Seaside Palm Beach review: ‘A design-led beachfront hotel located beside the golden dunes of Gran Canaria’
A retro design icon on the edge of the Maspalomas dunes, Seaside Palm Beach offers a relaxed, LGBTQ+-friendly alternative to Gran Canaria’s party centre, as Attitude's travel editor Markus Bidaux discovers
For our second visit to Gran Canaria, long established as one of Europe’s most reliable short-haul destinations for LGBTQ+ sun-seekers, my partner and I decided to base ourselves away from the gay mecca that is the Yumbo Centre.
Instead, we checked into the five-star Seaside Palm Beach, a design-led beachfront hotel located beside the golden dunes of Maspalomas – though it remains only a 10-minute taxi ride from the island’s most famous gay bars and clubs.
The hotel recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, and rather than hiding its age, it wears it proudly. Its 1970s origins remain front and centre, following a sensitive refurbishment in the early 2000s by Parisian designer Alberto Pinto, who chose to lean into the decade rather than dilute it. The result is a playful retro aesthetic that earned the Seaside Palm Beach a coveted place within the Design Hotels collection.
Rooms and interior
Spread across 328 rooms and suites, the interiors are divided into four bold Pucci-style colourways, each inspired by the island itself: beige and brown echo volcanic landscapes and fertile fields; yellow and turquoise channel sunshine and sea; violet and green nod to lush subtropical flora; while coral and blue mirror the nightly sunsets over the Atlantic.
Rooms are finished with custom timber furniture and original artwork, striking a careful balance between nostalgia and polish. All rooms offer pool or sea views, and stepping onto our balcony each morning to watch the sun rise over the ocean quickly became a cherished ritual for our five-night stay.
Downstairs, the ground-floor Bar Salón leans unapologetically kitsch. Bathed in red and brimming with retro flair, it feels lifted straight from an Austin Powers film, with live music regularly setting the tone for relaxed evenings.
Dining
Food is clearly taken seriously here. At breakfast, there’s no lukewarm tray of scrambled eggs in sight; instead, all egg dishes are cooked by chefs at the breakfast buffet to order. Bread and pastries are baked on-site, while a rainbow of freshly squeezed juices are presented on ice.
Evenings often centre around the hotel’s three weekly BBQ dinners, rotating between Spanish, Asian and Italian themes. The Spanish BBQ, in particular, is impressively abundant, with mountains of lobster tails and chefs manning the grill, ready to prepare plates to order. Elsewhere, the hotel’s Italian and tapas restaurants continue the high standard.
Facilities
Outside, the Seaside Palm Beach’s gardens are a tranquil emerald oasis, immaculately maintained and framed by towering palm trees that shield guests from Atlantic breezes. Alongside the main pool, there’s a children’s pool and kids’ club, though during our January stay, the atmosphere felt resolutely grown-up, with no children in sight. At the far end of the grounds, a pair of adults-only pools offer a quieter alternative, and all pools are heated.
The adults-only zone also houses the spa, where treatment rooms look out onto the gardens, enhancing the sense of calm. Tucked discreetly away is a small clothing-optional sauna area, complete with sun loungers for those committed to achieving an even, all-over tan.
For those keen to stay active, the covered outdoor gym may be compact, but it’s equipped with top-tier Technogym kit. Tennis courts sit nearby, alongside more leisurely options including ping pong and lawn bowls.
Nearby attractions
While the neon glow of the Yumbo Centre is never far away, there’s plenty to explore on foot. A string of small beaches lies just minutes from the hotel, including the popular gay beach bar Strand-Apo-Theke, while the designated gay section of the beach is an easy stroll away. Arrive early, however, if a sun lounger is non-negotiable.
It’s worth noting that Seaside operates two sister properties on the island: the neighbouring five-star Seaside Grand Hotel Residencia and the city-central four-star Sandy Beach, so be sure you’re booking the correct address. While the clientele here skewed older than us (we’re in our 40s), there was no shortage of gay couples enjoying the hotel’s relaxed, inclusive atmosphere.
Ultimately, the Seaside Palm Beach offered exactly what we were looking for: a stylish retreat away from the concrete sprawl of central Maspalomas, where days unfold at a slower, sun-drenched pace – with the party never more than a short taxi ride away.