![ArcencielstudiVallarta-48[1] PV](http://edsalvato.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/arcencielstudivallarta-481-pv.jpg)
This photo comes to us courtesy of Puerto Vallarta Carnival, which took place earlier this year, but we loved the colors and the sexy look of this disguised stranger.
It’s not a gay event per se but with all those feathered, bejeweled and made-up guys, there’s certainly something at least a bit queer about it.
Speaking of PV, we recently covered their upcoming Pride. Click here for more information.
I’ll go if they’re there!
Puerto Vallarta’s annual LGBT event “Vallarta Pride” will take place this year on the weekend of May 24th, 2013.
Events will start with a cocktail kick-off at Puerto Vallarta’s Casa Cupula Hotel Boutique and continue for three days, celebrating LGBT culture and Puerto Vallarta’s welcoming community with music festivals, beach parties, fashion shows, mass commitment ceremony and activities in participating bars and clubs.
To get your planning going, download our iPad app here and purchase the October 2012 issue. Read the rest of this entry »
The last section of our magazine is “Parting Shots,” which are photos taken by our Global Correspondents, subscribers and other friends who send us their favorite image relating to that month’s theme. Our April theme was architecture. Here’s the story behind one of our favorite pictures of the Museo Soumaya in Mexico from Global Correspondent Paul VanDeCarr.
The museum opened in March 2011, and I visited and took this photo in June 2011. On the inside are enormous white galleries divided up by movable walls, and some excellent pieces (and some not-so-excellent). But it’s the exterior that I really like. It’s got a honeycombed pattern of reflective glass on the outside, so fluid and organic-looking that I want to lick it or eat it. It was designed by Mexican architect Fernando Romero, and funded by another Mexican and the world’s richest man, Carlos Slim Helú — the museum is named after the latter’s late wife.
Picture yourself on this Cancun beach. Ahhhh
OffTo.com is the first website that offers deals on customized getaways specifically for LGBT travelers. The travel experts behind OffTo bundle accommodations with activities tailored to the interest of lesbian and gay travelers. Best of all they negotiate the best possible prices, which translates into savings of 40%, 50% or more below retail.
The most important vacation decision a lesbian or gay traveler can make is where to stay. One homophobic raised eyebrow at the pool or comment from an insensitive check-in clerk that “there must be some mistake here: there is only one bed on this reservation, Mr. Jones” can ruin a trip.
So all of OffTo’s partners – accommodations, venues, activities, cultural attractions, etc. — are required to meet industry standards of LGBT-friendliness, sensitivity and community support. Click here to learn more about OffTo’s commitment to LGBT travelers.
OffTo’s chief communications officer, Brian Goldthorpe says that the site will offer deals all over the world, and that getaways “include 24-hour escapes, multi-week vacations and everything in-between. We work with accommodations of all sizes and styles,” Goldthorpe continues “and the activities and diversions in our packages correspond to specific LGBT leisure interests, including outdoor excursions, city history tours, arts and culture, spa services, dining, LGBT events, live entertainment, nightlife and more.”
There are currently five deals included in the site, with more being added regularly. Current savings range from 47% off retail (for a five-night Disney getaway for only $425 — a savings of $370 off retail) to a whopping 81% off for a four-night Cancun beach escape for only $159. That’s $680 less than the retail price. That’s a lot more margaritas you can enjoy!
I heard about this terrific new site through colleagues in the industry. Later OffTo asked me to write up some of their getaways since I’ve visited so many of them. Check out these two getaways in Atlantic City, New Jersey that I wrote. For a quick gaming/hotel resort fix, AC is a New Yorker’s very own east coast Vegas!
Vallarta Fever presents The White Party November 25, 2011
Gay Taste is Best. We know that. You know that. And now Puerto Vallarta agrees. It was one year ago that Casa Cupula, the city’s upscale gay boutique hotel, opened its first restaurant to the general public. And now, Taste Restaurant is being honored as the “Best New Restaurant in Puerto Vallarta” by the readers of Vallarta Lifestyles Magazine.
Puerto Vallarta is undoubtedly one of Mexico’s most gay-friendly destinations, yet it’s still unprecedented for the restaurant of a gay hotel to win this distinction. Then again, Taste is all about options, and everyone likes the spice of variety.
The menu includes Mexican, American, Asian and South American cuisine, available in both entrée and tapas (or “taste”) sized portions. At Taste you can join the party in the intimate dining room and bar, or enjoy a sun/moon-lit meal on the adjoining terrace, overlooking the Bay of Banderas. Taste serves breakfast, lunch, brunch and dinner.
If you are still searching for the perfect dinner partner, Puerto Vallarta turns up the heat over Thanksgiving, when the city hosts Vallarta Fever. From November 23-27, DJs Paulo, Tony Moran and Chi Chi LaRue headline a weekend of parties, dances and events to help you find that special someone.
