December vacation ideas? Aruba? Pubertal Vallarta? Curaçao? Turks and Caicos?

puerto vallarta or mexico, and make sure to take that night swim in the ocean

^^Puerto Vallarta IS Mexico 🙄^^

Go to the Maldives. Beautiful

Puerto Vallarta is ridiculously overpriced and crowded these days thanks to the influx of Americans during the pandemic.

Minimum $1,000 airplane fares. Everything about it is OK, but they are asking 4 & 5 star prices now.

If you're wanting a nice beach vacation, go to Zihuatenejo on the Pacific side or Holbox on the Gulf of Mexico. Even Carribbean Mexico is too mass tourism for us.

Also check out Costa Rica, which has less of a Las Vegas meets Waikiki feel throughout the entire country.

Never been to the Carribbean as its just too straight for us, but if ever we were to go the Bahama Cays would be our spot.

I’d be interested to hear about places that are an easy flight from Miami. Caribbean destinations?

Caracas is lovely, I think one airline still flies there from Miami.

St. Lucia is the most beautiful spot in the Caribbean. Not particularly gay-friendly, but far from the worst place for gays.

Aruba is the most beautiful and voted gay-friendliest in the Caribbean.

I've been to Puerto Vallarta many times. It's fun but we needed a change. But if you are looking to enjoy a lively beach party scene, strip joints and horny middle aged gay men, it's worth checking out.

Gurl we gonna be in monkeypox lockdown by December so just forgettaboutit

OP, I've been to Puerto Vallarta and it's alright, but really not that special. It's a beach town..

The chocolate museum and the Naval History Museum are both worth checking out, should you decide to go to PV

Puerto Vallarta was fun in 90s/2000s. Now, lot more crime and drugs.

Santo Domingo, DR for the pinga.

Puerto Vallarta is the only place on OP's list that is gay.

He didn't specify it had to be a gay resort town, r13.

[quote] Even Carribbean Mexico is too mass tourism for us.

[quote] Never been to the Carribbean as its just too straight for us,

Why do you speak of yourself in the plural?

Are you a multiple, like Truddi "When Rabbit Howls" Chase?

Second vote for Costa Rica.

Manuel Antonio is beautiful

We try to go away for Christmas every year as timing works well for both my husband and myself. We have gone to Hawaii a couple of times which was great. We have also gone to Both Costa Rica and Panama although I liked it better when I was there in February and March. . This year we are doing a Caribbean cruise which will be fun and relatively easy.

Ooff Canuck R17 — you guys are paying the highest price every time. Wouldn’t it be better, cheaper, and quieter if you guy could travel in January?

I love Aruba

Where’s Aruba?

Aruba has nice beaches, but for a fraction of the cost go to Curacao -it actually markets itself as gay friendly. Water isn't as warm as the rest of the Caribbean in either island.

As much as I hate being one of those "gay spots" gay - when it comes to beach vacations, it is non-negotiable.

Don't need to be around straights fawning all over each other with their non-stop PDA, bro-dude antics, and heaven forbid - them and their rugrats running all over the place.

Gay spots aren't immune from the same, and we don't need them to be, but they are more balanced. You tend to see more adults only places where the presence of other gays tones down the straight effect.

Didn't Puerta Vallarta fall prey to cartel antics with decapitated bodies turning up?

Where is that British murder mystery filmed? That's pretty.

R23 On Netflix, Narcos, episode S1:E1-10; S2:E1-10; S3: E1-10 maybe.

In real life, your biggest threat these days is rising hotel/apartment/restaurant/bar/stripper costs due to the influx of Americans and Canadians.

I went to Curaçao a few years ago, loved it. Nice beaches, Beautiful nature, charming (if somewhat dilapidated(m) architecture in Willemstad, and not filled with Americans.

[quote] I went to Curaçao a few years ago

Did you have to switch keypads just to put that foreign "ç" in?

The water is warm in Costa Rica

*gasp* Did you say Turks AND Caicos?

If you want to go into the water and do things like snorkeling or try SCUBA diving, skip PV. If you just want to chill and rub suntan lotion all over each other, there are many options:)

