gaypartyblog.com gay nightlife scene

Whether you are a college student and are looking forward to a break away from your exams and hectic school schedule or if you are just looking for a few days off this might help.  Now is the time to plan your spring break 2008 trip.  There are so many places to go for fun on spring break including Cancun, The Bahamas, Acapulco, or even Jamaica.   Puerto Vallarta is also a destination that comes to mind with gay friendly travel, unlimited alcohol, and beautiful beaches.  Or you could check out Aruba and risk running into Joran Van Der Sloot.

Although, with the weak dollar and talk of a coming recession it may be better to plan the trip more domestically.  There are many places to go here in the U.S. where we can enjoy beaches without the hassle of dealing with new passport laws and excessive travel abroad.  Florida seems to be the most popular overall U.S. spring break destination with

There are a few destinations that come to mind at first when I think of a gay spring break.  Key West certainly wants your business the month of March with many festivities going on for gays and lesbians.  The problem with Key West is getting out to that island and it could be hard booking a stay at a gay resort since I am sure they are mostly booked up already.

Some places to go in Key West include the gay resort called the Island House (1129 Fleming Street) which can be found online at islandhousekeywest.com.  They have quite a frisky website that makes it look like you will be in for a time of fun while staying at the property.  Manhunt.net recently ran a contest for a free stay at this gay resort so it is working hard to promote its property.  This clothing-optional Bed & Breakfast won the 2007 Planet Out Travel Award for best gay resort.

Ft Lauderdale is a destination that over 800,000 gays visit each year with new hotels including the Starwood W, beachside Hilton, and newly remodeled Marriott Harbor Beach.  You also have lots of great gay resorts to stay at to satisfy your curiosity.  While Ft. Lauderdale does not claim to be a spring break destination you can bet the beaches are crowded and the drinks are pouring even though the hotels are expensive.  College nights in South Florida can be found these clubs.  A wonderful thing about Ft. Liquerdale is the proximity of West Palm Beach and South Beach Miami.  You could also spend a few days here then stumble down to Key West for even more entertainment.

Some sites you may want to check out to save money during spring break will be your typical travel sites such as Orbitz.com and kayak.com.  I always find the best deals when I deal with the hotels directly such as going to the Marriott.com site for hotel stays or the AA.com for flights.  If you are a student you may gain to save the most with a student travel site which can offer deep discounts with group travel packages as long as you show your student I.D.

You could also hit up a colder location for a ski trip for your spring break.  I just don’t see the fun in going somewhere cold if you have already been suffering through the winter months and ready to get out and show off your bod you have been working on at the beach.

Wondering if you are old enough to drink in certain places?  Here is a list detailing the legal drinking ages in each country.

I have to admit that skiing is a sport I have only tried once and, although I remember the experience well, I didn’t actually do very much. Mind you it was in Scotland in December, in a blizzard and I had had no training. Consequently I slid downhill at great speed for a few seconds before I realised I didn’t know how to stop. After purposefully falling into a snow drift I trudged back up through the snow and fog to find the café and drank hot chocolate for the next hour while my friends had a great time. I also had a great time with the après-ski as the place I stayed at had ice skating, saunas and other attractions. But it wasn’t a gay resort or skiing holiday and if you want to get into the sport with other like minded guys and gals then you may want to check out some of the functions and events I found recently.

In North America most of the gay ski weeks (as the gatherings are called) take place in the West, in places like Aspen, Park City and Whistler. Over in Picturesque Stowe, Vermont, a popular gay ski gathering has been taking place annually for over 20 years. The Winter Rendezvous, as it is called, traditionally takes place at the end of January/beginning of February. The best way to find out more about this (and other events) that I found was to visit a specialist gay travel website and browse around. For example, I discovered that it’s not just a question of turning up to a gathering and joining in. These are popular events and you are advised to book early. Bear in mind that you will need accommodation, lift passes, equipment if you don’t have your own and that entertainments may also be provided with tickets selling out fast. The Winter Rendezvous this year features a drag show and cabaret including live singers and guests DJs. Plenty of après-ski there.

