SITGES.
Where do bad reputations come from? We’d all like to know that, wouldn’t we? I remember the first time I went to Sitges, when I was living in Barcelona, and the people I told wrinkled their noses. It turns out it was the whiff of gay they were objecting to.
Because there is absolutely nothing objectionable about Sitges, the prettiest of turn-of-the-century towns where you won’t find a single obese teenager with their g-string up their crack and their face in a fishbowl of brightly coloured alcohol, getting ready to heave up all the chips they’ve eaten onto grubby pavements. Not a single one.
What you will find is well turned-out gay men promenading up the really rather lovely, erm, promenade under palm trees, past real nice proper art, manicured seafront gardenry and impressive villas.
If you walk up towards the big white ME by Mélia hotel at the end of that promenade, past the after-dark ‘lively’ beach, the villas get well nice, proper who-makes-this-sort-of-money nice, from white stucco to Malibu-beachfront-modern. Take the Ting Ting, a funny little fake train that runs up there if you can’t be bothered to schlep, though you may want to go beyond that hotel to the infamous gay rudie-nudie beach where gentlemen take their, erm, exercise in the woods by the train track.
The main gay beach is right in town in front of Pic-Nic, a more than acceptable lunch spot for lazy bu¡ers who just want to throw a sarong on. You’ll find beach beds, a decent chiringuito (that’s beach bar to you) serving mojitos in buckets, a slightly older crowd and as much Addicted and Andrew Christian swimwear as you’d expect.
The third gay beach is along past the church, past the family-centred San Sebastian beach, up that steep bit, past the cemetery and down the rocks. There the vibe is nudie but not so rudie with a lovely chiringuito (knickers on in there, please) and a crowd that veers from older gay men through younger couples (mixed and same sex) with barely any children to spoil anyone’s day.
Wander through the little streets of the little town and you’ll see that there are no chains, just loads of little independent shops and restaurants, from beach naff to rather sweet. Al Fresco is the restaurant everyone books out, because it’s gay and the food is good and you get to sit outside in a sweet little patio, but it’s pricey. In fact, things can be pricey with a two-minute taxi ride setting you back the lion’s share of a tenner. Mind you, wine is cheap – a bottle of beach cava costing just £12 – which indicates a town with its priorities right.
As for the nightlife, it starts on Sitges’ excuse for a strip, a pedestrianised run-through past some actually alright bars where you can sit out and watch the sometimes outrageous world go by. Then it’s into a series of mini bars and nightclubs, most with back rooms, some with full-on sex parties but all with the sort of charm you don’t usually associate with red-faced tourists getting their rocks off.
And the best bit? You can get the hell out the minute so much as a cloud threatens to spoil your day. Jump on a train at the station that is just up there five minutes from the centre and in just over half an hour, if you get off at Paseo de Gracia, you’re right in the middle of Barcelona with famous Gaudi architecture there and there and fancy international fashion-brand shops there, there, there and there. Oh and there.
Come Pride in June, the whole of Sitges explodes into a small, fairly provincial celebration with drag acts and pub acts and, if you’re lucky, Boney M with only one member of Boney M in it. There’s a fun parade of floats with drag queens and go-gos. Just as fun is the fancy-dress Mardi Gras in February, where – be warned – it can get parky for those skimpy outfits you favour when dressing up.
As for that bad reputation, maybe compared to the elegant swellagance of Barcelona it’s a little on the colourful side, but this ain’t no Yumbo Centre, and make no mistake.
Where to stay:
ME Sitges Terramar is Sitges’ first proper glamorous hotel, one that could hold its own against the white on white on silver on white and outsize artworks you might find somewhere like Ibiza. Rooms with sea views through wall-to-wall windows come as standard, a huge pool/bar area with drifty-curtained cabanas for when you can’t be arsed to move, and a gorgeous seafront restaurant halfway between the nice gay beach and the naughty one.