London Is Gay at Heart

Hans Smines
-
2
London Is Gay at Heart

The city’s gay/lesbian scene ranks among the top 5 in the World

London has a varied and vibrant gay/lesbian scene that ranks among the top 5 in the World. A quick trip through Soho is a welcome introduction to this world-class metropolis. Old Compton Street pulses as the pink heart of this corner of London, acting as the meeting point of the gay community and a convenient navigational guide from which to explore the nearby landmarks of Covent Garden, Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus.

The East End’s Hoxton Square is a marvelous conglomeration of bars, clubs and galleries while Earl’s Court offers a number of establishments catering to the local queer community, including a branch of Balans restaurant, magazine emporium Clone Zone, and local drinking spot Brompton’s.

Related: Berlin

For shopping queens, Camden Market is frequently visited by top fashion stylists looking for the next big thing. A number of bars line the nearby waterways and provide tasty tonics to help you and your feet unwind after a long day of lugging your new wares.

Hoxton and Clerkenwell on the East End are hot-houses of up-and-coming young talent featuring boutiques of one-off clothes and interiors. And, of course, for the big chain names, Oxford Street is unmissable. Sloane Street is also a good choice with dozens of major labels, including Gucci and Chanel.

London is also home to a large number of Michelin class restaurants, many which are run by Internationally recognized chefs. You just can’t miss the opportunity to dine in one the many Indian restaurants. London has arguably the best Indian restaurants in the World.

Balans is a favorite for many gays, situated in the heart of Old Compton Street, known as much for it’s cute waiters as the food they serve. And vegetarians flock to First Out, a lesbian owned café famous for it’s eggplant lasagna and freshly-squeezed juices.

Old Compton is the spiritual home of the queer community. Muscle marys, media darlings and the S&M crowd all congregate in this three-block side street running parallel to Shaftesbury complete with its very own West End theatre – the perfect place to begin your queer quest through the streets of London.

London provides world class entertainment either you prefer a refined and sophisticated evening of opera or maybe a dazzling night of jazz. Check out the Tkts office for official half price theatre tickets on Leicester Square for cheap same day performance tickets.

London of course also offers a wide range of accommodations, ranging from simple B&B’s to top-notch luxury hotels. Mayfair and the West End are where you will find the bulk of the luxury options, including the opulent 45 Park Lane – Dorchester Collection.

Outlet Holiday Rentals has hundreds of private apartments on their books available for rental periods of anything from a day to a lifetime. Most of the properties are centrally located and the company is gay owned and operated.

Hotels:

45 Park Lane – Dorchester Collection
Overlooking Hyde Park, 45 Park Lane features an on-site fitness studio, a modern American steak restaurant, and a team of massage therapists. A striking central staircase leads to a mezzanine featuring a bar, library and a private media room.

Haymarket Hotel
In the heart of London’s theatre district, Haymarket Hotel is surrounded by restaurants, bars, and is just next door to the Theatre Royal.

London Marriott Hotel County Hall
With fantastic views of Big Ben and the River Thames, this historic 5-star Marriott hotel boasts a swimming pool and relaxing sauna.

InterContinental London Park Lane
This elegant, 5-star hotel is located between Mayfair and Knightsbridge.

The Soho Hotel
Situated 5 minutes’ walk from Oxford Street, The Soho Hotel features a fully equipped gym with an on-site personal trainer. Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square are within a 10-minute walk of the hotel, as well as many tube stations.

Astors Hotel
Located in exclusive Belgravia, this boutique guest house is half a mile from Victoria Station and the shops of Sloane Square.

The Mandeville Hotel
This 4-star luxury hotel is just 5 minutes’ walk from the shops of Oxford Street and Bond Street London Underground Station.

Related: Gay Travel Europe

Eat and Play in Paris

Andrew Collins
-
0
Eat and Play in Paris

Paris is an immensely appealing world capital

Paris is not truly a gay destination, like Amsterdam or San Francisco, but rather an immensely appealing world capital that happens to have a lively, if understated, gay scene. You could spend a week in Paris, alone or with a same-sex partner, never set foot in a gay-oriented establishment, and still come away completely enamored of this resplendent, culturally rich city.

Parisians maintain a rather blase, even discreet, attitude about personal issues, from sexuality to religion to politics. People don’t gossip much here about who’s sleeping with whom, or even who’s voting for whom. Paris does have one distinctly gay neighborhood, the eminently walkable and unabashedly romantic Marais, on the right bank of the Seine. The Marais’ western boundary is marked by the city’s ornately neo-Renaissance City Hall, where Paris’ first openly gay mayor Bertrand Delanoe governed from 2001 to 2014. Were Delanoe the mayor of New York or London, much fuss might be made of his sexual orientation. But this is Paris, and people don’t seem to care much one way or another.

Related: London Is Gay at Heart

If you’re expecting a ribald and robust gay scene complete with storefronts draped in rainbow flags and mammoth queer discos pulsing to state-of-the-art sound systems, you may be a little disappointed. The gay offerings here are decidedly low-keyed although generally quite cozy and inviting. There are plenty of alluring inns and hotels to make Paris a special place for gay couples, and enough cruisy bars and saunas to satisfy the appetites of singles on the make. Where gay offerings are concerned, Paris proves that bigger and brasher are not always better.

