover the old-town streets, Refugio sits a few blocks inland, Canibal is right on the Explanada de España, and La Cúpula Azul on Avenida Óscar Esplá takes the club nights.
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In Benidorm the gay village fills the lanes of the old town, where Bar 69 sits on the Plaça de la Constitució and the Eagle on Carrer de la Santa Faç. Benidorm runs its own Pride each year, and in high season the old town stays busy until the early hours.
The saunas are in Alicante: Ipanema Thermas, Basaky and Steam, with DARK covering the cruising end. Diversitat LGTBI does the community work, and further inland Sultana holds the Elche end of things.
Alicante's airport serves the whole of the Costa Blanca, so most people split their time: the city for its old town and its esplanade, Benidorm for the resort nights. Winters are mild enough that the season never fully stops, and August is hot and packed.
Cruising bar in central Alicante with a bear-friendly crowd and the odd underwear party.
Modern, roomy gay sauna that's kept clean and gets busy at weekends, with a crowd of all ages.
One of the historic bars of Alicante's gay scene, at the heart of its queer nightlife since the 1990s, open Thursday to Saturday from 10pm, with drag and cabaret on Thursdays.
A gay sauna in the Carolinas Bajas area near the center, recently expanded across two floors, bright and spacious and popular with a younger crowd.
Gay sauna with a dry sauna, steam room, jacuzzi, bar, cabins and a dark room, plus weekly themed events.
An LGTBI association in Alicante offering community support, advocacy, and events for queer people.
Popular gay bar for men in Benidorm's Old Town gay village, with a cruisy, leather-friendly crowd.
One of Benidorm's longest-running drag cabaret bars, in the heart of the Old Town gay village, open from late morning daily.