Suite Dreams: Two New Orleans Options

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By David Alport; Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com.

The Big Easy is hard to beat for an easy getaway full of fun, frolic and fabulous food.  If you’re looking for a comfy place to rest your head in the French Quarter, here are two terrific options.

The Soniat Houseis a dream of a New Orleans lodging experience.  Comprised of three historic townhouses and located on one of the most charming blocks in the charm-defining French Quarter, the Soniat House will take your breath away.  The two floors of guest rooms surround a lovely courtyard  lush with vegetation.  The soundtrack is trickling water and chirping birds.Rooms are gloriously decorated, with four-poster beds and period antiques you’ll actually covet.  Rooms with street-side balconies offer one of the most romantic French Quarter views imaginable.  For a New Orleans lodging experience that delivers a transporting vacation, this is your spot.

Also in the French Quarter is the newly remodeled Hotel Le Marais, located half a block from Bourbon Street, but a calm oasis nonetheless.  It calls itself an “upscale boutique” hotel, which means W-like design on a much smaller scale.  Rooms are modest in size, but quite nice, with black marble bathrooms and crisp cotton linens.

Many have small balconies overlooking a central courtyard, which features cushioned couches and chairs surrounding a lovely soaking pool.  There’s nothing especially gay about the place, but it’s got an unassuming staff and low key attitude that make for a viable alternative to the larger design-focused hotels which are mostly on the outskirts of the French Quarter.

Deal of the Week: Broadway Bares 2011

This deal is actually a win-win all around. If you like Broadway — in particular the talented, handsome, hard-bodied dancers you see cavorting around on stage in energetic musicals — you’ll love this benefit taking place Sunday, June 19, 2011 at Roseland in New York. (Two shows: One at 9:30; the other at midnight.)

Broadway Bares is an annual extravaganza featuring some of the hottest performers on stage today (male and female) in various stages of undress. Proceeds benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, one of the nation’s leading industry based HIV/AIDS fundraising and grant-making organization. It funds  the social service work of The Actors Fund and awards grants to AIDS service organizations nationwide.

Hotel Sé: Downtown San Diego Luxury for Less

Picture 1 Rising incongruously amid the lower, stucco-California-mission-style buildings more common in downtown San Diego, the luxurious Hotel Sé stands out with its glassy, steel-latticed façade.

A bevy of handsome, friendly valet/bellmen awaits visitors who are ushered through a massive swinging door to a swank, dark-toned lobby.

Built at the height of this never-ending recession, the hotel has had to adapt (its name, product offering, and pricing) to survive the times. Take advantage of that to experience a luxurious and modern hotel in the heart of San Diego’s historic Gaslamp Quarter. Check out the hotel’s current offers here.

More friendly professional staff process you efficiently through check-in to your room, most with a warm, masculine West Elm decorative motif and many with great views of the city, the bay and planes landing at the nearby (convenient) airport. The hotel features a modest but sufficient fitness facility and a very cool outdoor pool and deck area.Sweet and Tender, the hotel’s upscale bistro wins kudos for its contemporary American cuisine (straightforward options with bold and subtle accompaniments). The happy hour is fantastic with tasty bar nibbles and (non-premium) alcohol and a few really nice wines offered for $7 per item.The spa is small but they offer visitors an optional vodka-infused pomegranate based shot before their treatment (nice!). Ask for Eric, but beware he hurts (in a good way).A minor quibble: The hotel offers two tiers of Internet service at different costs: regular (slow) and premium (fast). Why not just fast for one price?

For great LGBT trip-planning information, visit San Diego’s official tourism website.

Gay Tel Aviv (Hotel Stays)

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By Louise Rafkin; Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com.

Just minutes from the front door of the Melody Hotel, pictured above, two brides walk the shoreline. White dresses trail the fine sand beach, but with the glint of the setting sun on the teal blue Mediterranean sea, it takes a few moments for the scene to register. Plus, they are holding hands.

Then it hits: the “brides” are actually men.Continue reading “Gay Tel Aviv (Hotel Stays)”

Tour of the Week: India with Zoom Vacations

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India is a feast for the eyes, ears, nose, hands, and feet!

If you’re at all nervous about visiting independently, consider joining a gay toru group. Zoom Vacations offers a tour to India with stops in Mumbai, Varanasi, Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, and Udaipur.