PV -- very gay and fun for drinking, cabaret/drag shows, beach, dinning. Not good snorkeling, and the water is kind of rough. Aruba -- not gay, but Liberal, great snorkeling and diving. Beautiful beaches. Don't stay in the highrise hotel area. Tacky. Boring beach in that area. Vieques Island (off PR) -- very gay/gay friendly. Only one pretty beach. Condado Beach in San Juan is beautiful and gay friendly, but very urban. Puerto Ricans are a blast. The rest of the Caribbean is homophobic. Costa Rica -- OMFG. Beautiful rainforests and beaches and wildlife. The area near Quepos/Manuel Antonio NP has become very gay-friendly from what I hear since I've been there. Guatemala -- don't. French Polynesia -- Stunning beaches. Great reefs for gentle snorkeling and diving. Pricey. Very French. OK with gays. Fijian Islands -- like Tahiti but more English spoken. Cheaper. Not particularly gay-friendly, but they'll leave you alone. Turtle Cove Resort, Queensland AUS -- VERY gay. Clothing optional. Kinda sleazy, kinda fun. Beautiful beach, but poisonous things everywhere. Easy excursions to the Daintree rainforest and Great Barrier Reef. Long-ass flights from North America, and well, everywhere else. Kaui -- only Hawaiian island I've been to. It was in December. The water is rough and the beaches are gone in Winter. Very rainy. I hear Maui is nicer in December, but the water is still dangerous in Winter. Belize -- on my bucket list for the snorkeling and diving, rainforest, and Mayan ruins. My hesitation is that it is crowded with Red staters.

**DO NOT EAT OYSTERS EVER IN ANY WARM COUNTRY**

R27 — pro tip: if you have an iPhone, just hold down the “c” key and you get an option for the c with cedilla (ç).

Vieques has several great beaches, you just need to rent a car to get to them.

Spent a lovely week here.

I love Curaçao and, when I lived on the east coast, was a frequent visitor. It was colonized by the Dutch and the locals are typically trilingual. It has it all: gay friendly, lovely beaches, fascinating Dutch colonial architecture and lovely people. Very moving museum of the African diaspora. Very different experience than PV: not a party town and more suited to couples.

As long as you go before high season pricing kicks in about Dec 15, then you should consider St. Barts. Essentially crime free, fantastic restaurants, and totally gay friendly with beautiful beaches including a fun nude one at Grande Saline.

A trip there doesn’t necessarily have to be as costly as many people think. Le Village is a charming little hotel above the beach on St. Jean Bay with rooms for less than $400 a night. Not dirt cheap, but not crazy expensive either and about what you would pay for a soulless, big chain hotel on many other less attractive islands.

Renting a villa on St. Barts is also an option as there are hundreds of them at all types of price points. The more affordable ones are fairly simple, but almost always have locations with spectacular views just like those that are way more expensive. Here’s one for about $5000 a week in early December.

[R6]: I warn you. Do not go to St. Lucia. Two having sex there is a criminal act, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

In fact, Caribbean locations can be varied in their laws about gays. Do your research. Choose wisely.

^Two men

Bogalusa!

Another vote for Vieques. Rent a Jeep Wrangler and you can get to many nice beaches.

I assume it recovered from the hurricane of a few years ago, I haven't been there since.

[quote] Ooff Canuck [R17] — you guys are paying the highest price every time. Wouldn’t it be better, cheaper, and quieter if you guy could travel in January?

January is peak season for warm locations. Summer travel is for yahoos, people with kids. Right now, everything seems to be expensive, though.

Anguilla has the prettiest beaches anywhere. [R4], recently it became possible to fly there nonstop from Miami on AA.

R41 We avoid travel between Memorial Day and Labor Day, too many families, college students. Competing leave requests. Same deal with Thanksgiving and Christmas travel. Although we have found a nice getaway for NYE that doesn't involve Las Vegas-level mass consumerist tourism, which shall not be named as its already being discovered by the Insta and Youtube travel vlogger crowd.

PVR during NYE is a massive cluster (likely all desirable places are booked by now), but we have friends who go first week of December for two weeks and places are practically empty. Heaven.

R12 You don’t need to go to the DR for some quality pinga—I live near Lawrence, Mass. and get all the uncut Dominican pinga I can handle!

Cancun in the he winter. The Hilton is wonderful,

The bodyholiday in st Lucia? All inclusive including a spa treatment. Not cheap peaceful so there is not crazy nightlife if that’s what you’re after though they do have some stuff. On its own little cove

^ and I saw some gay couples while there that looked perfectly happy. Might want to research what another poster said about it not being gay friendly I guess.

I did a quick google - maybe skip st Lucia. Sorry OP.

[quote] $400 a night. Not dirt cheap, but not crazy expensive either

$400 is crazy expensive.

For some. It’s all relative.

Is Punta Cana, DR an option? They have all-inclusive resorts.

Dollywood

Dominican Republic is becoming the new Puerto Vallarta for gays, especially the Colonial Zone in Santo Domingo.

Puerto Vallarta is too much of a gay ghetto these days.

