4* Fantasy Island Inn

If you’re coming to Fort Lauderdale primarily for Wilton Manors, the location doesn’t get much easier than this. Inn On The Drive is just off Wilton Drive, so bars, restaurants, cafés and LGBTQ+ businesses are only a few minutes away on foot. Back at the inn, things are considerably more relaxed. It’s adults only and clothing optional, with tropical gardens, several pools and a hot tub, so you can quite happily spend an afternoon doing very little before walking out for dinner and drinks. The small-resort atmosphere also makes this a sociable choice without the scale of some of Fort Lauderdale’s larger gay properties. GayMapper tip: one of the best choices if you want to walk to Wilton Manors nightlife and leave the Uber app alone for a few days.

Pineapple Point is where you go when you want a gay men’s resort but don’t particularly want to compromise on service or surroundings. Spread across two lush acres in a residential part of Fort Lauderdale, it feels more like a private tropical compound than a conventional guesthouse. It’s clothing optional and very sociable, but the atmosphere is more pampered than party-heavy. Breakfast, snacks and an evening happy hour are included, and the staff have a particularly strong reputation for looking after guests. Las Olas is relatively close, while Wilton Manors and Sebastian Street beach are short rideshares away. GayMapper tip: one of Fort Lauderdale’s best choices for a romantic or indulgent gay getaway where the resort itself is part of the holiday.

Casitas Coral Ridge is a laid-back little hotel in a residential neighbourhood north of central Fort Lauderdale, particularly suited to travellers who prefer somewhere calm and independent to a big beachfront resort. The beach is about a 10–15 minute walk away, while there are plenty of restaurants and useful shops around Coral Ridge itself. Wilton Manors is a short rideshare in one direction and the busier Fort Lauderdale Beach area in the other, so the location works nicely if you plan to split your time between both. Rooms range from simple doubles to larger suites with kitchens, which can be particularly handy for longer stays. GayMapper tip: good value for Fort Lauderdale if you’re happy staying between the beach and the gay scene rather than directly in either.

Alcazar is part of the large Worthington resort complex just behind Fort Lauderdale Beach, so staying here gives you much more than a standalone guesthouse. Garden walkways connect the different buildings, pools and courtyards, creating a sociable gay-men-only resort where it’s easy to meet people without feeling obliged to join in. Sebastian Street gay beach is only around a five-minute walk away, which is the big attraction of staying on this side of Fort Lauderdale. Wilton Manors and its bars are a rideshare away, so you can have the beach during the day and head to The Drive when you fancy a bigger night out. The resort is clothing optional and adults only, with a broad mix of couples and solo travellers. GayMapper tip: a great beach-side choice if you want the social atmosphere of a proper gay resort rather than a mainstream hotel.

Coral Reef is one of the quieter gay guesthouses in Fort Lauderdale, with just a handful of rooms wrapped around a tropical garden and pool. It sits in a residential pocket near Coral Ridge and Victoria Park, so this is more about relaxing than being in the middle of the party. The beach and Galleria area are close by, while Wilton Manors and its nightlife are an easy rideshare when you want a livelier evening. The small scale makes the atmosphere friendly and personal, and the large hot tub and pool stay central to the experience. GayMapper tip: particularly good for couples or anyone who wants a gay stay without necessarily wanting a party resort.

Conrad is a good choice if your version of Fort Lauderdale involves a proper beachfront luxury hotel by day and LGBTQ+ nightlife when you feel like venturing out. It sits on the quieter northern section of Fort Lauderdale Beach, within an easy walk of Sebastian Street gay beach and with restaurants and bars stretching south along the oceanfront. The all-suite accommodation also gives you considerably more space than a typical beach hotel, with balconies and kitchen facilities in every suite. Wilton Manors is a short rideshare away, so it’s easy enough to swap ocean views for The Drive after dinner. GayMapper tip: especially good for couples wanting a polished beach holiday with the gay scene available rather than dominating the whole trip.