So how best to enjoy a gay getaway in Paris? For one, choose a hotel with some character and an appealing location – several first-rate gay-friendly accommodations are described below, but don’t rule out some other fine hotel just because it’s outside the Marais. Paris is walkable, safe, and easy to navigate, and just about every lodging in this city is accepting of gays and lesbians.

Beyond choosing a great place to stay, get to know the city’s layout. Paris comprises 20 numbered districts, known as arrondissements, most of which contain several smaller neighborhoods. The Marais, for instance, lies in the 4th Arrondissement, which is just east of the 1st Arrondissement (home to the Louvre, the city’s de facto center point). If you can get a handle on this arrangement, you should find it relatively easy to plan your days.

The ancient Marais neighborhood, with its narrow lanes and gentrified town houses, once served as the city’s Jewish ghetto. Over the past 20 years, it’s become steadily more popular with the lavender set – first with gay men as a place to shop, eat, and party, and more recently with lesbians, and as a place to live. In fact, heteros and homos – especially of the young and stylish sort – have begun rehabbing homes and storefronts here at breakneck speed, driving up housing costs drastically.

Cafe Culture
Marais gay bars tend to be guy-oriented and a tad cliquey, but the cafes, most of which have pleasant seating along the sidewalks, draw gay men, lesbians, and plenty of heteros. The majority of these places are set along just a few interconnecting streets: rues Vieille du Temple, de la Verrerie, des Archives, and Ste-Croix de la Bretonnerie. With few exceptions, the Marais is not especially known for memorable dining, although the neighborhood’s gayest sector does buzz with lively restaurants – just be prepared to be more impressed, in most cases, with the decor and people-watching than with the food.

Les Marronniers is a prime gay cafe, feverishly busy and with ample sidewalk seating, plus toothsome sandwiches, salads, and other light fare. The quieter upstairs dining room is less of a zoo. Enjoy breakfast, lunch, coffee, and conversation at the Marais branch of the noted bakery chain Le Pain Quotidien. Tres gay L’Amazonial is a great place to cruise cute passersby; it’s also renowned for weekend brunch. Near elegant Places des Vosges, a leafy square surrounded by 17th-century mansions, Cafe Baci presents excellent Italian food.

Aux Trois Petits Cochons is a charming little gay-owned restaurant serving such French classics as free-range duckling with peaches, and warm lentil salad with Lyonnais sausage. The warmly furnished OZO Restaurant can be counted on for very good Mediterranean fare. Restaurant L’Arganier, along a busy gay drag, serves first-rate couscous and other delicious North African cuisine. Fans of vegetarian food should check out La Verte Tige, which serves up tasty international-influenced foods.

In a culinary wonderland like Paris, it doesn’t make much sense to restrict your dining to the Marais or to gay-popular establishments in general – most of the city’s truly notable restaurants lie elsewhere. However, there is an absolute culinary gem in the Marais, L’Ambroisie, one of the best restaurants in the entire country. You need to book ahead for this one, but it’s worth it.

Clubbing, Cruising, and Conversation
Among favorite Marais nightspots, the snazzy Amnesia bar snags a natty crowd of women and men for schmoozing and fills to the rafters for its Sunday tea dance. Open Cafe draws a young, fashionable bunch who love to lounge around its few sidewalk tables and watch the world go by. A flood of handsome young guys crowds Le Cox video bar nightly, with the revelry often spilling out onto the sidewalk. Quetzel received a super-chic makeover recently, changing from a down-and-dirty cruise bar into a slightly precious lounge. The Duplex is more relaxed and chatty, a real conversation bar that’s less stand-offish than some of its Marais competition. Another quirky alternative to the usual standbys, Tango pulls in gays and lesbians for ballroom dancing to live music. If you’ve got two left feet, it’s worth stopping in just to watch the great dancing.

Before the Marais developed cachet as a gay nightlife hub, many “pink” businesses were concentrated around the Opera Quarter, which, to this day, still has a few long-running gay bars including Le Vaudeville and L’Insolite. These chummy spots draw more laid-back locals than tourists and scene-makers, but they’re still worth popping inside for a drink.

The lesbian bar scene is rather spread out, although women do frequent some of the guy-oriented bars in the Marais. La Champmesle ranks among the longest-running lesbian bars in Europe – it’s near the Opera Quarter and is de rigueur for women out for a night on the town. Other haunts with sapphic appeal include Les Scandaleuses, with a basement dance floor and a lively upstairs video bar, and L’Unity, a spirited spot for shooting pool.

Finally, the city’s cruisiest clubs – with dark rooms, private cabins, and X-rated videos – are also spread throughout the city a bit, as are its saunas (bathhouse culture is alive and well in Paris, suffering none of the stigma typical in the United States). Some places, such as the Marais’ Le Station, are really laid-back bars that happen to have some dark rooms – they can be fun simply for hanging out or for hooking up. More sexually intense, the Docks favors a hard-core leather and uniform crowd, and Le Depot is a steamy, raucous men’s disco with a maze of backrooms.