I'm in the gay mens' FB group and all you see these days are twinks posting "Come join us at the Drag Queen viewing tonight at This Bar or That Bar! Sexy bartenders and Tired Cliche Draq Queens!!!" Or twinks posting come to our "Happy Hour 4 for 1 tonight!!!" Or twinks posting for "massage services - in / out / in your Uber / anywhere / everywhere!!!" Or twinks posting "New to Puerto Vallarta and looking to make QUALITY friends, esp. to learn English (so no Mexicans please, just Gringo sugar daddies) - here's me in a thirstrap shot!!!"

Of course, the average population of the group - American and Canadian gay males, approximately 45-60 - fawn over all these twinks (Welcome! Sent you a message! ). In the next post the same demographic complains about how to stretch their dollars when booze and massages are rising in costs due to Americans and Canadians flooding the city.

Then there is the almost daily Basic Gay posting "Me and my husband / boyfriend / friend are arriving tomorrow? Despite all the bars and strippers posting here, what's there to do? Here's us in our speedos!"

They even have a bar named Therapy now. And for a while, a Hamburger Mary's - which quickly flopped much like its American namesake.

Oh, forgot the mention the lice of real estate agents and Airbnb/VRBO property managers who flood every post with "Have a great spot for you! Sent you a message!"

It's like where the bitchy coastal queens and tragic Flyover queens come to vomit all over what was once a charming, gay-friendly getaway.

It depends what you're looking for. PV will have a party scene, while the Caribbean will be largely party free. Of the "ABC Islands" (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao), Aruba has the best beaches but shittiest snorkeling, Bonaire has the best snorkeling, but shittiest beaches, and Curacao has decent beaches and decent snorkeling, but not the best of either. Aruba will also have far more Americans (thanks to a big marketing campaign in the US), while Bonaire and Curacao tend to attract more Dutch tourists.

R55 speaks the truth.

of the ABC islands, I can recommend Bonaire if you are into an extremely laid-back, understated type of vacation.

So the best choice in the Caribbean are islands run by, and filled with, the cunty Dutch?

The underwater life in the Red Sea at Sharm El-Sheikh will knock your socks off, not that you should be wearing socks in the water. Yes, it's Egypt but it's isolated from the rest of the country and civilized.

Harbour Island in the Bahamas is where the true A-List gays go.

My British military ancestors lived on all sorts of islands in the Caribbean back in the 1700s and 1800s. I'm probably the only tourist who would go to look at gravestones instead of beaches.

R58 must be referring to all the shark attacks there recently.

If you’re into being in a less strict (for the Middle East anyway) but still extremely homophobic country while staying in a resort area that is mostly Russian tourists, have fun in shark el sheikh

[quote] The chocolate museum...worth checking out

Is that what we are calling it now?

Not many Russian tourists anywhere these days. Anyway, Sharm seemed to me heavy on W Europeans and Brits. Have you actually been there R61?

Yes r63.

When I was in Curaçao there were just as many tourists from Venezuela, but I imagine the protracted crises there have put a damper on those numbers.

Aruba was too dry and windy and boring for me. I went there once and flew to Caracas the next day for 30 dollars. If I were OP I would probably choose a nice Riviera Maya or Cancun, adult, hotel, and go to downtown Cancun for gay life. Also, Cancun has many great side trips to ruins of all kinds, jungles, ruins, and island beaches. One caution these days is that seaweed is a real problem and some hotels have better control of it.

You'll meet the nicest people in Aruba!

I loved Aruba. Was there for a work trip for a week. The beaches make Malibu look like a shitty city pool, traveled all over the island, bar hopped.

What's a good warm place to just get away and relax? Don't need massive parties, just good food and good beaches.

I loved Aruba so much, I decided to stay forever!

Cancun is really the pits these days.

I prefer the beaches in Cancun to Puerto Vallarta. The ones in PV look like Galveston. I usually stay in downtown Cancun and head out to the beach on the public bus.

If money is not a concern, get a villa on Mustique (my favorite Caribbean island) or St Barts.

What’s so great about St Bart’s for gay men?

[quote] What’s so great about St Bart’s for gay men?

So many of these destinations are truly homophobic and filled with bitter and resentful locals that the tourists shut themselves off from at some resort.

These destinations are DINKy hetero heaven and I suspect many are enthralled by them because Chelsea, the cunty but FABULOUS girl marketing gushed about her last travels to the Caribbean. They are ridiculously expensive as well.

If you want beautiful clear waters without all that baggage, just do the Maldives or South Pacific.

Yes, R76, the Maldives is so much less homophobic.

[quote] The Maldives law criminalizes homosexuality and prescribes criminal penalties for same-sex sexual conduct and relationships. The Penal Code of the Maldives works with Islamic Shariah Law to punish any acts relating to homosexuality through prison sentences, fines, and lashings.

