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Mexico's top destinations for gay vacations
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Call it an anomaly or call it irony: While debate and legal maneuvers
roil around Prop. 8 in California, in Mexico — Catholic, traditional,
macho Mexico — gay civil unions have been legalized in Mexico City and
the entire northern border state of Coahila. Michoacán and Veracruz
states are on the verge of passing similar measures, and gay rights
legislation is under consideration in Colima, Jalisco, Guerrero and
Puebla states.
To be sure, homosexuality is still fairly closeted — many gay Mexicans
staunchly maintain a macho front, and the lesbian scene is still mostly
underground — but in general Mexico's attitude toward homosexuality is
surprisingly liberal, especially in larger cities. Mexicans do prefer
more discretion in public than we are accustomed to in the United
States, but gay travelers will find a warm welcome in much of the
country. In fact, PlanetOut, the San Francisco media company serving
the gay and lesbian market, named Mexico its 2007 travel destination of
the year.
Here's a look at Mexico's top gay destinations. (Please leave comments
with your recommendations and experiences for a future column about
lesser-known gay-friendly Mexican destinations.)
Puerto Vallarta
"Vallarta" is the jewel in Mexico's coastal crown, drawing young and
old, foreign and Mexican visitors alike. In addition to the lingering
whiff of legend bestowed by Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton's
steamy "Night of the Iguana" affair half a lifetime ago, Puerto
Vallarta's beaches, walkable streets, sophisticated restaurants, varied
nightlife and shopping add up to an unbeatable combination. As an added
bonus the winter high season offers gay cruises, horseback riding, gay
bingo, and strip and drag shows every night.
Although it has endured rampaging development in some areas, the
cobblestone streets of the southern Zona Romantica district — variously
known as Old Town, the South Side, Playa del Sol/Los Meurtos Beach or
Olas Altas — still ooze charm. Luckily, this district hosts most of the
gay-owned and gay-friendly businesses, including colorful bars like Frida's Cantina and urbane martini lounges like Garbo. Apaches Martini and Cocktail Bar is a lesbian-owned institution; similarly, woman-oriented Uncommon Grounds Chill Out Lounge is a monument to extravagant design. Blue Chairs and the adjacent Green
Chairs are the prime gay spots on Los Muertos Beach. The dozen or more
hotels catering to gay and lesbian guests range from the newish (and
steepish) Casa Cupula to the budget-priced but still stylish Hotel Mercurio.
Cancún
As Cancún's master-planned glitter siphoned tourists from Acapulco,
Puerto Vallarta and other traditional beach resorts, those older spots
filled the gap partly by appealing to gay visitors. Cancún has been
playing catch-up in a big way though and is bidding to become the
country's No. 1 gay destination. For a major resort with no lodging
marketed as gay-owned or gay-friendly and no official gay beach, it's
doing pretty well. Though laboring under a persistent, hyper-straight
Spring Break image, Cancún has a thriving local gay scene. And though
it is undeniably Mexico lite — some would say soulless — it claims some
of Mexico's best hotels and beaches, not to mention the best vacation
package and airfare deals. Cancún also hosts the 5-year-old Cancún
International Gay Festival in May and the Cancún Riviera Maya Gay Fall
Festival in November.
The best gay clubs are in the downtown area, about 15 minutes from the touristy Hotel Zone. Karamba,
popular with a young, mixed international crowd, has been going strong
for three decades and is known for its nightly stage shows and large
dance floor. Smaller, down-and-dirty Picante has a tiny dance floor that is especially popular at the end of the
night, when it's full of a motley crowd of men, women, gays, straights,
transvestites and drag queens. The unofficial gay beach, Playa Delfines
is the longest and widest in the Hotel Zone, and it also seems to have
the bluest skies and deepest-turquoise waters. While same-sex couples
will feel comfortable in most Cancún hotels, the lush, hacienda-style Villas Tacul is especially gay-friendly.
