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First Maltese gay hotel greets customers

Whoever thought that niche tourism would not work definitely had it wrong. The rumours are finally confirmed and a quick visit to the web-site http://www.kappara.freeola.com/ revealed that Malta has just launched its first exclusively gay hotel, The Hotel Kappara.

Described on the internet as offering a discreet, friendly and homely atmosphere, a good restaurant and bar, and as catering exclusively for gay men, the hotel was launched without much funfair a while ago.

The hotel, which is of three star standard, appears to target mainly the young and hip twenty-something men who enjoy the wild holidays so beloved by the gay community.

Malta is described on the hotel site as having a thriving gay community, offering "a number of exclusive, or at least 'friendly' clubs, bars and restaurants, and a generally buzzing scene"

The site equips the potential gay tourist with all the practical information necessary: it contains a warning regarding the age of consent (18) and that sex in public places (including inside a car) is illegal. Visitors are also told that it is illegal to sunbathe nude, although the site does state that "there are one or two secluded spots where the island authorities turn a blind eye".

As is to be expected, Malta’s predominantly Roman Catholic background gets a mention and clients are urged not to "be deceived into thinking that this island is more 'out' than any other Roman Catholic dominated Mediterranean country", and to "take care not to allow your holiday to go sour through ignorance of the local legal situation and the mainstream culture in general".

The hotel has 20 rooms and tariffs range from Lm22 on a bed and breakfast basis to Lm32 on half-board during the high season.