R77 That doesn't mean they are enforcing the law for tourists. A quick review of your Wikipedia find reveals as much.

From friends who've been and internet research, unless you're a flaming queen, no one will care about your sexuality in the Maldives. Unlike in the Caribbean where it is well-known that open hostility against gays is to be expected.

(Ask these two... they've been everywhere)

R74 and R78, that’s what so great about St. Barts for gay men who want a Caribbean destination… it’s the polar opposite of every other Caribbean island in that there is essentially zero homophobia there.

The population is small, with about 9,000 residents, and consists almost entirely of descendants of 17th and 18th century French settlers from Brittany and Normandy who, while religious, are not evangelical bigots. They have a very live and let live attitude.

The balance of people living on St. Bart are made up of a sophisticated group of Parisians who relocated to St. Barts starting in the late 1970s/ early 1980s to open boutique hotels, restaurants, and make a ton of money with real estate and villa rental agency businesses.

Visiting St. Barts is almost like being in Provence, except with Caribbean beaches. It’s not for someone seeking lots of gay nightlife (or any nightlife, really) or easy hook ups, but it’s extremely gay friendly and you will see plenty of other gay men around the island including at the little gay end of the beach at Grand Saline.

Peru.

R79 Interesting insights, and yes, the former British colonies are pronounced holdouts on gay rights all over the world. We may have to reconsider St. Barts.

Hi R81, yeah St. Barts is definitely worth considering for any American gay traveler that wants to enjoy the beauty of a Caribbean beach and the convenience of a destination that’s a relatively quick flight away, but without the homophobia found throughout the rest of the region. Plus, it really does feel like you’re “in” France in the best sense of what that can mean… great food and a kind of chic elegance about the whole island, but in an unpretentious and casual way.

Not sure if you were the poster that mentioned the Maldives, but it’s true that despite the politics and laws of the government there, most gay travelers won’t have any problem as long as they pick the right resort. I’ve been twice, once just to go and once because I was headed to India for a wedding and decided to go again since it would be sort of on the way. In my opinion though, it’s a bit of an overrated destination relative to the fact that you’re going to be flying at least 24-hours to get there from the States including connecting time.

The water is beautiful and flying on a seaplane to transfer from the airport to your resort is spectacular, but the novelty wears off quickly after a day or so as most of the resorts are on islands so small you can walk all the way round them in less than 20-minutes. And there is nowhere else to go… once you’re at the resort that’s it. So if you happen to hit a week with a lot of kids or aggressive new money Russian or Chinese guests, the experience can be a little like a ship with not a lot of room to escape other people that may be obnoxious.

For the same money and way less travel time, I think Amanyara or Parrot Cay in Turks & Caicos offer a reasonably similar setting with stunning beaches and water, but more space and a better overall experience than the Maldives. And since they are exceptionally private and have international staff, you won’t find any homophobia at these two resorts as might exist in the rest of Turks & Caicos. Anyway, again that’s just my opinion… other may disagree, of course.

St. Barthes is gorgeous but not an easy trip. Any of the smaller islands require a transfer on a larger island like Puerto Rico or Barbados. It will likely take a day to get there. The flight into Saint Barthes on alittle prop plane is legendarily scary as you land.

The restaurant and shop prices are insane so go knowing you will spend a fortune. Get ready for a lot of entitled and wealthy New Yorkers and international tourists who will have much more money to spend than you do.

Make sure to rent a little car. The hilly drives around the island are wonderful.

Lots of st Barth’s travel agents here lol. What about Hawaii?

Hawaii doesn't want you.

Hawaii makes no sense if you’re on the east coast, it’s so damn far

This is OP here. Checked out Curaçao and Aruba. Didn’t seem too interested, same for St. BART. Any other ideas? Agree, Hawaii is too far. pubertal Vallarta seems like too much of a party atmosphere.

OP/r87 Haiti

Merida in Mexico.

Tulum

Dominican Republic

Florida Keys

Bahamas

Bahamas seems to be your fit, OP.

op has almost a hundred posts of ideas and information to peruse and has just shown up once in a while to poo poo the most recent ones and often with zero explanation:

“This is OP here. Checked out Curaçao and Aruba. Didn’t seem too interested, same for St. BART. Any other ideas?”

🙄 - those do seem to hit your requirements of beaches, nature, safety and food. So now what’s the problem?

Op is either a travel agent doing a survey on datalounge to see what a mostly gay clientele wants in a vacation or Op is a bit of a pain in the ass who likely won’t be happy wherever he goes, if he ever deems one good enough for him.

R93 The traveller who travels only so he can come back and gripe and complain about everything.

Ha, OP will likely also end up going to one of the places currently being discussed here;