Blue Square is newer among the sexually charged clubs, with both a dance floor and darkly lit cruise area, and the Bear’s Den draws – you guessed it – rough-and-tumble bears. The Glove might be the best leather bar around town, although QG – with its rigid dress code of leather, latex, or uniforms – also cultivates a cruisy, hard-core ambience. IDM is Paris’ classic men’s sauna, while the slicker and newer Univers bathhouse tends toward the younger buffed set.

Also outside the Marais are some of Paris’ bigger – though still small compared to those in many cities – discos, including the famously trashy and tarty Queen disco, which has been going strong for years now and draws plenty of heteros, too, who know it for the outstanding dance music.

Sweet Dreams
With Paris being so pricey, even basic hotel rooms here can drain many budgets. One worthwhile strategy if you’re staying for more than a few days is to encamp somewhere fancy for a couple of evenings, then move to a simpler spot for the balance of your stay – this way you can also experience a couple of different neighborhoods.

With very reasonable rates and a great location nearby the gayborhood, Hotel Saintonge draws plenty of gay folks and contains 23 romantic rooms with beamed ceilings, private baths, and cable TV. If you’re willing to shell out just a little more dough, opt for a room at Hotel Beaubourg, which has modern rooms with sleek, understated decor. Considering the location and fab ambience, it’s a remarkable value, with rooms starting at 110 euros. A 10-minute walk from the Marais, the Grand Hotel de Champaigne occupies a lovely 16th-century building; many of the 35 richly furnished rooms have balconies.

On the Left Bank, the stellar Victoria Palace Hotel, one of the gay-friendliest in Paris, exudes warmth while offering huge rooms with marble baths; more than half the rooms have separate sitting areas. The hotel is steps from great shopping, numerous cafes, and several Metro lines, and the staff could not be warmer or more professional. Another good gay-friendly spot on the Left Bank, the mid-priced Le Clos Medicis contains 38 rooms and sits amid the swanky cafe and boutique culture of St-Germain des Pres. A working fireplace warms the antiques-filled lobby, which also has a cozy bar.

In the chichi Madeleine neighborhood, the Hyatt Regency Paris-Madeleine is atypical of the chain, which tends toward large convention hotels – in fact, with just 86 rooms, it’s the smallest Hyatt Regency in the world. Rooms are sleek and contemporary, with plush feather duvets and high-speed Internet, and guests can sup in either of two intimate, stylish restaurants or enjoy a massage in the small, state-of-the-art fitness center and spa. Another superb luxury hotel of note is the relatively new Pershing Hall, a super-swank boutique property with 26 light and airy rooms with deep soaking tubs; the bar and restaurant are the quintessence of Paris chic.

Few hotels in the world possess both the royal luxury and the unabashed gay-friendliness of the Four Seasons George V Paris, whose sunny rooms contain pictures of and books by famous past guests. Ornate ceiling medallions, chandeliers, Bulgari bath products, walk-in closets, and private terraces ensure complete and utter relaxation. For a truly special experience, you and your honey can book one of the candlelit double treatment rooms in the spa for a 50-minute couples’ massage, which you might follow with dinner at the legendary Le Cinq restaurant. It’s the ultimate in pampering, and no city merits an over-the-top splurge more than Paris.

Seeing the Sights
Attempting to see all of Paris’ leading attractions can prove challenging, especially if you’re only here for a few days. After all, the Louvre alone can take days to explore fully. To avoid frustration, or the feeling that you’ve simply rushed through some chaotic version of a sightseeing scavenger hunt, set realistic goals. You cannot possibly see it all. Think about your interests, your energy level, and your time constraints, and prioritize accordingly.

Unquestionably, certain iconic sights are must-sees for virtually any visitor to Paris: the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame Cathedral. But it’s worth allowing some time for some less-crowded gems, or even to set aside one or two days entirely for unplanned meandering. Paris has a clean, efficient, and vast subway system, the Metro; try buying a pass good for a few days, and then simply hop around the city on foot and by Metro. You’ll undoubtedly discover some wonderful museums, shops, and neighborhoods this way. Also consider buying a Carte Musees et Monuments, which is available in one-, three-, and five-day versions. This pass entitles you to admission to more than 70 attractions around the city and, perhaps more importantly, allows you to skip those tortuous general-admission lines.

If you’re determined to hit the key major attractions, try to visit them in the morning, as the worst lines form in the afternoon, especially in summer and on holidays – you could easily lose 30 to 60 minutes waiting to take the elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Here’s a rather breathless roundup of great Paris cultural draws, both touristy icons and insider faves. Just try not to lose your breath seeing them all.

