Here are some pics from Emerald City in Pensacola.  They had an amazing drag show Sunday and Monday.

All of the parties look to be held at Emerald City unless they throw up the Saturday night party on the beach again. The beach will be a few miles of gays and lesbians camping out and will be as popular as ever.

The BP and TransOcean Oil Spill last year did contaminate the beaches in Pensacola but most of that has since been cleaned up. This happened just a week after last years Memorial Day weekend so it did not interfere at all last year but the rain storms did. We hope the rain storms stay away this year and we can enjoy the hot, sunny beaches and get our tans on for Gay Days Orlando the following week.

If you are not sure where to stay in Pensacola there are many options.
1. Stay near the club- The Crowne Plaza is the best place to stay near the club and really not too
expensive at around $160 a night. Here is the link for Crowne Plaza next door to Emerald City so walking to the main parties and to the afterparties.

2. Stay on the Beach near the surfers and restaurants. The options here may be a bit more expensive than the Pensacola Grand but you have your chain hotels such as the Hampton Inn on the Beach at 2 via de Luna, the Hilton next door which offers 2 bedroom 2 bathroom suites, and the Days Inn Pensacola Beachfront which has the least expensive gulf side rooms. Spring Hill Suites by Marriott at 24 Via De Luna is one more option but not quite on the best beach side. Keep in mind all of these have 2 night minimum stays.

3. If you are not worried about staying a 4 night minimum then you could stay really close to the GLBT beach action where all the gays and lesbians are camped out. The Portofino is walking distance to the gay beach area for Memorial Day weekend. Portofino island resort is located at 10 Portofino Road at the end of Via de Luna. Contact Portofino at 850-916-5000.

4. Hotwire and Priceline but the Crowne Pensacola Grand Plaza did not come up on this and some of these other featured hotels on Hotwire. Priceline is my favorite because you can select your own hotel and then give them your price which is always worth a try.

5. Camp Out. You could bring an RV or pitch a tent on the beach.

Airfare to Pensacola we found is pretty reasonable using American Airlines. Make sure you sign up for one of the American Airlines card offers to earn the most miles with all your travel.

Once you have all of your travel booked then start shopping for the most scandalous swimwear you can find!

The city of Key West encompasses various islands and ‘Keys’ and is the county seat of Monroe County. It is also known as the Southernmost City in the Continental United States being 129 miles southwest of Miami. It is a seaport destination for many passenger cruise ships. The Key West International Airport provides airline service. Hotels and guest houses are available for lodging. But what about the gay scene? Ok, so it’s a great place to go on vacation but what are the gay companies planning for queer visitors?

There are plenty of gay and gay friendly resorts to choose from, that’s for sure. A quick search brought up hundreds so you really are spoiled for choice. I guess many businesses will declare themselves as ‘gay friendly’ these days, it makes sense to attract as many customers as you can and no one is going to say they are ‘gay unfriendly’. But watch out for the real gay resorts, gay run and gay owned, these are the ones that are going to be right on your wavelength.

How about Island House, voted “the best gay men’s resort in the world” by readers of OUT Traveler magazine – as well as receiving many other accolades from the queer press. This place certainly sells itself as gay men’s heaven; ‘a place where everyone is gay…where it’s easy to make friends… where you can really be yourself…where you can enjoy yourself 24 hours a day… in a secure locked compound, safe from the outside world…’ [www.islandhousekeywest.com] I’m not too sure about being ‘locked in a compound’ but I think I know what they mean. Check through their website to read the details of what’s on offer but don’t expect to find the men in the pictures when you visit. Holiday companies always do this; show you hunky guys to attract you, yes there may be some when you visit but the chances are the majority of guests will be ordinary guys like you and me.

So Island House comes out top in searches and has won awards but there are plenty of other places to choose. Ecuador (not the country but the name of the resort) gets good reviews from customers and its website outlines prices through the seasons, starting at $120 a night for a basic room and reaching $237 for a suite. Hobart Resorts have three places for gay men, Coconut Grove, Coral Tree Inn and Oasis. Each has its own charms, pools, bars and facilities and prices here range from $149 to $259 a night depending on the room size.

And for the girls? Pearl’s Rainbow is a resort for women in Key West. It’s close to Southernmost Point in a beautiful part of the town. It’s a full-service resort with two pools, two hot-tubs, a poolside bar called “Pearl’s Patio”, which is Key West’s only bar for women only. There are plenty of shady and sunny places to relax and lounge about, and it’s clothing optional. So the girls are guaranteed some fun too.

But what to do while you are there? Apart from search out the hot guys and gals of course. The local area offers loads of varied attractions, beaches, boats to rent, fishing, watersports (of either variety I expect) and cruises. There is no shortage of nightlife and places to eat out, bars and general entertainment. Search around a little more and you can make wedding plans, or turn up at the right time and take part in the Fantasy Festival; in 2009 it is being held between October 23rd and November 1st – that should give you plenty of time to get packing.

Those are just a few notes and ideas about the gay places to stay in Key West, as I said, there are many other places to check out and choose from but wherever you end up it looks like everyone has a great time down there in the Florida sun.