Get Wet (and Gay) in Curaçao this Week

Image courtesy Curaçao Tourism Board

With a few noteworthy exceptions, the Caribbean is not known for being super gay friendly. The former Dutch colony and currently among the world’s youngest nations, the sun-drenched island of Curaçao has been reaching out to the LGBT travel segment for several years.

One of their signature events is the Get Wet Weekend (now a full week). We are smack in the middle of it now (it kicked off October 2) but if you feel like a quick weekend jaunt there is still a major event this coming Saturday, October 8 (the Drag Queen Competition).

Curaçao became an independent nation on October 20, 2010 (10/10/10).

More information: http://www.gaycuracao.com/eng/parties.php

According to the Web site:

Gay-friendly accommodations and operators abound on the island, including Hotel Kura Hulanda Spa & Casino, Lodge Kura Hulanda and Beach Club, Avila Hotel, Hilton Curaçao, Floris Suite Hotel, Lions Dive & Beach Resort, Papagayo Beach Resort, Waterside Apartments, Plaza Hotel Curaçao & Casino, Hyatt Regency Curaçao Golf Resort, Spa & Marina, Renaissance Curaçao Resort & Casino, Baoase Luxury Resort Curaçao, Caribbean Sea Sports, Flamingo Villa and Coral Estate Villas,  International Accommodations & Concierge Services, among others, all of which are proud members of IGLTA.

For more information on Curaçao’s GLBT offerings, please visit www.gaycuracao.com. For more information on the island of Curaçao, or to request a FREE Curaçao information package, please visit www.curacao.com.

DEAL OF THE WEEK: CARIBBEAN MARRIAGE SPECIAL

By Ivan Quintanilla

By signing the Marriage Equality Act on June 24, allowing same sex couples to legally marry in New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo set off a wave of celebration that reached the shores of Curacao.

The Kura Hulanda Resorts, two of our favorite properties on the Caribbean island, are offering all newlyweds who present a valid New York marriage license a free upgrade and dinner for two when booking a four-night stay now until December 22, 2011.

“A progressive member of the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association, on an island with a refreshing ‘live and let live’ vibe, the Kura Hulanda Resorts offer guests a heavy dose of culture, fine dining and city-life, all wrapped up in a gay-friendly, high-end village community,” says Jody DeLeon, Director of Sales and Marketing for the resorts.Rates start at $160 per night at Hotel Kura Hulanda and $140 per night at Lodge Kura Hulanda.  To book the deal, call 1.877.264.3106 or visit http://www.kurahulanda.com.

Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com.