Top 11 Gay Friendly Hotels In La Paz

The vibrant and carnivalesque capital of Bolivia, La Paz leaves you breathless – and it’s not just about the altitude. Nestled in the Andean mountains close to the southern shores of Lake Titicaca, La Paz is a kaleidoscope of old-world and modernity. When it comes to the gay scene in Bolivia, big cities are where it truly shines, and La Paz is heading the movement. Despite being a deeply Catholic region where any talk of sexual diversity remains largely taboo, La Paz has an active albeit slightly discreet gay scene. This discreetness extends to gay hotels in La Paz, which might not advertise their LGBTQ-friendly nature, but more than welcome them.

Right from big brands to boutique stays to even B&Bs and homestays, the LGBTQ set is sure to find a hotel of their choice in La Paz. That said, the pride of La Paz’s gay scene is the gender-bending theatre group of La Familia Galán, which aims to educate locals on gender and sexuality through performance. Slowly but steadily, La Paz is emerging from the shadows and coming into its own.

But, that’s not all. La Paz is a favorite South American destination for nature and culture-loving LGBTQ travelers. Besides being one of the World’s Highest Capital Cities, it’s also the base for visiting the stunning Valley Of The Moon and Cordillera Real hiking trails, some of the Most Beautiful Places In Bolivia. And, of course, some of the Top Things To Do In La Paz include gorgeous squares, markets, and even the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Tiwanaku Ruins. With so much to do and see, as well as a burgeoning gay scene, La Paz should be your next great South American destination. To that end, here are the top 11 gay hotels in La Paz.

Selina La Paz

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If you’re a solo gay traveler looking to socialize and mingle in La Paz, then Selina is one of the best gay hotels in La Paz. Tucked in a bright, crisp, and modern building in the serene Sopocachi neighborhood, it’s a mere 20-minute walk along the main road to the Open Mind Club. There’s a lot to like about the hostel, especially its public social spaces such as the onsite bar and restaurant. It’s also a great place to begin drinking beers and cocktails and head into La Paz’s nightlife later on. The lounge area serves excellent coffee and also has free and fast Wi-Fi, making it perfect for digital nomads. If that wasn’t enough, there’s even an exercise and yoga area where you can meet beautiful new friends and hang out with them. The best bit? The staff gives terrific recommendations for tours for the area.

Choose from 4/6/8 or 10-bed mixed dorms, twin rooms, or deluxe/standard doubles, and even family rooms if you’re with a group. Bathrooms are spotless and come with toiletries, while the window ensures light and ventilation. Mattresses are plush, and bunk beds even come with privacy curtains and charging stations.

Delfines Apart Hotel

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Located a 15-minute drive from downtown La Paz, Delfines Apart Hotel is one of the most value-for-money gay friendly hotels in La Paz. What’s great about this apart-hotel is that despite being a value accommodation, it offers a host of amenities. The best of them all is the indoor pool, which comes with poolside service as well. So, enjoy a refreshing dip in the heated waters and lounge on the chairs on the deck later on, and sip on drinks and munch on snacks. You also have access to a sauna and a terrace, both of which are excellent places to unwind. Begin your day with a superb buffet breakfast, following which you can set off to explore the city.

Rooms at this aparthotel are minimalist and yet plush and come with soft beds, flat-screen TVs, and ensuite bathrooms with a huge shower area for two and complimentary toiletries. Windows offer superb views of the neighborhood around, while cushy couches next to the windows are a great place to sip on a cup of coffee with your partner.

Atix Hotel

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LGBTQ travelers who want to splurge on their La Paz vacation should look no further than the decadent Atix Hotel, which sits in the leafy residential neighborhood of Calacoto. Featuring just 53 rooms, staying here is as intimate as it is exclusive. For, the hotel’s objective is to share Bolivia’s cultural wealth with every traveler; you’ll find works by local artists and indigenous material such as Bolivian rosewood. In fact, design-loving gays will love the hotel’s architecture and design that celebrates the native Bolivian culture, such as using local Comanche stone. It’s not a surprise, since Atix in the local Quechua language translates to “the one who thrives”.

There’s nothing you won’t love about the hotel, which boasts gorgeous floor-to-ceiling windows offering the most jaw-dropping views of the Andean valley. On the inside, the hotel thoughtfully provides oxygen bottles for acclimatization as well as doles out innumerable travel tips. The amenities here are equally top-notch, including the swanky gym and the sauna. The zenith of its lavishness is the spectacular rooftop infinity pool which, while indoors, lends a feeling of being outdoors due to the huge glass dome it sits beneath. Post swim, head to the next-door bar for an ice-cold caipirinha or a nightcap. And, of course, there’s the on-site restaurant that serves delicious gastronomical breakfasts and meals.

