It wasn't until the mid-20th century that nude and topless beaches began to "pop up" along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts of France. God bless zee French! Due to popular demand, I bring you a list of the 10 best gay nude beaches around the world, as selected by regular tourists as well as naturists.

10. Playita, Quepos, Costa Rica - No longer nude
I don't know what it is about Costa Rica, but there must be something. On the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, not far from the gay friendly town of Quepos, is this well-established nude beach actually within Manuel Antonio National Park. The beach is secluded and entails a hike over rocks and streams, but the pristine beauty is worth it. 

Directions: You'll find Playa Espadilla near Hotel Karahe, 500 meters before the Manual Antonio National Park entrance. Walk to the right when facing the water,  pass the crowds and development where you may have to cross a few streams. You'll reach rocky outcroppings which feels like the end of the beach but if you climb over the rocks, you'll be there. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes to get there. 

Update: Please note the gay nude beach Playita, is no longer nude, as a hotel was built behind the beach and the owners have almost totally taken the beach over as their 'private' beach. Guards are posted on the beach, and the police are called if anyone gets naked. It's status as a gay beach is diminished also.

A reader told me that this beach stands out because while Hawaii does not allow nude sunbathing, the law is applied clothing-optional beach "loosely," adding that Little Beach is the "unofficial" You will surely be more than busy watching the beach bums (pun fully intended).

Directions: Take State Route 31 that begins at the junction of SR-310 and SR-311 in Kihei, a town on the western coast of Maui. Head south on SR-31 about 8 miles, then turn right onto Waikea Iki Drive. Go about 0.6 mile, where the road ends at Tintersection with the coastal road. Turn left at the coastal road, which is Wailea Alanui Drive but soon changes to Makena Alanui. Continue several miles. You'll pass several elegant hotels. Watch for the  Maui Prince Hotel, which is the last of these elegant hotels. Continue a mile or so past the Maui Prince. Once you see a hill formation that juts into the ocean, you're almost there. The beach is behind this hill formation. When you pass the hill formation, look for a road to a paved parking lot on the right. There is an additional lot down the road if this one is full. Park and walk to the beach. Here you'll be at Makena Beach (a.k.a. Big Beach), where clothed bathing is required. Walk to the right when facing the water until you reach a rock outcropping at the end of the beach. Climb over the rocks. On the other side, you'll arrive at the nude beach, Little Beach. Continue to the far end of the beach, where you'll find gay nude bathers.

For more information, visit http://www.discoveringhawaii.com/Is_Maui/MABeachMakena.html

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8. Haulover Beach, Florida

JUST NORTH OF world-renowned Bal Harbour in Miami Beach is a model clothing-optional urban beach.  Attracting visitors worldwide, Haulover County Park offers over a half-mile of pure white sand and seashore, with parking, trash cans, concessions, restrooms, lifeguards, and signage for the clothing-optional section. This may be the most beautiful clothing-optional beach in the U.S., and the most heavily used.

Directions: From I-95, exit at Golden Glades Interchange on to State Rd., 826 east or go east on 125th St. Find Haulover County Park at about 150th St. on Collins Ave. (Route A1A) and park in the northernmost lot. Walk to the beach through the tunnel underpass. "Parking: Parking lot with fee; recommended arrival by 11:00 a.m.

For more information visit, http://www.haulover.org/

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7. Praia do Pinho, Camboriú, Brazil

Directions: Get to Praia do from route 101, which runs north-south near the coast. About 70 kilometers north of Florianopolis and a few kilometers south of Balneario Camboriu, there are two turnoffs on the east side of the highway that form a loop road. Either turnoff leads to the beach. The turnoff closer to Florianopolis is fastest and will take you past Estaleiro Beach. The turnoff closer to Balneario Camboriu goes past the beaches of Larangeiras, Taquaras, and Taquarinhas. You can also take a bus from Florianopolis to Praia do Pinho. 

Their website, www.praiadopinho.com.br (in Portuguese only), provides photos of the beach along with lots of other useful information.

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6. Super Paradise Beach, Mykonos, Greece

Super Paradise Beach is one of the famous gay nude beaches in the world. However the straight folks have discovered what good taste gays have, and have started to take over. But Super Paradise is separated between gay and straight nude bathers.

Directions: The right end of Super Paradise is the gay section. Super Paradise is  crowded, lively, has lots of eye candy, and cruisy in the gay section. The beach has a restaurant, bar and chair rentals.  

