The Spanish "discovered" Puerto Vallarta, the largest town on Mexico's largest bay (Banderas), in 1541, but the international tourist community didn't discover this gorgeous spot until 1963, when Elizabeth Taylor carried on a scandalous affair with Richard Burton during the filming of John Huston's Night of the Iguana south of town in Mismaloya. This 2.8-mile stretch of near-white sand beaches and deep-blue water became famous as the backdrop to the film (though in black and white) and the Burton-Taylor romance.
Although parts of the area have been greatly developed, native charm is still strong on the cobblestone streets of the district known as Zona Romantica and in the nearby village of Boca de Tomatlan. Zona Romantica is where you'll find most of the gay and gay-friendly establishments -- you’ll also hear the area referred to as Old Town, the South Side, Playa del Sol/Los Muertos Beach, and Olas Altas. Vallarta offers a unique mix of local color, world-class dining, modern beach resorts, and easy access to "old Mexico" nearby. Vallarta's gay scene is more abundant than the popular Mexican resort destinations of Cancun, Cabo, and Mazatlan put together. Whether you take just a day to stroll the streets of Zona Romantica or spend a week enjoying its many attractions, you'll fall in love with this magical place.
Stay
Gay
If you want to be right in the middle of all things gay in Puerto Vallarta, The Abbey Hotel (138 Pulpito; +52-322-222-4488; $94+) is the spot for you. This high-rise hotel has 55 rooms, including 12 suites. Amenities include a spacious pool, Jacuzzi, restaurant, and free WiFi in the lobby. The rooms are very basic and utilitarian and the suites have kitchenettes. But the best part is that it's just a block to the beach. The gay Blue Chairs Beach is three blocks south.
Luxury
Located five minutes from the airport and ten from downtown PV in Marina Vallarta, the Westin Resort & Spa Puerto Vallarta (205 Paseo de la Marina Sur; 800-937-8461 or +52-322-226-1100; $155+) offers visitors the high-end amenities and world-class service typical of Westin resorts in a charming modern setting. The resort's 280 units (including 14 suites) boast oceanfront balconies, some of which feature terrace Jacuzzis. Other amenities include a fitness center, four outdoor swimming pools, three tennis courts, spa and an exclusive 879-foot private beach.
Style
There are more than a dozen gay hotels in Vallarta but none are as upscale as the Casa Cupula (129 Callejon de la Igualdad; 1-866-261-3516 or +52-322-223-2484; $129+), which combines the intimacy of a B&B with the service level of a high-end resort. Amenities in the 19-room property include a gym, continental breakfast, concierge service, and two pools. The hotel is about a ten-minute walk downhill to Zona Romantica’s main drag, Olas Altas, and about another five or ten minutes to the gay Blue Chairs Beach.
Value
For budget prices and a perfect central location, you can’t beat Hotel Mercurio (168 Francisca Rodriguez; 1-866-388-2689 or +52-322-222-4793; $57+). This gay hotel’s complementary amenities include a breakfast buffet, guest computer with printer, WiFi, and free international and local calls from its computer center. The hotel has a small but very stylish pool and waterfall and its bar is a nice stop for a late afternoon cocktail. Happy hour is 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
DAY ONE: LAY OF THE LAND AND SEA
PV is lucky to have one of the best gay guides you will find for any destination. Gay Guide Vallarta is free and available at most gay businesses. You will get good use out of the centerfold maps.
For your caffeine fix, make your first stop at the gay-owned Coffee Cup (146 Rodolfo Gomez; +52-322-222-8584; coffee $1.20, sandwich $5). Just a block from the beach, it is also a good place for a light meal and you can check your e-mail for free at one of the computers.
Vallarta’s unofficial gay beach is the Blue Chairs Beach, near the southern end of the city’s public beach, Playa de los Muertos. It's located in front of the Blue Chairs Resort by the Sea, at the intersection of the Malecon and Almendro Street; the blue chairs are roped off and fill up quickly, but the green chairs and the rainbow chairs are right next to them and just as gay. You can hang out on a chair as long as you buy a drink.