Date/length/cost:

  • September 17-28, 2011
  • 12 days from $7599

This trip to India is led by Zoom Vacationsowner, Joel Cabrera, who states:

India’s beauty and diversity will enrich you with her culture, stun you with her modernity, embrace you with her warmth, and overwhelm you with her hospitality…

Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com.


Suite Dreams: Brown Palace Hotel Denver Pride Package

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The 36th annual Denver PrideFest is fast approaching (on June 18th- 19th). Denver PrideFest attracts more than 275,000 people for a parade, rally, entertainment, and more. In honor of this event, Denver’s luxury hotel, The Brown Palace Hotel & Spa, is offering a PrideFest Package.

The Palace PrideFest Package includes:

  • Luxury accommodations
  • Colorado Pride guide
  • Two tickets to Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret
  • Champagne and strawberries delivered to your room
  • Sunday brunch for two in Ellyngton’s

Starting at $269

Valid:  Available June 18 only

www.brownpalace.com

Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com.

Deal of the Week: Dine About Town San Francisco

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Foodies know San Francisco is about as good as it gets in the U.S. for fabulous cuisine and wine. Now’s your chance to experience some of the best eats in the land — for unbelievably inexpensive prices.

“Dine About Town San Francisco” returns for the second half of its tenth year on June 1-15, 2011.  More than 100 San Francisco restaurants are participating in the twice-yearly restaurant promotion, offering a two-course lunch menu for $17.95 and/or a three-course dinner menu for $34.95. This pricing can represent up to a 25 percent savings off regularly priced a la carte items.

The complete restaurant list for “Dine About Town San Francisco” will be posted on San Francisco’s official visitor website www.dineabouttown.com.
Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com.

Gay Wine Weekend in Sonoma

Cd6b59d7ea If you love wine and you’re looking for a different way to celebrate Pride this year, check out the Gay Wine Weekend in Sonoma, brought to you by Out in the Vineyard.

Click here for more information, but a few of the highlights of this three-day event (June 17-19, 2011) include:

  • VIP wine receptions
  • Wine tastings some of the California’s most prestigeous wineries
  • Wine and dDancing in the vineyard of a private 150-acre estate
  • Wine and food pairing events
  • The First Annual Gay Wine Auction, benefiting Face to Face, Sonoma County AIDS Network.

Key West: Eat Out, Drink Up

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On a recent swing through Key West, I checked out a few hip new spots. This is most definitely not your grandpa’s Key West (well, if grandpa happened to be a kinda cool gay guy who discovered the Conch Republic before the big straight cruise ships did!)

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It is incredibly difficult to narrow down the wide range of terrific Key West  dining options to one or two choices. That said, two stand out from my recent visit.

Nine One Five ) has been open since 2002 and gets justifiable praise for its Asian-flavored seafood and décor. But my new recent favorite is the more recently open Flaming Buoy Filet Co.. Open just over a year, the Flaming Buoy is owned and operated by (openly gay) partners Fred Isch and Scot Forste. The décor — 10 rustic wood tables and simple lighting — reflects the restaurant’s approach to dining: simple and fresh.Drink up
You can still guzzle gigantic watered-down rum- or tequila-based cocktails anywhere along Duval St. But what’s new and exciting is the island’s burgeoning, sophisticated cocktail and wine bar culture. Check out the diminutive Orchid Bar , where mixologists take their drinks very seriously. The crowd is low key, and the space overlooks an illuminated pool: perfect after a busy day doing, well, nothing. The Porchis a wine and artisinal beer bar that has been open since summer of 2010 in a gorgeous old Victorian mansion.By the way, I stayed at my favorite guest house on the island: the gay-men-only Island House Key West. (More info: http://www.gaykeywestfl.com/.)

Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com.

Tour of the Week: Thailand with Out Adventures (On Sale!)

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Thailand is a marvel. It truly is the land of smiles. Experience it this fall or winter with Out Adventures. If you book by May 15, you’ll get 10% off.

Wander among the temples and palaces of Bangkok, Join a cooking school in Chiang Mai, Discover Thailand’s golden age in Sukhothai, Ride an elephant, Experience H’mong hilltribe culture, See the beautiful River Kwai, Enjoy a cruise on the Chao Phraya River.Details:

  • 10 days in…
    • Oct 23 – Nov 01
    • Nov 13 – 22
    • Dec 23 – Jan 02
  • Regular $1799.00 USD
  • Promotional Price $1619.10 USD, includes insurance

For more info, visit Out Adventure’s web site.

Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com.