If French Impressionism makes you giddy, you might want to skip the Louvre and slip across the Seine to Musee D’Orsay, which has been installed rather ingeniously into a turn-of-the-20th-century rail station and can easily keep you busy for at least a full day. Other superb museums near the Louvre include the Museum of Fashion and Textile and the new National Photography and Film Center at the Jeu de Paume. At the very least, stroll along the enchanting gravel paths of the Tuileries Gardens. A short way east in the Beaubourg neighborhood, fans of all things contemporary must not miss the outlandish Pompidou Centre, which houses the exceptionally well-endowed National Museum of Modern Art. Similarly important, and with a delightful garden, is the Rodin Museum, set inside the mansion in which Auguste Rodin lived during his final years.

The gay Marais neighborhood contains the small but remarkable Picasso Museum. Here rue des Francs-Bourgeois is lined with spectacularly opulent mansions, one containing the rather underrated Carnavalet Museum, which contains exhibits on the city’s history and replica rooms of now-razed French mansions from the early 1600s through late 1700s. Also in the Marais, you can tour the Victor Hugo House, which is right on the grand Places des Vosges; the writer and artist lived in this courtly mansion during the 1830s and ’40s.

Finally, there are a couple of wonderful neighborhoods that really bear a visit, even if your time is limited: Montmartre, the artsy northern district immortalized by Henri Toulouse-Lautrec in his prints of bars and cabarets, and the student-infested Latin Quarter, which is the heart of the city’s cafe society.

Hotels:

Hotel Sofitel le Scribe
Experience upscale service & luxury at this 5-star hotel situated 200 metres from the famous Opera Garnier and 500 metres from luxury shopping in Place Vendome.

Mercure Paris Porte De Versailles Vaugirard
Located opposite the main entrance to the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre, just 100 metres from Porte de Versailles Metro Station, offering direct access into the capital.

Lenox Montparnasse
The Lenox Montparnasse is located in the centre of Paris, 400 metres from Montparnasse Tower and 600 metres from the Luxembourg gardens.

Hotel Apostrophe
Set in the historic 6th district in Paris, this stylish hotel is 450 metres from the Luxembourg Gardens and dedicated to poetry and all forms of literature.

Related: Gay Travel Europe

Explore Puerto Vallarta

Andrew Collins
-
0
Explore Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta’s diverse elements appeals to a wide range of visitors

It’s hard to name a gay resort destination in North America that has more going for it than Puerto Vallarta, a fast-growing city on the Pacific Coast’s fabled Mexican Riviera. PV’s historic downtown (“El Centro”) is nestled beneath the verdant slopes of the Sierra Madre Mountains. Just south of El Centro, in Zona Romantica, you’ll find a bustling gay scene comprising hip martini bars, pulsing dance clubs, relatively affordable hotels and condo rentals, and critically acclaimed restaurants. But there’s far more to this friendly city that offers everything from posh full-service resorts, exhilarating recreational activities, and gorgeous scenery.

With a population of roughly 220,000, Puerto Vallarta has seen huge growth in recent years, to the point that it bears little resemblance to the sleepy fishing port that provided the 1963 filming location for the movie version of Tennessee Williams’ The Night of the Iguana. Star Richard Burton and new love Elizabeth Taylor, who joined him on the shoot, became entranced with the city – they bought a house here together during filming.

In recent years, PV has developed into one of Mexico’s most desirable resorts, its diverse elements appealing to a wide range of visitors. It’s a major port on the Mexican Riviera cruise-ship circuit (along with Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, Acapulco, and Manzanillo). Sprawling international resorts and condo developments, which have been built from the edge of downtown to many miles north of the city, attract families, retirees, and honeymooners. Sporting and adventure enthusiasts come for the zip-lining forest canopy tours, scuba diving, mountain biking, deep-sea fishing, and many other outdoorsy activities.

Zona Romantica is a compact patchwork of hilly lanes tucked beneath the Sierra Madre foothills. The neighborhood fringes Los Muertos Beach, and narrow auto and pedestrian bridges connect the district with El Centro. The relative isolation of Zona Romantica as well as its elegantly faded veneer and historic charm may very well account for its ever-increasing draw among gay visitors and bohemian types. It’s a neighborhood that celebrates its insularity and diversity – everyone is welcome, but especially during the bustling high season (from about December through April), certain blocks of Zona Romantica seem at least as gay as the downtowns of Provincetown and Palm Springs.

Related: Gay Palm Springs – An Iconic Desert Oasis

There are a few more general attributes that further enhance Puerto Vallarta’s standing. Although the city has become significantly more expensive as its star has risen, it’s still less costly than many other alluring tropical resorts. Dinner entrees at top restaurants rarely cost more than $25 and often run $10 to $15. Hotel rates, cab rides, cocktails, fashionable clothing, and handcrafted gifts also tend to cost less than those in the Caribbean, Hawaii, or California, although it’s absolutely possible to find high-end exceptions to many of these rules.

Although it helps to understand Spanish, you can get by easily in PV speaking only English. Adding to its draw, this city set stunningly in the center of Bahia de Banderas (the largest natural bay in Mexico) enjoys a spectacular climate. The city is generally dry and breezy with temperatures in the 80s, the exception being the summer rainy season (generally June through September), when highs often reach the low 90s and humidity can sometimes be oppressive. Puerto Vallarta receives far fewer visitors off-season, and some businesses close for extended periods in summer.

