Vista Bonita - Gay and Lesbian Only Resort

Vista Bonita - Gay and Lesbian Only Resort is an adults-only address designed for gay and lesbian guests, with a small-scale apartment feel rather than a conventional hotel layout. You have a private entrance, a terrace opening towards the pool or garden, and enough living space to make the room useful beyond sleeping in it.

The mood is straightforward: swim, sit outside, pour something cold, and let the Canary Island heat do its work. The resort's website is available in English and Spanish, although no hotel staff languages are specified. That is worth bearing in mind if clear spoken communication matters to you.

You also have a bar, a restaurant, a shared lounge and a tropical garden for the parts of the day when you have finished with the sea, the sun and your own equipment. It is an adults-only setting, with the resort aimed specifically at gay guests and nudism permitted throughout the complex.

The address is C. Touroperador Matkatala, 2, in Maspalomas, Gran Canaria. The property has beach access on foot at 100 metres, while named beaches include Meloneras Beach at 1.2 miles, De Las Mujeres Beach at 1.3 miles and Maspalomas Beach at 1.7 miles. Playa del Inglés Beach is 2 miles away, so a taxi or car is more practical than pretending every beach day starts at the front gate.

Playa del Inglés and Meloneras, with their shops, bars and restaurants, are around a five-minute taxi ride from the complex. For nearby food, Meson Sonnenland and Bamboo Garden are each about 0.3 miles away, and Bar Cafetería Terraza El Mirador is about 0.1 mile away.

Maspalomas gives you more than sand and nightlife. El Parque Botánico de Maspalomas is 1.4 miles away, and the lighthouse is 1.7 miles away. Gran Canaria Airport is 16 miles from the resort, with an airport shuttle available on request.

These are apartments arranged over two levels, which changes how you use them after a long day in the water. The ground floor gives you a kitchenette, a toilet and a living room leading directly to a terrace. Upstairs, the bedroom and bathroom keep the sleeping area separate from the place where you sit, eat or leave the day's clothes to dry.

The larger duplex apartments make the most sense if you want room to spread out, travel with another guest, or simply dislike having your holiday confined to one sleeping area. The one-bedroom apartment is the more compact choice for a couple, while dedicated single-occupancy options keep the same apartment layout without making you pay for space you will not use. Upper floors are reached by stairs only.

Every apartment has air conditioning, a refrigerator, microwave, toaster, kettle and kitchenware. That means cold water when you come back hot and tired, and the option of a simple meal without putting on proper clothes. You also have a sofa, seating area, desk, television, free WiFi, towels, a private bathroom and outdoor furniture. Daily housekeeping is included, while laundry is available as a separate service.

Abora is the on-site restaurant, working in a modern interior with natural light and mountain views. The menu is Mediterranean, with breakfast from 08:30 to 10:30, lunch from 13:00 to 17:00 and dinner from 18:00 to 22:00. Breakfast is served in the restaurant, so you can eat properly before heading out rather than relying on a biscuit and optimism.

Seasonal products shape the menu, and the wine list covers French, Italian, German, Spanish and Canarian bottles. Special-diet menus are available on request. Room service is also available on request when the sensible plan is food near the sofa.

There is a pool bar open from 08:30 to 22:30, along with a snack bar and a bar in the resort. Tea and coffee-making facilities are available in the apartments, and grocery deliveries can be arranged. The food-and-drink set-up therefore covers breakfast, full meals, a drink by the pool and the occasional decision not to go anywhere at all.

The outdoor pool is the obvious post-dive reset: towel, lounger, water and very little ceremony. The sun terrace and garden give you somewhere to read or doze, while the Jacuzzi, sauna and solarium offer alternatives when lying perfectly still in the sun has done its job.

A spa provides massage, and the outdoor gym lets you keep moving without committing to a full expedition. That is useful for a gentle stretch or a short session between dives, rather than a promise to become a different person on holiday.

When you want to leave the complex, bicycle rental, hiking, fishing and windsurfing are available, with golf within 1.9 miles. A water park, mini golf and bowling are also available nearby or off site. The tour desk, concierge service and car-hire service can help turn an otherwise idle afternoon into something with a destination.

Check-in runs from 14:00 to 23:30, and you need to tell the property your expected arrival time. Reception is open from 09:00 to 17:00, so an arrival outside those hours needs arranging in advance. Bring photo identification and a payment card for check-in; cash is accepted as a payment method.

Check-out runs from 05:00 to 11:00, and late check-out is available on request. Luggage storage is available if your flight and your room do not agree on the same timetable. The airport shuttle also works on request, and the resort can arrange car hire, bicycle rental, grocery deliveries and laundry.

Free WiFi covers all areas. Pets up to 5 kg are allowed on request. The apartments are adults-only, and the duplex layout means stairs are part of the arrangement rather than a minor footnote. For a diving holiday, that is worth considering if carrying bags or tired legs up to the bedroom is not your idea of an encore.