Bilbao and San Sebasatian ?

[Nirish guy]

Heading off to Bilbao on Monday for 10 days, then San Sebastian for 4 days - anyone have any tips re good / interesting bars / restaurants etc perhaps ?

Also heading on thereafter to Sitges for another week or so but already know plenty of places there to be sure to enjoy myself - so Bilbao or San Sebastian - any tips guys ? ( and I don't necessarily / just mean sexy fun wise there btw!) :)

[Blacktouch]

Bars - Bilbao

• Badulake
• Bizitza
• La Korrala
• Lamiak

Clubs and Parties

• El Balcon de La Lola

Saunas

• Sauna EGO
• Sauna Element

[Nirish guy]

Thank you Blacktouch, that’s certainly a start. Can I assume that these are an internet search rather than personal recommendations perhaps ?

I still appreciate the effort but of course always good to he’s of someone’s own view after visiting a place. It’s actualky quite amazing now as businesses are getting more media savvy to compare perhaps bars Facebook pages or websites along side comments on forums such as this one as what are described as modern hip and happening places many times end up being described as actually old, run down rip off joints to be avoided at all costs !!

But thank you your list is a good start band I’ll do a bit of investigating when there perhaps and report back if I find them / make it that far.

[Blacktouch]

Thank you Blacktouch, that’s certainly a start. Can I assume that these are an internet search rather than personal recommendations perhaps ?

I still appreciate the effort but of course always good to he’s of someone’s own view after visiting a place. It’s actualky quite amazing now as businesses are getting more media savvy to compare perhaps bars Facebook pages or websites along side comments on forums such as this one as what are described as modern hip and happening places many times end up being described as actually old, run down rip off joints to be avoided at all costs !!

But thank you your list is a good start band I’ll do a bit of investigating when there perhaps and report back if I find them / make it that far.

You're welcome.

Yes this is internet search, but just a start.

I have never been there, so will be interested to hear if any of the bars are of interest for our kind of fun?

[Nirish guy]

Alas as I'm going with my BF and also working part of the time I'm there and so will have a work colleague and his wife with me I doubt I'll get checking out too much if any of that sort of "fun", but if good crack gay bars then for sure I'll be trying to pay them a visit to see how things roll there - and if I see fun on happening somewhere on that vista I'll be sure to let you know :)

[Nirish guy]

So currently in Bilbao and a) itsxa loveky city, very chilled, loads of great shopping and bars everywhere plus lots and lots of beautiful olive skinned Spanish / Basque guys everywhere too, only trouble is they’re all so fashionale and perfectly groomed it’s hard to tell the gay ones from the straight ones ! But lovely eye candy everywhere none the less.

Te some of the bars listed above we went to Badulake last night, quite small and basic and nothing that special really, They had some dodgy Spanish drag comedy act going when we arrived which of course we couldn’t understand so that was a bit boring for us. Things started to get busy around 1am and more and more guys were arriving but unfortunately we’d a straight couple with us who then wanted to leave - but I doubt from the vibe there that we were missing all that much later anyway perhaps.

Spent a few hours in Bizitza this afternoon. It’s situated in the heart of the old town and again is small and is nothing overly special as a bar and wasn’t overly gay but did have a small rainbow flag or two up ( inside only) and was being frequented by plently of PLU. We actually sat outside most of the afternoon as most people did, enjoying the sunshine and the streetlife whilst necking several cocktails.

We left to go to La Corrala which is just around the corner but it was closed and again quite small.

Oh aside from the shops etc I should of course have mentioned that Bilbao also houses it’s wonderful Guggenheim Museum Bilbao which I went too as well today ( waste of 13 Euro if you ask me as my problem with modern art is trying to decide who exactly is trying to put on who ! I was about to run my finger over some dust on a shelf whilst there and apparently nearly destroyed an art installation demonstrating mans inability to band time or some shit - as Catherine Tates “Gran” character would say “what a load of old shite” !! :-)

So overall whilst there are plently of gays around abd Grindr is busy etc ( much to my disgust as I’m here with my BF this weekend :-( I would say the overt gay bar scene is quite small here in Bilbao BUT as quite a cool city anyway I’m guessing that’s as you can go anywhere and it feels almost like a gay bar anyway there’s so many hot guys around !