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You might find yourself intoxicated at the rooftop bar of Hotel Habita, located in Mexico City’s upscale Polanco neighborhood. And it wouldn’t be just because of the drinks, such as the tamarind margaritas. There’s also the splendid tapas, the sixth-floor view of the area, the terrace pool, the ambient music, the fire, maybe the fact that you’ve just enjoyed a spa treatment on-site, and of course the presence of a mover-and-shaker crowd. And that’s just the rooftop. Let’s not forget the 36 guest rooms, which have a cool, minimalist design (glass desks, white walls, grey couches, etc.) and ridiculously comfortable beds. Continuing down to the ground floor, try the menu at the hotel restaurant, Lobby, which holds its own in this famously food-centered district.At Habita, you’re within walking distance of some of the finest Mexican cuisine you’re ever likely to try, such as at Pujol (pujol.com.mx) or El Bajío. The hotel itself doesn’t feel especially gay, but it’s got gay-friendly management and sophisticated international guests who won’t blink at homo PDAs. For a luxurious stay amidst world-class eateries and classy shopping (and, of course, a taxi ride to gay nightspots), Hotel Habita is unsurpassed.
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Mexico City is a thrilling, if sometimes overwhelming, metropolis—a great destination on its own, or on the way to a beach resort elsewhere in the country. I’m pleased to report on The Red Tree House, a super-friendly, comfortable B&B that serves as an ideal base-camp for your excursions into the wider world. (Not for nothing is their tagline “Your home in Mexico City.”) The place exudes warmth—colorful décor, helpful and fully bilingual staff, and common areas for tasty breakfasts and evening drinks that encourage friendly interactions among guests (about 20% of whom are queer, estimates the manager).There are other hotels more convenient to gay nightlife, but the fact is, you’re bound to take taxis anyway; what’s more, the hotel—in the verdant, hip Condesa neighborhood—is a stone’s throw from a sake bar, a chocolate shop, a half-dozen restaurants of various sorts, and nightlife. The place will charm you, and for a reasonable price. (Rooms are $74/night and up for one person, or $89 and up for double-occupancy.)
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Story by Ivan Quintanilla; Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com
If variety is the spice of life, gay Vallarta is simmering with new flavors. Casa Cupula, the decidedly upscale, boutique gay hotel in Puerto Vallarta, has opened its new restaurant Taste to the public. Perched on a secluded hillside, overlooking the Bay of Banderas, Taste is all about options. Choose to dine in the newly redesigned intimate dining room or under the sunshine/moonlight on the adjoining terrace. Read the rest of this entry »
Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com
Surprsingly gay-friendly Guatemala City, the ruins of Tikal and colonial Antigua are just some of the highlights of this incredibly diverse and beautiful Central American country.
Guatemala has a history of re-discovery and re-invention and as a result, modern-day Guatemala is a fascinating collage of cultures: full-blood Mayan people, the descendants of mixed unions between the Maya and the Spanish colonizers, the Afro-Antillean ancestry of the Garifuna people who settled in the Caribbean coast of Central America from the Caribbean islands about three centuries ago, and all the way down to the European immigrants from Germany, England, Italy and beyond.
Sociologically, it’s a unique blend that gives the country a special imprint, a mix of urban sophistication, fine gastronomy, outstanding arts and crafts and textiles, and exotic indigenous customs. These and other cultural traits transcend the early Maya, the days of the conquistadors, the colonial era and the pre- and post-war immigration patterns of the 20th century.
Lending more shades to this cultural mosaic is the eco-diversity of this fascinating destination, with its eclectic mix of mountains, volcanoes, scenic coasts, rivers and lakes. In short, Guatemala offers gay travelers an exotic experience coupled with a geographical sense of a faraway place just a few hours from home—the ultimate vacation destination.
Zoom Vacations‘ exploration of Guatemala gives you the best of this incredible destination! Visit unbelievable ancient ruins, explore the romantic city of Antigua, taste some of the world’s best cuisine, and more! Like always, this trip features enough free time to relax and do your own thing.
More info:
http://www.zoomvacations.com/guatemala.htm
Starts at $1,999.
Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com
With temperatures plunging in the northern and eastern parts of the U.S., thoughts turn south to warmer climes and sunnier, longer days. Costa Rica has plenty of both. Plus it’s gay-friendly as all-get-out to boot.
Join OutWest Global Adventures for a week of fun, adventure, and relaxation while exploring the best that Costa Rica, or CR to its friends, has to offer. Raft through the rainforest on the Pacuare River, hike on a volcano, walk through red-ripe berries of a coffee plantation (could that little berry be in a future tall drip at Starbucks!?), and feel the warmth of the Pacific Ocean as you swim along the beaches and islands of beautiful Manuel Antonio National Park.
You can also take nature walks, kayak excursions, or just kickback by the pool and sip a tropical drink (or three).
When: February 12-19, 2011
More info: OutWest Global Adventures
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