For more information visit this website: http://www.mykonos-greece.biz/mykonos-beaches.htm

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5. Baker Beach, San Francisco, California

Located only minutes from downtown San Francisco and offering an incredible view of the Golden Gate Bridge, Baker Beach is one of North America's hottest urban naturist beaches. Baker Beach is popular with gay men who like to swim and sunbathe in the nude. Although the water is usually on the cold side, the beach gets really busy on hot days due to its proximity to the city. In several areas, you will find many fully clothed people just "passing through"; you may even encounter a few annoying gawkers. If this happens, just ask someone how to get to North Baker Beach. While the northern part is mainly gay, this is also where most of the nudists congregate.

For more information visit this website: http://gocalifornia.about.com/cs/clothingoptional/l/bl_nb_bakrmap.htm

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4. Wreck Beach, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Wreck Beach is one of the best-known nude beaches on the globe; probably because you can legally swim and sunbathe here. It's a huge beach, that stretches over 6 kilometers. Large amounts of people gather here. 

Directions: Wreck beach in near the University of British Columbia. From downtown, follow 16th Avenue west through Pacific Park and the University of British Columbia campus until the end of the road at SW Marine Drive. Turn right onto Marine Drive and after 1.5 kilometers, look left where you'll see Gate 6. This is the beginning of Trail 6 which will take you to Wreck Beach. Now that you know where it is, your next challenge is to find parking. You may be able to park in the campus lots. During the week, you can pay for parking in the campus garage. Once you've parked and returned to Trail 6, it goes directly to the beach on a long staircase. You'll know the clothing-optional area once you see the sign. 

For more information visit this website: http://www.wreckbeach.org/wb_frames.html

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3. Lady Bay Beach (a.k.a. Lady Jane), Australia

Lady Bay is a popular beach that tourists seem to know at the expense of Sydney's other nude beaches. The beach is located near the tip of South Head peninsula, on  the west side. If you are on the beach looking straight across the harbor, the skyline of downtown Sydney should be off to your left. Majestic views are seen from here. Mostly gay men can be found here. This is one of the most popular gay nude beaches in the Sydney area. The other popular beach is Obelisk.

Directions: You can reach Lady Bay by starting from Oxford Street in Darlinghurst, south of Sydney's central business district. Oxford Street is Sydney's gay community, where most of the gay bars, clubs, restaurants, and shops can be found. Head east on Oxford Street for several kilometers to Bondi Junction, where Oxford will become Old South Head Road. Stay on South Head Road, which gradually curves northward, and continue about 7 kilometers. When you reach the end of Old South Head Road at Watsons Bay, go right onto Military Road, and take a quick right onto Cliff Street. At Cliff Street the traffic is around a one-way loop. Find parking in this area. At the end of Cliff Street, there is a small beach called Camp Cove. The trail to Lady Bay begins at the right end of Camp Cove (when facing the water). Follow the trail toward the lighthouse about 400 meters where you'll stairs to the left go down to Lady Bay. The stairs are clearly marked with a sign that says "Lady Bay Beach. Nudity Permitted on Beach Only."

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2. Little Magens Beach, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands (US)

To find Little Magens Beach, you must go to Magens Bay Beach, that frequently appears on lists of the best clothing beaches in the world. The bay is located directly north of the town of Charlotte Amalie. Little Magens is the most popular gay beach on St. Thomas with the majority of bathers being gay men. For the record nudity is not officially allowed in the Virgin Islands and locals are generally opposed to it. 

Directions: Locals can direct you to Magens Bay. The parking lot at Magens Bay charges $1 per car plus $1 per passenger (U.S. dollars). Magens Bay streches one mile with lifeguards, restrooms and showers. At Magens Bay Beach, you'll find a beautiful beach of white sand. Walk right when facing the water to the end of the sandy beach and continue walking along the rocky shoreline. You'll  reach a secluded and smaller beach known as Little Magens where nudity is unofficially tolerated.

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1. Montalivet, France

Surely you knew that number one would have to go to zee French, and the spot I recommend is Plage de Montalivet, a spot that many purists would claim to be the birthplace of the international naturist movement. Centre Helio Marin (CHM) is a private resort, but there is a public nude beach located just south of CHM.

Directions: From Bordeax, take route N215, which is the major route that goes toward the mouth of the Gironde estuary. You'll pass the town of Lesparre-Medoc, which is 60 kilometers northwest of Bourdeaux. From Lesparre-Medoc continue northwest on N215 about 9 to 10 kilometers, then go west on D102 about 3 to 4 kilometers where you'll arrive at Vendays-Montalivet. From here, continue west on D102 another 8 kilometers or so to Montalivet-les-Bains, then head south for a few kilometers, following the signs toward Center Helio-Marin. You'll find the entrance to the public beach just south of the Centre Helio Marin resort, and there is an entrance fee. Gay men gather farther left on the beach.  

Visit the CHM website for more information at http://www.chm-montalivet.com/chm-montalivet-GB/index_fla.htm.

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If you have updated information on these areas, contact us so we can share with everyone:

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