So for a nice weekend break would I come back - absolutely. :-)

[Blacktouch]

So currently in Bilbao and a) itsxa loveky city, very chilled, loads of great shopping and bars everywhere plus lots and lots of beautiful olive skinned Spanish / Basque guys everywhere too, only trouble is they’re all so fashionale and perfectly groomed it’s hard to tell the gay ones from the straight ones ! But lovely eye candy everywhere none the less.

Te some of the bars listed above we went to Badulake last night, quite small and basic and nothing that special really, They had some dodgy Spanish drag comedy act going when we arrived which of course we couldn’t understand so that was a bit boring for us. Things started to get busy around 1am and more and more guys were arriving but unfortunately we’d a straight couple with us who then wanted to leave - but I doubt from the vibe there that we were missing all that much later anyway perhaps.

Spent a few hours in Bizitza this afternoon. It’s situated in the heart of the old town and again is small and is nothing overly special as a bar and wasn’t overly gay but did have a small rainbow flag or two up ( inside only) and was being frequented by plently of PLU. We actually sat outside most of the afternoon as most people did, enjoying the sunshine and the streetlife whilst necking several cocktails.

We left to go to La Corrala which is just around the corner but it was closed and again quite small.

Oh aside from the shops etc I should of course have mentioned that Bilbao also houses it’s wonderful Guggenheim Museum Bilbao which I went too as well today ( waste of 13 Euro if you ask me as my problem with modern art is trying to decide who exactly is trying to put on who ! I was about to run my finger over some dust on a shelf whilst there and apparently nearly destroyed an art installation demonstrating mans inability to band time or some shit - as Catherine Tates “Gran” character would say “what a load of old shite” !! :-)

So overall whilst there are plently of gays around abd Grindr is busy etc ( much to my disgust as I’m here with my BF this weekend :-( I would say the overt gay bar scene is quite small here in Bilbao BUT as quite a cool city anyway I’m guessing that’s as you can go anywhere and it feels almost like a gay bar anyway there’s so many hot guys around !

So for a nice weekend break would I come back - absolutely. :-)

Thanks for the update. I'm thinking of going there for a weekend myself?

[Nirish guy]

I’m actualky surprised there’s not more tourists here actually and can’t think why that is other than they all just flock to Barcelona as it’s better known but I should say that Bilbao is almost every bit as good as BCN ( maybe not for gay bars as I went back to Badulake tonight and it was closed !) but certainly for a nice weekend away this place and the surrounding area ticks a lot of boxes and one thing I DO like about it is it’s very genuinely Spanish ( Basque) and almost no one speaks English and as I struggle to get understood it’s nice as it reminds me that I AM on holiday :-)

[Blacktouch]

I’m actualky surprised there’s not more tourists here actually and can’t think why that is other than they all just flock to Barcelona as it’s better known but I should say that Bilbao is almost every bit as good as BCN ( maybe not for gay bars as I went back to Badulake tonight and it was closed !) but certainly for a nice weekend away this place and the surrounding area ticks a lot of boxes and one thing I DO like about it is it’s very genuinely Spanish ( Basque) and almost no one speaks English and as I struggle to get understood it’s nice as it reminds me that I AM on holiday :-)

Download the translate App called "SayHi".

Just speak to your phone, and it translate it to Spanish. No writing to do. Just speaking.

[Nirish guy]

But where would be the fun in that :-) I enjoy half the fun of pointing at things and using the wrong words in Spanish and having them looking at me like I’m nuts :-)

Same as when I used to try and talk with Thai friends in Thai until several of them asked me “please don’t try to speak Tha to me, you sound like a baby talking and it hurts my ears” lol. - ha as always it seems that whole Thai being aware of causing offence or someone else losing face only works in one direction eh ! :-)

Actually I was quietly delighted as I took that as my cue to never have to bother trying again - much easier all round it seems ! :-)