Rooms, although divided across five categories, feature cloud-like beds, swanky mod-cons, and huge windows that open too, a rarity in hotels. If you want to indulge all the more, choose the larger corner suites that have balconies as well.

The Nest Boutique

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La Paz takes hostel accommodation up a notch with the design-centric and stylishly gorgeous Nest Boutique hostel. Located just a five-minute walk from the Open Mind Club and other gay-friendly bars around, it’s the perfect La Paz hotel for LGBTQ travelers looking for a boutique hostel experience. This adults-only accommodation boasts a terrace as well as a restaurant and bar. Dig into a full Irish or English or continental breakfast in the morning on the terrace in the company of like-minded travelers. After a long day of roaming around La Paz, the boutique hostel even provides evening entertainment, which you can enjoy while sipping cocktails on the rooftop. Plus, you can find free Wi-Fi throughout the property. Also, did we tell you that one of the city’s best restaurants Carrot Tree sits right above this hostel?

Even though it’s a hostel, you have the choice of many kinds of rooms, including female-only and mixed dorms, standard and superior rooms. What’s more, all of them come with immaculate private bathrooms as well as views of the city from the windows. The best part? There’s no curfew here!

Hotel Gloria

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If you’re looking for a city center hotel that’s also close to its gay bars, then Hotel Gloria is the best choice. It lies overlooking Plaza Mayor de San Francisco, the main square in the center of La Paz. If that wasn’t enough, the Open Mind Club and other gay bars lie less than a five-minute walk from the hotel! This might be a traditional hotel, but it boasts top-notch hospitality. All rooms at the hotel are sun-kissed and fully carpeted with floor-to-ceiling windows and dark wood furnishings. Private bathrooms are basic but spotless and even comes with a bathtub. Cable TV and free Wi-Fi round up the offerings here.

That said, the hotel also has a ton of amenities. For instance, it serves a delicious buffet breakfast every morning and has not one but two on-site restaurants. Plus, the bar is a great place to get started on drinks and snacks in the evening before hitting the entertainment district of La Paz.

Casa Grande Hotel

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Looking for a lavish experience in La Paz? Casa Grande is where you should stay. one of the most luxurious gay friendly hotels in La Paz, the hotel lies 20 minutes outside the city center in the posh and tranquil neighborhood of Zona Sur. What’s great about the neighborhood is that since it sits at a lower altitude, the neighborhood is extremely walkable. Plus, the city center is a mere 10-minute ride thanks to the cable car. The hotel boasts the most impressive futuristic exterior with a curved glass roof, while the interiors feature hardwood floors and muted grey and off-white hues. Potted plants add a dash of color and infuse the place with life. It’s no wonder that it’s also one of the Best Hotels in La Paz.

There’s so much to do at the hotel that you and your partner might just consider spending the day in. Begin your day with a super breakfast that includes all sorts of continental breakfast items, plush sparkling wine! After such an indulgent start to the day, head off to the equally indulgent heated indoor pool and whirlpool for a luxurious swim and soak. Post that, make a beeline for the sauna and massage room for a relaxing massage to soothe those sore muscles. Enjoy a meal at the on-site restaurant, before winding up with a nightcap at the rooftop Casabar with sensational views of the city.

You’ll love the minimalist rooms which, apart from other mod-cons, also come with indulgent pillow menus and minibars to get the party started right in your room. Feeling particularly indulgent? Go for the presidential suite, which has a terrace and a whirlpool bath.

Adventure Brew Hostel

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Solo LGBTQ travelers looking for a fun-filled and inexpensive stay in La Paz and want to meet new people should consider the Adventure Brew Hostel. Basically, this hotel, or hostel, has everything going for it. To begin with, it lies right on the main road of La Paz and within a 15-minute walking distance of its cluster of gay-friendly bars and pubs. It’s also a mere five-minute walk from the city center of Plaza San Francisco and its attractions and sights. The best bit is the nature of the hostel itself – it lies in a gorgeous and vibrant blue-colored 19th-century colonial mansion and is one cheery-looking place.

Adventure is the name of the game here. To begin with, you have the choice of designer-style rooms and dorms. While the dorms are slightly on the basic side, they’re very spacious by hostel standards and come with immaculate bathrooms. Plus, the rooms look like they belong to a boutique hotel. The hostel is full of funky communal spaces where you can hang out with your fellow travelers. Pancake breakfasts are a great way to begin your day, while Tuesday and Friday afternoons are for their famous barbeque rooftop gathering. During evenings, begin your revelries with beers and cocktails at the on-site bar, which is also a microbrewery!