If you’re a fan of outdoor activities or are interested in some of the many side excursions available from this area, book a trip through the gay-friendly outfitter Vallarta Adventures. One excellent tour option is the company’s thrilling Outdoor Adventure, which entails a white-knuckle boat trip across the bay, followed by a bumpy mule ride up a hillside, zip-lining through a lush forest, and rappelling down waterfalls. The company also offers trips to colonial San Sebastian and bustling Guadalajara as well as whale-watching, scuba and snorkeling, sailing trips, and up-close encounters with bottlenose dolphins.

PV has dozens of outstanding restaurants as well as a slew of hip bars, and the scene is continuously evolving, but among dining options, there are some “must tastes.” At the upper end, don’t miss Cafe des Artistes, a sumptuous spot with refined service and rarefied contemporary cuisine. For authentic regional Mexican food served in a charming, warmly furnished dining room, try lesbian-owned El Arrayan. Boca Bento serves some of the tastiest fusion Latino-Asian fare in town, and the setting – a handsome historic hacienda – is quite elegant. Chiles and Kit-Kat are a pair of hip gay lounges that also serve reasonably priced lunch and dinner fare, and slightly more upscale Banana Cantina turns out superb contemporary Latin cuisine. For a snack, grab a sandwich or iced java at the gay-owned Coffee Cup, or enjoy a hearty meal at the campy gay diner, Mama Dolores.

When the mood to socialize strikes you, keep in mind that things start late here and continue into the wee hours. The after-dinner crowd tends to congregate at one of the low-keyed lounges, such as lesbian-owned Apaches, upscale La Noche, or the tiny but fun Stereo. Another great bet is Garbo, a jazz club and piano cabaret that’s often packed. Bench and Bar, an import from Oakland, Calif., is a great Latino bar with lively drag shows. And just about everybody ends up at the city’s hottest gay club, Manana’s, a stunning former hacienda with a big swimming pool in the center of its open-air lounge-and-dance area. This spacious, trendy club also has a separate strip bar to one side, and a large show stage. This is just a sampling of favorite options – Puerto Vallarta has more than a dozen gay bars.

The city also offers a wide range of accommodations. Many gay travelers opt to stay in or near Zona Romantica, within walking distance of bars, but if you’d prefer to chill out at a large mainstream resort that’s a bit far from the fray and actually has a nicer beach than Los Muertos, consider the regal Marriott CasaMagna, a swanky full-service resort that’s just a short cab ride from the airport and enjoys an enviable oceanfront setting. To be sure, it’s a mainstream property popular with families and honeymooners, but the management is very gay-friendly. This is a nice option, especially the day you arrive or the day before you leave, when it’s handy to be near the airport. The resort’s stunning Ohtli spa is one of the most lavish on the Mexican Riviera.

In Zona Romantica, you’ll find a nice mix of gay-friendly options. If you’re on a budget and seek a clean, comfortable, and friendly gay property in the center of the action, check into the 28-room Hotel Mercurio, which is just steps from many gay bars and restaurants (and two blocks from the beach), and offers compact but pleasant rooms and a youthful, social vibe – there’s always plenty of frolicking going on around the pool, and the staff is super-friendly. PV’s famed Blue Chairs Resort is a six-story hotel right on the gay beach – the location couldn’t be better, but the property underwent some major management changes recently, and it remains to be seen how this will affect the quality of the place.

Puerto Vallarta is also home to one of the most alluring, dramatically situated gay resorts you’ll find anywhere, the stellar Casa Cupula, which excels as much for its stately accommodations as for its friendly, knowledgeable, and charming staff. The main building comprises six rooms and two unbelievably lavish suites, and owner Don Pickens also rents out two cozier but still comfy rooms in his adjacent villa – these share a patio with unparalleled views of the city and Banderas Bay. Casa Cupula has also developed the world’s first gay condo hotel – these seven residences adjacent to the inn are currently under construction and for sale (for full or fractional ownership). Facilities – for the inn and the condos – include a well-stocked gym, a pool, and a large open-air lounge with adjacent computer room. The property, which tumbles down a hillside high above Zona Romantica, is a 10- to 15-minute walk from the gay beach and the many bars and restaurants. But once you’ve spent a little time relaxing here, away from the crowds and in full view of Puerto Vallarta’s stunning shoreline, you may find it hard to leave this romantic resort.

Related: Beach Fun in Acapulco

Eat and Play in Prague

Andrew Collins
-
0
Eat and Play in Prague

Prague buzzes with gay-friendly cafes, bars, and shops

Among cities in Eastern Europe, few have developed a more spirited gay and lesbian following than the sophisticated, photogenic Czech Republic capital of Prague. This remarkably well-preserved and relatively compact city of 1.2 million straddles the Vltava River and buzzes with gay-friendly cafes, bars, and shops.

Prague’s greatest attributes are its rich history, evident in its beautifully preserved architecture, and its lively buzz – the mix of artists, tourists, ex-pats, students, and gays and lesbians who congregate at trendy hangouts throughout the city. In terms of high-end shopping, haute cuisine, and other more epicurean pursuits, this is a fairly average metropolis as European capitals go, but it’s also remarkably liberal and relatively affordable.