The Aspen Gay Ski Week runs at a similar time to the event at Stowe and also features extras, with plenty to do after your skiing or snowboarding activities during the day. At this gathering you can expect to find club nights, costume parties, a comedy night and a pool party. The Utah Gay Ski Week, which has just taken place, included a welcome party, social dinners and meetings and a different mountain, or collection of runs to try out every day.

I don’t want you to think that the only reason guys and gals go to these gatherings is for the evening entertainment but I just wanted to point out that there is plenty to do once you have finished you’re skiing or snowboarding. Not everyone is a good skier and I didn’t find any information about the level of expertise needed to attend these events. I assume that beginners are welcome and that like most if not all ski resorts, you can pick up some training from professionals when you are there. But having the extra entertainment makes for a great holiday for partners who don’t ski, for example, so whatever your level of ability or interest, if you like the great outdoors, snowy conditions (with warm hot chocolate and cafes as an alternative), roaring fires and great scenery then you may well want to consider a ski week as an alternative holiday.

As for other countries around the world, well, after a quick search around I found events being held in France, Switzerland, Italy and Austria. For more information and details there was a great collection of news and ideas at gaytravel.about.com (search ‘ski’).

When I think of France I think of Paris and a perfect place to have a romantic gay marriage but there are other things about this part of the World even for us single people. I searched around the web to bring you some information on Gay France, the French gay Scenes and places for the younger traveler to go in France. The first site I came across, which looks like it would be the best was gayfrance.fr – well it would be wouldn’t it! But it’s all in French and, although I read some, I don’t understand enough to translate everything. There was no English option either but if you do read French then check it out. It has chat and dating as well as links and lists of places to go and things to do.

But how about some sites in English? Well, check out gaytravelfrance.com which is a comprehensive travel site through which you can book gay friendly hotels and tours. If you are really serious about traveling in the country then this was the best site I found for general travel info.

But for the background and the information that I know you want I had to do a bit more trawling and investigation. But I did come up with some little gems of information for you.

The age of consent in France is 15 across the board, for guys and gals and any combination of the two so you shouldn’t have any worries when you go out ‘on the pull’, but do watch out as France, like many countries, still harbors some homophobes and there is a strong pull to the political right in many places. This goes for cities as well as the countryside so wherever you are always be discrete. Unless you are inside one of the Paris gay clubs of course, than anything goes! I mean, looking at a list of places to go in Paris I counted 18 sex clubs, 25 dance clubs, 16 saunas and 59 bars. All gay or gay friendly.

Club 18 in the Rue de Beaujolais is the oldest gay club in Paris. It has its own funky website at club18.fr – again in French but with loads of old photos. You can also see flyer’s on the site and these have dates so even if you don’t read French you can work out what’s going on and when from the images. Entry to the club is €10.00 (about $13.50 at the moment) which is quite reasonable for Paris. I do have to say that you should be careful about bar prices. I was in a Paris club awhile back and a small bottle of beer then cost me around $10.00 – which I thought was a lot.

But it’s not all about night life in France. If you want to sample culture then Paris is stocked full with museums and art galleries, cinemas and theatres. There is the Paris Pride festival in the summer with balls and events preceding it and the Paris Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. In 2007 this will be in November uk.franceguide.com has a good gay section with news about the festival and other events.

But there is more to France than Paris of course. For a relaxing break in the countryside you could check out the southern area of Provence where I found four gay/gay friendly hotels including one that was a castle. There are more on the French Riviera (the Mediterranean coast) including Hi Tech Chic a very new and trendy hotel in Nice, a city which is kind of like the gay capital of the South of France.

Those are just some ideas to get you thinking about a visit to France and what to do while you are there. France uses the Euro and if you are driving it has tolls on the major motorways. Many French people speak English and generally it is an open and welcoming society. Paris can be a little expensive and, in August everyone goes on holiday to the coast or to less stuffy climes, so you may want to avoid that month if you are hoping to meet the monsieur of your dreams as he will probably be in Nice or the Greek islands. But whenever you go and whatever you do… bon voyage!

Also see: Gay Days in Paris.

And we thought Republican jerks took over the country without harming San Francisco. It is so sad that San Francisco did not have its Annual Halloween street party and that the Castro gay area is being extinguished of gays. Of course the housing is becoming too expensive for younger gays and the “crime is increasing” are some of the excuses they are using but what about other big cities like Dallas and West Hollywood, CA. You can also find a kick butt street party in Houston of all places.

