Top 10 places for gay honeymoons

Gay-friendly getaways

With LGBT marriages becoming legal for the first time in the UK in the early hours of this morning, we bring you the top 10 places for gay honeymoons

gay honeymoons

P-Town, Cape Cod
From Boston’s evocative harbour, jump on the ferry for a 90-minute ride over to Cape Cod and gay-friendly Provincetown. The quaint town with its rows of lovely clapperboard guesthouses and hotels is ideal for exploring its boutiques and antique shops. Plus there’s also the Cape Cod National Seashore with great beaches. Combine it with a city break in Boston, one of America’s most European flavoured cities. It’s walkable and has fantastic shopping on Newbury Street.
Stay: The southern-style porch of the White Porch Inn in P-Town welcomes visitors with a rainbow flag and rooms that are super-stylish.
See provincetowntourismoffice.org and massvacation.com

captetown2

Cape Town
The Rainbow nation really hosts the Rainbow flag… South Africa was the first country in Africa to recognise same-sex marriage and Cape Town is the ideal place to visit. A cosmopolitan city, backed by Table Mountain and with shores lapped by both the Atlantic and Indian oceans, there are some incredible restaurants (try HQ for steaks and Codfather for fish) plus great bars on Long Street. Match a trip here with a visit to the Stellenbosch winelands for tasting sessions in a rural but chic setting.
Stay: We love the boutique Grand Daddy Hotel on Long Street which has an Airstream trailer park on the roof. The cocktails in the hotel bar Daddy Cool are pretty special too.
See capetown.travel

gay honeymoons

San Francisco
The spiritual home of the LBGT movement in America, San Francisco offers world-class restaurants, hotels and shops along with a laid-back, ocean-side feel. Its Gay Days celebration in June attracts almost a million people, proud to celebrate their sexuality. For away days, the vineyards of Sonoma County are less than an hour away or you can the drive down to Big Sur – one of the most dramatic stretches of road in the world.
Stay: Set on – no pun intended – Nob Hill, Hotel Vertigo is a Hitchcock-themed hotel (the director’s film of the same name plays on a loop in the lobby) with lovely rooms.
See visitcalifornia.co.uk

gay honeymoons

Mykonos and Lesbos
Greece’s complex relationship between state and church means gay marriage is not yet legal but ancient Greece’s gay literature, art and theatre were important points in the history of homosexuality. While Athens has a great gay scene, the islands are the place to be. Mykonos’ (above) tortuous alleys are filled with boutiques and gay bars and clubs, plus there are the anything-goes party beaches of Paranga, Paradise and Super Paradise to enjoy. Lesbos was the home of pre-Christian poet Sappho who wrote of love for people of the same sex. The village of Erresos and its sister beach Skala Eressos are the places to be.
Stay: Elysium was the playground of the gods and the Elysium Hotel in Mykonos town is a gay-exclusive boutique hotel. The Aumkara Apartments in Skala on Lesbos are owned by Tina and Maria and are minimally stylish.
See visitgreece.gr

gay honeymoons

Sitges
Combine a city break in Barcelona with a visit to the nearby seaside town of Sitges, which is Spain’s premier gay destination thanks to its mix of great restaurants and clubs, art galleries and Gaudí architecture.
Stay: Gay hotel Parrots in the heart of Sitges and close to bars and clubs has rooms that are modern, comfortable and clean with huge double beds.
See sitgestur.cat

gay honeymoons

Sydney
Films such as Muriel’s Wedding and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert helped put Sydney on the gay map internationally and it’s not hard to see why. It has art, food, shopping, attractions and great beaches, plus a huge gay scene headed by February’s Mardi Gras (above), one of the biggest gay and lesbian festivals in the world. Out of the city there’s outback and vineyards to explore or you can head up the coast to the Great Barrier Reef.
Stay: Morgan’s is a boutique hotel in Darlinghurst with rooms in stark white and views over the Harbour Bridge.
See australia.com and Sydney.com

gay honeymoons

Key West, Florida
The southernmost city in the continental United States, Key West is a haven for gay and lesbian tourists thanks to its slogan One Human Family and chilled atmosphere. Visitors will find great beaches, Victorian homes once owned by gay icons such as Tennessee Williams and Elizabeth Bishop and tea and bear parties galore.
Stay: LaTeDa in a landmark Key West building has a relaxed, elegant atmosphere and regular cabaret sessions.
See fla-keys.co.uk

gay honeymoons

Buenos Aires
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Argentina since 2010 and stylish Buenos Aires is ideal for an LGBT holiday. Head to gentrified Barrio Norte, Palermo, and San Telmo for sensual dance schools and night clubs, theatres and great restaurants. While in Argentina, try exploring and head to the magnificent Iguazou Falls.
Stay: Rooneys Boutique Hotel is set in a colonial building in the heart of the city surrounded by cafés, bars and tango milongas.
See turismo.gov.ar

gay honeymoons

St Barths
It’s hard to find a gay-friendly destination in the Caribbean but French collective St Barths is one – the island has legalised gay marriage and is a favourite of Ellen DeGeneres and Marc Jacobs. There are sugar-white sand beaches, fabulous harbour-side eateries such as Bete a Z’ailes and Le Bistro and some great shopping.
Stay: Get away in a perfect hideaway at Flamands Blue. It has three bedrooms, a Jacuzzi pool-spa on one of two terraces and great views. A French bakery is close by for fresh-baked morning croissants.
See saintbarth-tourisme.com

telaviv

Tel Aviv
Israel’s coastal getaway has long been promoting itself as a gay-friendly destination and got a stamp of approval when France’s first married gay couple decided to honeymoon here last year. No doubt they were drawn to the city by buzzing nightlife, hip restaurants, great beaches and stylish boutiques.
Stay: The Marina Tel Aviv is between Hilton Beach and Gordon Beach and has cool rooms and a super roof-top pool.
See visit-tel-aviv.com and thinkisrael.com