Prague is easy to get around on foot, its central neighborhoods safe and easily navigated. Furthermore, the city is served by an efficient and affordable network of trams and buses as well as an extensive metro (subway) system. With its ancient cathedrals, medieval architecture, and narrow and crooked streets, Old Town (Stare Mesto) is undeniably charming but also heavy-handedly commercial, especially near the inevitably jam-packed blocks around the Charles Bridge – here the streets overflow with shops selling jewelry, crafts, and souvenirs of varying quality. The bridge itself is a must, as it offers dramatic views of the city center in one direction, and imposing Prague Castle in the other. Try to go in the morning, before the crowds overrun it.

New Town (Nove Mesto) is adjacent to Old Town and is Prague’s true business center as well as a hub of international hotels, shops, and restaurants. Farther east but still within walking distance are the more residential Zizkov and Vinohrady neighborhoods. In the latter area, you’ll find the heart of Prague’s gay nightclub scene, but even during the day, Vinohrady is worth exploring. Its broad streets and handsome 19th-century buildings are a welcome relief from the tight and crowded lanes of the city center, and you’ll find plenty of eateries and shops along main drags like Vinohradska and Korunni. One good strategy for exploring is to take the metro east to the Flora stop (which is right beneath a rather fancy shopping mall called Palac Flora), and then stroll west back toward the city center (about a 30-minute walk without stops).

Prague has its share of noteworthy restaurants, but the city is characterized more by hearty and traditional Continental cuisine than by cutting-edge fare. You’ll find credible Italian, French, and Asian restaurants, and a wealth of atmospheric cafes, but it’s best to approach eating out in this city with somewhat tempered expectations.

Few Old Town eateries have a more obviously gay following than Cafe Cafe, a dapper, loud, fashionista-favored spot that’s centrally located but sufficiently far enough from the hordes near Charles Bridge. Grab a seat at one of the giant windows overlooking the sidewalk, and linger over a reasonably priced salad, sandwich, fruit tart, espresso, or cocktail. Not far from here, Cafe Jungmann is a charming and affordable sidewalk cafe on a quiet plaza behind the massive Bata shoe store on Wenceslas Square, the commercial heart of New Town. Dine at one of the wooden tables on the deck outside – you’ll find a typical selection of salads, panini sandwiches, and rich desserts.

Another noteworthy restaurant with a significant gay following is Celebrity Cafe, in trendy Vinohrady, close to several gay bars. In this wonderfully atmospheric warren of dining areas – decorated with leopard-print walls, gilt mirrors, and disco balls – you can dine on commendable food, from burgers and salads to steak tartare and creative pastas. Dinner is served until midnight, to the sounds of fun Euro-pop music humming in the background.

Although it’s not a particularly gay section of town, Nove Mesto between the river and Spalena Street (southeast of the National Theatre) is home to a number of excellent, trendy restaurants. A favorite is the Lemon Leaf, a cosmopolitan Thai-French eatery with soaring arched windows and vaulted ceilings. Inside, you’ll discover a stylish crowd dining on traditional green curries, satays, and more innovative fare, such as sliced duck salad with orange, avocados, and plum pesto sauce. Nearby Globe, a rambling cafe and bookstore with a second-story loft dining area, is usually flooded with American and British college students. It’s a popular place for a cocktail or coffee and some light snacks, and also a good place to surf the Web on your laptop (Wi-Fi costs a few dollars per hour).

Prague has at least 15 gay bars – the best of them are in Vinohrady, but you’ll find a few in Old Town and New Town as well. A note when ordering drinks: Prague will always be a beer drinker’s paradise (and it’s best to avoid most of the rather vinegary wines). Among brands, the ubiquitous Pilsner Urquell is certainly popular, but also look for Budwar (no relation to Budweiser) and Kozel.

Among the Old Town bars, check out Friends, a homey basement space with deep sofas, a friendly staff, and fun music – pop and sometimes even Latin tunes – into the wee hours. You’re likely to encounter a mixed bunch here – men and women, tourists and locals. A few blocks away, the offbeat Tingl Tangl is a restaurant on the main level (serving affordable Italian and Greek food), and a gay bar downstairs comprising a stage for drag cabaret, a dark little lounge, and a small dance floor.

Among the bars in town that draw a significant number of hustlers and their customers, Club Escape is the most centrally located (laws in the Czech Republic are vague about prostitution – it is rarely prosecuted by law enforcement, and the industry is well-organized). Patrons descend a flight of stairs to a spacious bar where strippers perform on a small stage, and exceedingly friendly young men constantly approach the mostly older potential customers. The other well-known hustler bar is Drake’s, a 24-hour club that’s most popular after-hours and has been around for years. Unfortunately, it has a steep cover charge and is in the Smichov neighborhood, a 10-minute cab ride from the city center.