The city of San Francisco can shove the HomeforHalloween.com site up your butts. It is sickening you even have that website as if your bragging that all the clubs are closed and there is absolutely NOTHING to do in the Castro on one of the biggest party nights of the year. It is also too bad that Chris Crocker or Matthew Lush (well he has one issue = being a Vegan and a gay but no issues besides his own selfish agenda) don’t entertain real issues like this. Instead they talk about stupid things all day long and stare into a web camera queening around making our entire community feel completely dumb and embarrassed. We need to stand up to these mayors and city officials who are stopping gay activities in NYC, San Francisco, and every other city these jerks control.

I say don’t spend any money in the Castro or NYC until they get things changed. Keep your money in cities where they are happy to have the queers and appreciate our fabulous companionship. Money talks and creates change — you are what you eat and you are what you buy!

Update: (From PlanetOut.com)

On Wednesday night, bars and restaurants closed early, public transportation halted nighttime service to the area and sidewalk barricades were set up to discourage pedestrians from spilling into the road. The landmark Castro Theatre stood with its lights shut off, guarded by barricades and nine police officers.

I don’t want to go into a history lesson here so I’ll just say that, since the wall came down in 1990, when we talk about Berlin now we talk about both East and West Berlin combined. However the city still has various ‘districts’ and they are each as diverse as each other, but the news is that gay people are generally accepted in most of them and you can often see gay couples walking hand in hand and enjoying a relatively accepting society. This is particularly true in districts such as Kreuzberg, Schoneberg, Mitte and Friedrichshain. However if you travel to the eastern districts of the city there is a certain right wing element there which means you have to be more cautions and probably less public in your affections.

If you are visiting Berlin and are a bit of a culture vulture then you’ll be pleased to know there are many museums and galleries, plus the cathedrals and other architectural sites to visit. Including the Gay Museum which also has an archive of mainly English language and gay related books that you can browse, on site. schwulesmuseum.de is their website is you want to take a look.

But that might be jumping straight in; first you’ll need somewhere to base yourself for your visit. out-in-berlin.com/hotels.shtml has a comprehensive list of places to stay. This site is in German and English and you can easily follow the links to the individual hotels where you will find locations and prices to suit you. Staying with that site you’ll see lots of information about things to do after dark. There are many gay cafes, restaurants, bars and clubs in Berlin though no one area where you find them all together – as you might in say Soho, London or Canal Street Manchester, UK. That means there is no gay ‘ghetto’ and, some people think, this adds to the individuality of the city as each business does its own thing and each district has its own vibe.

Check out the Mitte (central) area of e city as this is where the trendy and the young hang out at the new and sleek Sony centre – free wi-fi, open air and crowded with hip tourists. The Maritim ProArte is a recommended hotel in this district, it features original artwork on each of its 11 floors and the nightlife of Schoneberg and Kreuzberg is only five minutes away by cab. In these areas you will find some of the oldest and most notorious of Berlin’s clubs, such as SO36 and Eldorado. There’s a saying that cameras are not allowed in many of Berlin’s clubs for a reason and you can probably guess what that reason is!

But it’s not all sex clubs in Berlin, there are other, dance and chill out places too. It’s just that you might have to go searching for them. One of the biggest party nights in the city can be found at Club Weekend (week-end-berlin.de for up to date opening times) but it takes place in what looks like an office building. As gaytravelnews.com says, these wild clubs are ‘often hidden in plain sight.’

And staying with that site there’s some very handy tips on having a good time listed there. Such as: The various nights and dates of certain events can change and you need to be ‘in’ to know where and when the party will be. Remember out-in-berlin.com which will have the details on the nightlife or nachtleben as the Germans call it. Also don’t forget the gay museum schwulesmuseum.de and the various cultural events that the city hosts including the Love Parade, a giant street party – see loveparade.net. And as for getting there LTU offers non-stop flights from NY, LA and Las Vegas, see www.ltu.com/world.