Mexico City
Yes, smog is a problem, and so is crime in some areas, but Mexico's
capital teems with colonial mansions, excavated pyramids, exceptional
museums and galleries, and, well, life. Though it is still seeking a
major following as a gay vacation destination, the city has a large gay
and lesbian population, and it famously broke new ground by legalizing
same-sex civil unions. Gay plays appear on local stages, and gay clubs
are listed in newspaper entertainment sections. Trendy restaurants,
relatively affordable luxury hotels, gay nightlife, a wealth of direct
flights at tolerable prices and a huge annual Gay Pride parade are
bringing more travelers into the fold.
About two dozen gay bars, discos and clubs flourish in the city, mostly
in the Zona Rosa. Turnover is rapid, but rainbow flags signal the
current contenders. The Living Room on Paseo de la Reforma has
outlasted most other nightspots. Check the nightlife listings in Homópolis (Web site in Spanish), given out in stores and cafes around the Zona
Rosa, for more clues. Specifically gay-oriented lodging is strangely
lacking, but quietly gay-friendly hotels abound. The Centro Histórico,
Zona Rosa and Polanco neighborhoods are nearest to the LGBT nightlife.
Good choices include the ultra-chic Hotel Habita in Polanco, and the budget-priced, colonial-style Hotel Maria Christina in Zona Rosa and Hotel Catedral in the historic center. Enkidu, a forum for gay and lesbian tourists in the capital, also arranges homestays with gay or gay-friendly hosts.
Acapulco
With its jet-set history and a long-standing gay population, Acapulco
jockeys with Puerto Vallarta for position as the crown jewel of the
Pacific Coast. After years of losing ground to Vallarta, Cancún and Los
Cabos, Acapulco has enjoyed a resurgence, partly because of its
burgeoning gay scene. Gay-owned hotels and nightspots are in good
supply, and the city's chic restaurants multiply like bunnies, drawing
congenial gay vacationers from Mexico and abroad. While hotels and
businesses generally welcome same-sex couples, they do little to
announce themselves as gay-friendly, and there's no central source of
information.
Acapulco's gay beach is the stretch of famous Playa Condesa between
Beto's Restaurant and the Fiesta Americana Condesa. Few of the gay
nightclubs have Web sites, but among the newer places are Shurakk, a sleek lounge that opened in 2007 in gay nightlife central, and the Cabaré-Tito Beach lounge (Web site in Spanish), not far from the gay beach, where the ambience
is younger, more relaxed and more colorful than in the older places. A
couple of long blocks uphill from the gay beach, Casa Condesa, one of
the city's gay guesthouses, has acquired a new owner who is devoted to
personal service, plus a renovation that added a happy-hour gathering
place. Mainstream hotels closest to the gay beach and nightlife are
Fiesta Americana, Fiesta Inn, El Presidente and Calinda Beach.
Guadalajara
Mexico's second-largest city, fondly nicknamed "the San Francisco of
Mexico," has a large and open gay scene, with a wealth of parties,
clubs, saunas and tours appealing to local gays and visitors alike.
Gays and lesbians are much in evidence downtown, especially in Plaza
Tapatia, and the city has a gay radio show and a gay cultural center.
While men dominate the scene in many gay destinations, lesbians play a
particularly active role in Guadalajara.
The long list of gay clubs and bars ranges from the electronica-oriented Angel's Bar and Disco to the huge Monica's Disco (Web site in Spanish), with its Latin rhythms. Look for "La Guia Rosa"
or "Zona Gay" for the scoop on bars and events. The robust list of
gay-friendly lodging includes the luxurious, movie-themed La Perla Bed & Breakfast and the pleasant, colonial-style Hotel San Francisco,
both in Guadalajara's Centro in the midst of dozens of gay clubs and
bars. In Tlaquepaque, an artsy colonial pueblo a couple of miles from
the city center, the intimate Villa del Ensueño occupies a restored 19th century hacienda.
We were not aware at this time about the gay life there.
we have seen some awareness there,but never gave it a thought.
But this was way back in the early eighties.
I am not surprised by all of this.
We will have so much to talk about when we see you.