Get a Free Committment Ceremony in Aruba

Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com

Ok, this is definitely a first. The Holiday Inn Resort Aruba, an airy tropical retreat in the lovely Caribbean island of Aruba, which offers guaranteed good weather and a year-round average daily temperature of 82 degrees Fahrenheit, is offering a free commitment ceremony to LGBT vistors that includes the following services:

• Romantic ceremony location
• Professional planning services
• Themed decorations
• One-tiered commitment cake
• Garden-fresh bridal bouquet and boutonnière
• Candlelight dinner for two
• Free bottle of champagne
• Free manicure
• Celebrity-style attention
• Special gift from the resort

The hotel’s gay-specific micro-site details its commitment to its LGBT guests.

The fine print: To take advantage of the free commitment ceremonies program, couples must book a minimum seven-night stay on the all-inclusive plan in a Superior Ocean Front Room at the Holiday Inn Resort Aruba.  Fees apply for stays less than seven nights and the program is valid through December 31, 2011.

Pays to be Gay in Aruba

The meandering pool at the Aruba Marriott Resort at night, courtesy of hotel

Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com

It pays to be gay at the Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino at least through December 21, 2010.

The resort — with 411 guestrooms, the most spacious on the island — recently joined the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA), the leading global organization dedicated to connecting businesses and consumers in the LGBT tourism industry.

To celebrate, this swanky resort is offering a not-too-shabby 30% off room rates from now through the end of the year, but you have to book by the official start of winter (12/21) to benefit from this tempting rate. With its Dutch origins Aruba boasts a more live-and-let-live attitude then some other less tolerant islands in the Caribbean.

Aruba, which virtually guarantees great weather, sits outside the hurricane belt and boasts a pretty consistent year-round average temperature of 82 degrees Fahrenheit. With these balmy temps, visitors get to practice beach tennis which is a wildly popular sport in Aruba, like these two handsome visitors at right.

The resort’s rooms come with private balconies overlooking the Caribbean Sea. There are seven restaurants and a gorgeous 6,500 square-foot spa, free-form swimming pool (above) with cascading waterfalls, and an excellent fitness facility for work-out buffs.

To make reservations, call (800) 223-6388 or visit ArubaMarriott.com and request promotional code VIQ.