Ritz Aparthotel

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If you’re a group of LGBTQ travelers or looking to stay for an extended time in La Paz, then the Ritz Aparthotel is the place for you. It’s conveniently tucked in the San Jorge neighborhood and lies within walking distance of the best entertainment and dining in the city. What helps is that it sits right on the cable car lines. Despite being an aparthotel, the Ritz has a ton of amenities for your convenience. Firstly, it has a wonderful restaurant that serves lip-smacking fare and has a fantastic wine list. It even offers room service so you can enjoy the food in the comfort of your room. Besides a tour desk that offers tips on excursions, the hotel even offers in-room massage treatments for relaxation.

Choose from 70 luxurious suites at the Ritz Aparthotel, all of which come with seating areas, cable flatscreen TVs, and chic bathrooms. What’s more, some suites even have balconies that enjoy scenic views of La Paz.

Stannum Boutique Hotel & Spa

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Tucked right in the city center of La Paz, Stannum Boutique Hotel & Spa literally towers over the rest of the city. Lying within walking distance of the gay-friendly bars in the city, it’s an excellent gay-friendly base in the Bolivian capital. You’ll love the light-filled rooms at the hotel, with sunlight streaming in through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Minibars and exquisite bathrooms with for-two shower areas allow you to get the party started right in the room. Cloud-like king-size beds will feel like you don’t want to get out of them. However, we’d recommend that you do, for the hotel has a host of decadent amenities that you certainly want to take advantage of.

Begin your day with a scrumptious breakfast in the room with stunning sun-kissed views of La Paz. After working off those calories in the gym, head to the onsite spa and enjoy some pampering time with your partner. Dig into a delicious lunch of local and international cuisine at the on-site restaurant. Finally, enjoy an aperitif in the bar before heading out for an evening of revelry.

Hotel Boutique El Consulado

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LGBTQ travelers who love old-world lodgings will love Hotel Boutique El Consulado, which lies a five-minute walk from San Francisco Square. In fact, the gay-friendly clubs and bars in La Paz are also a mere 10-minute walk, making this hotel the best base for culture-driven LGBTQ travelers. You’ll especially love the spacious and light-filled rooms at this boutique hotel, all of which come with wooden floors, huge windows, and roaring fireplaces. On cold La Paz days, curling up on the plush beds and watching TV while sipping on champagne is one of the most romantic things to do. What also elevates the romantic atmosphere is the spacious bathrooms with for-two showers.

Begin your day with a delicious complimentary American breakfast before heading out to explore La Paz. After a long day, unwind on the terrace or in the garden with a glass of wine. It’s the perfect way to begin a great evening in the city before heading out to its excellent clubs and bars.

Suites Camino Real

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Awash in hues of sleek black marble and jewel tones are the Suites Camino Real, one of the most sensuous gay friendly hotels in La Paz. Located right on Avenue Roma, the main street in the city, the hotel is a relaxing reprieve and the perfect place to rest your head after a night of wanton partying in La Paz. Eliminate your hangover with a delectable breakfast buffet, which includes a selection of freshly baked Bolivian pastries. Post a heave;y breakfast, enjoy a refreshing dip in the indoor pool at the health club and Felling’s spa. Post swim, indulge in a sauna or hot tub session to soak your stresses away. There’s even an oxygen therapy room that’ll help you acclimatize to the city’s altitude. Enjoy a romantic lunch or dinner at the on-site restaurant, where barbequed meat is a house specialty.

All suites at this hotel feature huge windows offering stellar views of the city and the Andes mountains. Coffee machines ensure a great start to the day, while minibars get the party started as early as you want. Rounding up the features are the plush seating areas and swish bathrooms.

Just So You Know:

• Bolivia’s first gay couple to be legally recognized wed in December 2020.
• Even though it’s far behind on gay rights as compared to progressive nations, Bolivia has a law that came into effect in May 2016 that allows people to change their gender on official documents. 

Get Some Culture in La Paz:

• Gay Pride: Ever since Bolivia’s first gay pride held in Santa Cruz in 2001, pride has come a long way. Even though the parade has been held only a few times in La Paz, now thousands take part in the march for ‘sexual diversity’ and in solidarity with ‘victims of hate.’

Best Gay Bars / Clubs in La Paz:

• OPEN MIND CLUB: La Paz’s best, and currently only outwardly gay club. Lined in shiny mirrors and lit in a rainbow of colors, this is the place to be to party in town. Drink, disco dance with gorgeous queer people, and have a blast.

Best Gay Saunas in La Paz:

• Sauna Gay PUNTO G: This steamy and elegant sauna in La Paz is private and very, very hot. Think video rooms, dry steam chambers, hot showers, dark rooms, maze, and a steamy jacuzzi and hammam.