There are a few notable bars in Vinohrady. Termix is loud and fun, with a tiny but also crowded dance floor and a chic, post-industrial decor. You’re apt to see a good-looking, youthful bunch here. It’s next to a very fashionable bistro, Bar and Books, which is a lovely option for pre-nightlife dinner. Just up the street, the tiny and cozy Saint is yet another gay hangout in a basement. In this two-room space about the size of a small apartment, you’ll typically find a festive mix of lesbians and gay guys.

A particularly offbeat and artsy venue is Club Stella, a dark and smoky place with a truly bohemian vibe – think alternative music, Oriental rugs, ornately carved mirrors, and a crowd that might remind you of New York City’s East Village or San Francisco’s Mission District. Probably the hottest gay nightspot in the neighborhood, if not the entire city, is Valentino, a multilevel club with several inviting bars and lounges that’s right next to the aforementioned Celebrity Cafe. You might start in the cozy bar facing the street, which has red-leather chairs and a long wooden bar, before moving to the louder and busier dance bar in the back. On weekends a large disco in the basement draws serious dancers and stylish young men and women for more hobnobbing.

Prague has relatively few gay-specific accommodations, but virtually all of the mainstream hotels in the city enthusiastically welcome LGBT visitors. Among these, few match the famed Radisson Blu Alcron Hotel in grandeur. The ornate 1932 hotel, whose rooms have just undergone a major makeover, has spacious accommodations with flat-screen TVs and free Wi-Fi. The hotel’s intimate Alcron restaurant serves some of the best seafood in the city, and the festive, art deco-inspired Be Bar is a fun place to catch live jazz and mingle with locals. Wenceslas Square is just down the block.

Near Prague Castle, the upscale, 50-room Aria hotel has a music theme, its floors each dedicated to a different genre, from opera to modern jazz. But the real draw here is the stylish furniture, and such in-room perks as DVD players and computers. Other noteworthy, gay-friendly boutique properties worth considering include Hotel Josef, a trendy lodging with a convenient Old Town location, and Aparthotel Angel, a complex of 75 contemporary rental apartments with fully equipped kitchens.

If you’re looking for a gay-owned, affordable accommodation in the heart of Vinohrady, look no further than Arco Guest House, a simple spot that’s a short tram ride away from the Namesti Miru metro station. The rooms and apartments (with kitchens), with attractive but basic contemporary light-wood furnishings, are more pleasant than the often dour budget hotels in the city center. The disadvantage is that you’re not within walking distance of major sightseeing attractions. But for the chance to stay in gay-popular Vinohrady, and to save a bit of money, Arco makes an excellent choice.

Related: Gay Prague – Spring in Prague Is Such an Experience

Gay Destinations on the Rise

Andrew Collins
-
0
Gay Destinations on the Rise

A look at a dozen potential “family-friendly” destinations to watch

Amazing as it may sound today, famously gay-popular places like Austin, Mykonos, Rehoboth, and Prague haven’t always had much of a following with the LGBT community. Cities and resort communities change over the years, some becoming more fashionable with gay travelers, and others falling out of favor. In fact, there are big cities, alluring towns, and beautiful resorts all over the world that, while scarcely known to gay travelers at the moment, have the potential to develop into tomorrow’s next queer hot spots. Here’s a look at a dozen potential “family-friendly” destinations to watch, from formerly conservative cities like Nashville and Indianapolis, which are becoming increasingly progressive, to picturesque vacation spots like Tasmania and Mauritius that have only lately begun capturing the attention of the gay jet set.

Indianapolis, Indiana
America’s 13th-largest city, Indianapolis has been far less popular as a LGBT destination than most other major metropolises over the years, in part owing to its comparatively right-of-center political demeanor and bland reputation as more business-oriented than leisure-driven. Nevertheless, local gay business leaders and the city’s Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Association are currently working hard to change perceptions and promote the increasingly visible LGBT scene and publicize Indy’s playful side. You’ll find quite a few lively gay and lesbian bars here, along with a handful of historic gay-friendly B&Bs and some wonderfully appealing, artsy neighborhoods with an engaging mix of attractions and shopping.

Lisbon, Portugal
Relatively affordable compared with many other European nations, and a darling of food and wine connoisseurs, Portugal been generating plenty of buzz of late among sophisticated travelers, and its capital city, Lisbon, is steadily emerging from its somewhat conservative shell as a leading gay and lesbian getaway. The city now produces a guide for gay visitors, and the LGBT community has been credited with helping turn around the once grim Bairro Alto neighborhood, transforming it into one of Europe’s most charming gay villages.

Ljubljana, Slovenia
Neighboring Croatia gets more attention with gay travelers, at least among the nations that make up the former Yugoslavia, but romantic, beautifully preserved Slovenia and its capital city of Ljubljana (pronounced lyoo-blyah’-nah) are fast developing a pink fan base. Ljubljana looks and feels much the way Prague did before the latter became inundated with tourists and excessive commercialism. With its medieval castle, narrow streets, and ornate bridges, it’s a fine city for a strolling. You’ll also find a handful of gay bars and cafes, and, to the delight of cinema buffs, Ljubljana hosts an increasingly prestigious gay and lesbian film festival, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2014.

