Post 5 (11/9/25) MASPALOMAS TRAVL DAY AND ARRIVAL

I ran into one of the cool bellmen at my Madrid hotel getting into the elevator from breakfast. He asked me when I was leaving, which was in about half an hour. He asked if I needed a taxi to the airport, which I did, and he said it would be there for me. He also offered to check me out so I wouldn't have to stop at the reception desk. Boom! These guys are good. 

He called me 20 minutes later to say the taxi was ready when I was. I hopped in an elevator and noticed he wasn't at the bell desk. I crept out the door peaking out front. Sure enough he was across the pedestrian street at my taxi! Darted over there and I was off. 

Quick easy ride to the airport, no lines at check in nor baggage drop, and I was off to the long escalator, tram, and elevator rides to Terminal 4, gate 37, which was only one gate from the elevator landing. I was there with plenty of time but no massive wait. Boarded with group 2, and the 3 hour economy flight wasn't so bad at all. I bought a Mediterranean snack box and agua con gas, and was good until dinner time. 

Got in on time, with an extra hour due to the time difference. Had to wait 15 minutes or so for my suitcase, popped out the airport door to find the taxi stand right there and a taxi awaiting me. Another cool driver with a good, casual conversation in Spanish along the 20 minute ride to my hotel. Too easy...

Arrived, checked in, was given the basic orientation by the charming Itommy (sp?) at reception, whom I see all the time around the hotel, always with a warm greeting. The room is a suite type arrangement with a kitchenette, dining table, sofa, coffee table, bedroom with king bed and nice open closet, full length mirror, and a bathroom with a decent sized walk-in shower. (sorry haven't been capturing room pics/vids)

All that was left to do was freshen up from the travel day, and head off to check out the Yumbo Centrum (huge shopping center with a major gay overtone). On the way to Yumbo, this happened:

So Yumbo is not quite as gay as I thought, but it's still pretty gay... It's a massive shopping center on three levels with tons and tons of shops, salons, restaurants, bars, cruising bars, sex clubs, a Burger King, and so much more. There are a ton of gay guys who go there, rainbow flags all around, and a tolerant attitude all around, but there are many straight people who go as well, and it is very international, as multiple languages can be heard all around. This being Winter Pride week, it was especially done up in rainbows:

It did take me a while to get my bearings, not just geographically, but socially as well. How did this all work? Where should I go when? Are there opportunities to meet people, pick up men, etc.? Being a 100% tourist place, it didn't necessarily conform to the typical Spanish standard as far as eating times, opening times, etc. You can pretty much always get something, and there are a ton of options. I walked aimlessly around the place for quite some time, not knowing exactly where to fit in, and felt for the first night I would just wing it and guess at a place to eat. Being alone felt a tiny bit awkward, as most people were coupled, with a friend, or in a group. But I did fine. I ultimately settled on a large and fairly crowded restaurant prominently located in the center of everything upstairs. What drew me in was the lobster tank, as I knew they'd be fresh. The maitre d' chatted me up which ended up being what lured me in, something I would generally avoid. This turned out ok though. Not amazing, but fine. I had lobster thermador with mashed potatoes in a nice creamy sauce. The lobster was tender, which is important to me. I had gay couples on either side of me, and I just did my thing, drank my little split of chardonnay. and enjoyed my meal. One course, no bread, no dessert; kept it simple. After dinner, more browsing about on foot finding interesting things like this:

As I was walking out to explore beyond the Yumbo, I snapped the obligatory pic-with-the-sign:

I walked the long streets around the center a bit, but didn't want to venture too far, as the walks get long quickly here in this spread out tourist area.

So that was about it for my arrival day/evening. I did grab a very small cup of chocolate chip ice cream, which I ate on the way back to the hotel. It was ok. Again not amazing, but decent. I did a full unpack, got organized and cleaned up, and crashed out to sleep in anticipation of my big first day at the beach. The chardonnay helped me sleep all the way through!