Along with gay resort status comes the inevitable gay beach, and the even more inevitable gay nude beach. Add to that the usual sprinkling of clubs and cruising areas and all that's missing is a drag queen with Beyonce-like extensions waving you into town.
So when my train pulled up with no sign of a faux Beyonce at the city limits, I let down my guard. Because this was a Friday afternoon in October, Destiny's impostor may have already left for the season. In fact, it seemed that a lot of people had gone for the season, and a few businesses were even shuttered. The town swarms with visitors in July and August.
But even in October, temperatures here are still incredibly balmy and the waters of the Mediterranean are warmer than Cape Cod Bay in August. The beaches in the center of town are lively, but not as crowded as in the summer months. On my first walk down the stately Passeig de la Riberia, the palm-lined boulevard that hugs the beach, I could instantly understand the geography of Sitges's coastline. The town has 17 beaches, but strangely, every gay visitor in town wearing swim trunks appears to be sunbathing at La Platja de la Bossa Rodona, a patch of sand located directly below the Picnic Restaurant. Those not wearing their trunks are most likely at La Platja del Home Mort (for those not well-versed in Catalan, it means Dead Man's Beach), a small, pebbly nudist enclave safely located on the outskirts.
Sitges is an absolutely stunning town. Gay mecca or not, the well-tended beaches (separated by outcroppings that feature al fresco showers) feel as if they belong in the south of France, and the town itself is interlaced with endless, maze-like narrow streets that give it a charming, old-world aura.