Mauritius and Reunion Island
These small islands off the coast of Africa, about 500 miles east of Madagascar, have lately become favorites with Euro jet-setters. Some say Mauritius has the potential to become another Ibiza or Mykonos, with pulsing gay discos beginning to spring up here and there.

This island with a population of about a million and a diverse cultural heritage (with English, French, Indian, and Chinese influences) is renowned for its spectacular white-sand beaches. About 120 miles to the southwest, the French island of Reunion (population 800,000) is a volcanic formation with magnificent mountain peaks rising to more than 10,000 feet and a nascent but fast-growing tourism industry. Together, the islands make for a stunning, remote hideaway, and they’re already drawing a number of gay visitors from South Africa, Australia, and Europe.

Mexico City, Mexico
With a metro population of nearly 20 million and one of North America’s most exciting cultural and arts scenes, there’s no question that vibrant – if in some ways chaotic and unpredictable – Mexico City has plenty of gay and lesbian residents. As a gay vacation destination, however, Mexico’s capital metropolis has yet to develop a major following. Its reputation is picking up, though, as more and more visitors return home to spread the word about the trendy dining scene, relatively affordable luxury hotels, cruisy gay nightlife, and huge Gay Pride parade held in late June each year. With its relative low cost and a wealth of direct flights from elsewhere in North America, look for Mexico City to become ever more popular among U.S. and Canadian travelers.

Nashville, Tennessee
Although it’s smack in the middle of America’s so-called Bible Belt, Nashville has become steadily more gay-friendly in recent years. The city has embraced progressive politics, environmentalism, and the arts with great gusto, and a handful of funky little neighborhoods around town (East Nashville, 12th Avenue South) abound with LGBT-popular coffeehouses, restaurants, and boutiques. For these reasons, plenty of “family” are moving to Nashville these days, in search of a slightly more intimate and better-planned alternative to such gay Southern mega-cities as Atlanta, Houston, and Dallas.

Nova Scotia, Canada
Although it’s just the second-smallest of Canada’s provinces, Nova Scotia and its historic capital city of Halifax offer plenty to see and do, including a handsomely preserved waterfront, exceptional theater and fine arts venues, and verdant parks and gardens. Elsewhere in the province are such popular draws as Lunenburg, a colonial seaport and shipbuilding center now recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the charming fishing village of Peggy’s Cove. Gay-owned and gay-friendly B&Bs abound in the towns already mentioned as well as in such scenic communities as Annapolis Royal and Shelburne.

Punta del Este, Uruguay
Sometimes dubbed the St. Tropez of South America, the swanky beach and casino resort city of Punta del Este hugs the southern coast of Uruguay and has long been fashionable with the LGBT residents of neighboring countries like Brazil and Argentina.

As a gay resort, Punta del Este has loads of potential but is probably a few years from developing international LGBT cachet. Still, there’s a long and beautiful stretch of beach with a popular queer following (Chihuahua), and this town of 10,000 has a couple of gay bars and gay-popular hotels.

San Luis Obispo County, California
The legalization of gay marriage is but one reason scenic San Luis Obispo County is one of California’s best gay-friendly vacation secrets. This area with a charmed setting along the Pacific has one of the nation’s most exciting winemaking scenes (especially around the town of Paso Robles), and the largest community – San Luis Obispo – is a lively university town with dozens of superb restaurants and a fun, friendly gay scene. At the southern end of this county that’s midway along the coast between Los Angeles and San Francisco, you’ll find a number of gay-friendly resorts between the towns of Avila Beach and Pismo Beach.

Shanghai, China
The so-called “Paris of the East”, with a population of more than 13 million and a breathtaking skyline of countless postmodern skyscrapers, Shanghai is rapidly becoming Asia’s must-see destination for cutting-edge shopping, fashion, and the arts. Attitudes toward gay people are slowly but surely changing for the better – just in the past decade, the city has seen the opening of several gay bars, along with an extremely popular and attractive gay entertainment-hotel complex. As thousands of ex-pats from all over the world continue to visit and relocate to this exciting, dynamic city, the gay scene will surely explode over the next few years.

Tasmania, Australia
This rugged island state off the southeast coast of the Australian mainland used to have a somewhat conservative reputation, but the tides have turned in recent years. Many gays and lesbians have moved to this laid-back, stunningly beautiful land, known for its natural beauty (don’t miss Cradle Mountain or the Freycinet Coast). The island’s tourism office produces an extensive guide for LGBT travelers, and you’ll find a number of “family”-owned accommodations around this island that’s roughly the size of West Virginia and has a population of about a half-million.

Torremolinos, Spain
Spain already has its share of stunning gay vacation areas (Ibiza, Sitges), and in the sunny Andalucian region, yet another has lately begun to emerge: the picturesque beach town of Torremolinos. Numerous hip restaurants and bars have opened, especially in the La Nogalera neighborhood, and the town also has about a dozen resort hotels catering heavily to the LGBT crowd. Spain’s fabled Costa del Sol has long had a popular following with northern Europeans, and Torremolinos looks poised to develop into one of the continent’s top gay vacation hubs.

1...193194195...199Page 194 of 199