As usual that’s only a quick dip into a huge city that is teaming with varied night (and day) life and loads of gay things to do and see. Check those websites, there are many more too if you use your search engine and keyword ‘gay Berlin’ for example. But one thing is for sure: if you are planning a European vacation then Berlin needs to be on your itinerary.

Upcoming circuit events in Berlin include the Hustlaball held October 19 at the Kit Kat Club.  Gay pride comes around the end of every June with half a million people attending between Ku’damm and the Siegessäule.

I keep hearing about this Puerto Vallarta place and hear they have a Gay-friendly Mayor and have a great gay beach and gay nightlife so this weekend we are going to check it out and do something completely off the beaten path. There is no circuit party going on and there is no special event that we know of… we just plan to hit up the sandy beaches and look at the beautiful greenish-blue water and get drunk while we check out the scene here.

I searched online for “gay puerto Vallarta” and came up with some really good information on the place. I learned that it is in the Mexican state of Jalisco (for those looking on Manhunt or another personal site and cannot find it) and also learned how to dial to Mexico from the U.S. It was quite a chore dialing the hotel we were planning to stay at called the Dreams Resorts and Spa which is about 5 to 10 minutes from the gay beach.

One site I found with the best information was GayGuideVallarta.com. One thing that I loved about this guide is that it told me how to get to the gay beaches in a taxi – you simply state “Blue Chairs beach” or “Los Muertos.” I am always scared of asking for anything gay in a foreign country or even out of state sometimes when I do not know my complete surroundings.

Good article here about the changing gay scene:

EBar News - Puerto Vallarta Gay Scene Changing

We found out the best clubs to goto in the Puerto Vallarta area are Paco Paco and Manana if you are gay. Manana seemed busiest early in the morning around 1am. They had strippers at 11pm and 3am while Paco Paco had drag shows at the same times. It seemed all the bars in the area competed for the same 11pm and 3am time slots. Manana had the hottest waiters to bring your drinks out which was far better than a shot boy — I like to get a real drink not a shot! The salsa at the hotel was horrible but then Paco Paco had some senorita dishing out the best salsa and guac I have had in a long time… a nice way to sober up at 4am!

There is also Senor Frogs (if you are a hard core tourist and str8) but you can see that place in Cancun or any commercialized beach area…  I prefer to check out the gay clubs and see what the local scene is all about!

If you have your party calendars open for the hottest end of summer events you may have a hard time deciding which one to pursue.  A flight to Amsterdam might yield one of the sexiest and best White parties of all Europe.  DJ Brett Henrichsen is headlining the White Party in Amsterdam this year with DJ Pako, and resident DJs: Glaucio Duarte and Max Morel.

The White party in Amsterdam will take place August 4th with three rooms of different music and dancing styles.  There is even a “glamorous” dress code for the boat that will be part of the festivities.

The best part is that you can purchase a VIP pass that includes a limousine ride from your hotel to the White Party for only $150.00.  This VIP pass also includes Q Jump at White Party (no waiting in line), VIP Balcony with Champagne, and the After Party at Zebra Lounge.

The more elaborate VIP pass that is $250 listed on CircuitTicket.com includes all of the basic VIP amenities and more.  You also get admission to the White Party Boat (strict dress code) & Drinks, and the Canal Parade (White Street Party).

The events are 18 and up and prices will go up around $5 or so it seems at the door if you do not book in advance.  It looks like the party goes on from 11pm to 5:30am which is plenty of time to get in some hardcore dancing at the main event.

If you miss this event you can catch White party Ibiza on August 12, at El Divino or the White party Gran Canaria on August 18th.

We are headed to Galveston, TX (from Dallas, TX) after a brief stop in Houston tonight for our favorite club “Southbeach”. The rains will not seem to go away so we will be driving in bad weather and possible flooding. I am wondering why I did not fly.

I hate to miss DJ Ronnie Bruno tonight because he is one of my favorites but we won’t make it in time to drive to Galveston in one trip. There is no telling how bad the traffic will be from Houston to the G island. The Hilton host hotel should be packed with boys by the time we get there though.

I hope the town of Galveston can handle all this madness. It is a great thing they are letting us invade for the weekend. From what I hear this party will be huge. We are even staying in Galveston Memorial Day instead of our annual Splash at Lake Travis in Austin.