travel for gay men
 

We are a gay couple looking to travel to an island that is welcoming to our lifestyle. Any suggestions,experiences?

I have seen ads for gay friendly B&B's in Key West, Florida.

I am not gay. However, I have been mistaken for being gay at hotels when travelling with my brother. Once in Amsterdam, while travelling alone, I was refused a room at a gay friendly hotel because I was not gay. (Joke commentary: maybe they thought I was saying that I would not pay, not that I am not gay! A Jap-lish misunderstanding)

Been there,done that. What about ideas in the carribean?

Just to note,I have never been mistaken for being gay,thats why we need a friendly place.

how about Puerto Rico????
Get a copy of Jonathan Rundge's great guidebook "Rum and Reggae Caribbean". This will give you lots of good ideas about where to go and what to do once you get there. have fun!

Polynesia is considered to be pretty open-minded about gays. You might consider French Polynesia (Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, etc). I suspect you are unlikely to encounter problems with the locals there. The only ones who might be upset will be some of the other guests as FP tends to be full of honeymooners (many of them Americans).

The nearby Cook Islands are much cheaper, similar in appearance, and visitors there tend to be more often backpackers and independent travelers. Locals there will probably be pretty open-minded, and the visitors too are less likely to stare.

In the Carribean, I know there are some gay-owned (not necessarily gay-only) resorts on St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands. I remember seeing web sites for several of them while researching a possible upcoming trip there. Unfortunately, I don't remember which ones they are, but if poke around on web a bit, you should be able to find them. They do specifically say they are gay-friendly.

Ken

Ah, on second thought, it might have been St Croix in the US Virgin Islands. Best to check into both.

Ken

I suggest that you go to these websites for info.....
www.advocate.com
www.gay.com
www.planetout.com
They all have extensive travel sections.Good Luck!.......S

and of course there's always Provincetown, Massachusetts. not an island of course, but more fun than anywhere....

Sandcastle on the Beach and The Cormorant are both gay-oriented resorts in St. Croix.

Not gay either. I was watching bravo last night though and it seems orbitz.com now has a special section for gay travel! I wasn't playing too close attention to the website, having no plans to need it. I think it was something like orbitz.com/gay travel?

Thanks for the orbitz site,should have known. Now if the state of Mass will only let us marry,all my problems will be solved.

Windjammer cruises offers gay-friendly cruises to the carribean. Not too sure of the itineraries, but pretty sure one takes you to St. Kitts, St. Bart, Saba, Nevis, etc... And the other will send you to St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Tobago, Martinique, Grenada, etc... this was just a small portion of the itinerary. Very casual cruise on HUGE silboats. Very personable, intimate and safe cruises. They are known as "barefoot" cruises because they are so laxed. Activities on and off ship. Not only gay cruises, but it is offered. Hope this helped a little.

windjammer.com

Also Frommers.com often has a gay and lesbian section.

Ibiza is very gay friendly. In the caribbean I would avoid Jamaica as it is not gay friendly.

I remember seeing a gay only cruise on one of the major cruise lines recently. That would take you to islands (I assume.) If I ever see it again, I'll come back and post it. Sounds like you are finding lots of good info and ideas.

I found these websites devoted to Ibiza (my hairdresser goes once a year and he's gay).

IbizaGay.com
GayIbiza.net
GayMap.info
SpainAlive.com
IbizaBoy.net

One of our settlement agents grew up in Trinidad and I quote "Barbados is where men go to look for other men" I'd never heard this before, but I commented on wanting to go to Barbados and that was her response.

It is my understanding that the Dutch and French islands have a much more tolerant attitude towards gays than do the English islands. Try Curacao or St. Barts. Avoid the Caymans and Barbados.

Not an Island, but Acapulco has always been known has a big gay mecca.

Most tourist destinations will be welcoming to the Gay lifestyle - all they're interested in is your money, gay or straight.

My partner and I have travelled extensively (though not to East Coast tropical destinations). I haven't run into any problems yet.

Probably the most uncomfortable was at a hotel in New York City where the check-in woman repeatedly asked if we were sure we wanted one king size bed.

We're here, we're queer, we travel!