Simmering sensuality on the summer sands of Sitges

If some summer sun in Spain is on your vision-board, then it's hard to go past Sitges.

Just to the south of Barcelona, Sitges is a beach-side town that has long been a go-to destination for gay men.

Obviously, plenty of other people go there as well - Sitges is surprisingly family-friendly - but as far as gay-friendly beach destinations go, Sitges is right up there.

Sitges has a great nightlife - bars and clubs and cruising are all available and the venues are busy. But it's the naked beaches that really sell it for me.

The beaches

There's two naked beach options.

Balmins beach is at the northern end of town and is easily accessible.

The other clothing-optional beach is Platja de l'Home Mort - it's at the southern end of Sitges and takes a bit more of an effort to get to but it's worth it for a bit more of a sexier vibe.

Where to stay

On my most recent trip, I stayed in two different hotels - neither of which I'd tried before.

I switched hotels because I broke up my stay with a side-trip to Madrid for Pride.

Elite Hotel

My first stop was Elite Hotel. This is a gay hotel with a clothing optional roof terrace (which also has a hot-tub).

I really liked this - small but with a modern fit-out. The staff were super-friendly. While the rooms are relatively small, the roof-top terrace is a dream.

Easy to get to from the train station, Elite is also at the right end of town for Balmins beach and you can borrow towels and umbrellas from the hotel.

MIM Hotel

The second half of my stay in Sitges was at MIM Hotel. This is a big, modern hotel with a roof-top pool and bar/restaurant. They have a basement spa - with swimming pools and steam-rooms and saunas. The rooms are nice and bright. While not exclusively gay, the MIM is plenty gay