After you’ve worked up an appetite lounging in the sun and frolicking in the surf, head for lunch at The Beach House (+52-322-222-3198; $7-$13), just a short stroll north of Blue Chairs along the beach, next to the El Dorado Hotel Restaurant. Look for the sign on an old-fashioned mailbox. Gay owner Marco Quinonez opened this beautiful beachside restaurant/bar in January 2008, and his former role as a Four Seasons manager translates into great attention to detail.
Burn up more calories in time for dinner and see downtown by walking north along the beach and then when the beach stops, take the Malecon walkway. A modern pedestrian bridge crosses the Rio Cuale as it meets the bay. Keep walking and you will pass the famous concrete arches, which are next to a sunken amphitheater and directly across from the Puerto Vallarta’s most famous landmark, Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Hidalgo Street; +52+322-222-1326). By the way, when you cross the river, you have officially left the Old Town or Zona Romantica and you are in El Centro or downtown. Follow the sidewalk north along the bay and you will see some amazing sand sculptures constructed among the rocks below.
While you are downtown, stop for dinner at the lesbian-owned El Arrayan (344 Allende; +52-322-222-7195; $21-49), a popular place both for food and ambience. It's like being at a country place with a central courtyard. They are known for their authentic Mexican dishes from around the country.
DAY TWO: CRUISE AWAY
Spend at least one sunset in PV on the rooftop bar at the Blue Chairs Resort by the Sea (Malecon and Almendro; 888-302-3662; +52-222-322-5050). Gay bingo is on Tuesday nights and drag shows are Wednesday and Sunday nights, but they can't compete with the sunset.
For gourmet food on the beach, you can’t beat Coco Tropical (101 Basilo; +52-322-222-5485; $22-42). The restaurant features international cuisine with a Mediterranean flair. Go early enough to take in the sunset.
Dance away at the upscale Club Manana (290 Venustiano Carranza; +52-322-222-7772; cover charge), home to strippers, international guest performers, a swimming pool, waterfall, disco with air conditioning, cabanas, cantina and more, all created within a villa in Zona Romantica. See Web page for drink specials as well as theme party nights.
DAY THREE: HAVE A WHALE OF A TIME
Stop for breakfast at the beautiful garden courtyard restaurant Barrio Sur (122 Pulpito, +52-322-223-0373; $4-12.). It's next to the gay Abbey Hotel and just a short walk to the gay beach.
Spend the first half of your day whale watching. That is, if you are traveling during the winter before the whales have migrated north. Handsome gay oceanographer Oscar Frey of Ocean Friendly Tours (+52-322-225-3774; $90.) leads a daily trip from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Dec. 15 through March 31. Lunch and beverages are included; reservations required.
Retail therapy is the perfect way to get your land legs back. Start off at Liquid Men (245 Ignacio L. Vallarta; +52-322-223-3165) where you can buy the latest clubwear and any accessories your gay heart desires.
Keep walking north along Ignacio L. Vallarta toward downtown to run into some mainstream shopping on an island in the River Cuale. Mercado de Isla Cuale (Isla Cuale; +52-322-223-2500) is a collection of open-air shops containing clothes, gifts, art, and every imaginable souvenir.
But don’t buy a T-shirt on the river. Go back to the Romantic Zone and hit Rainbow T-shirts (137 Pulpito; +52-322-223-2868) across from the Abbey Hotel. For $5 you can get a Puerto Vallarta T-shirt with exclusive gay designs.
Need a snack? Stop by ChocoBanana (Ampas and Pulpito Streets; +52-322-222-2114; $4-$25), where the signature chocolate banana is only $1.50. It's also a great place to stop for a quick breakfast. The Banana Cantina upstairs serves contemporary Mexican cuisine with an ocean view.
If you haven’t loosened up enough from a couple of days in PV, get a massage from the city’s gay founding father, Paco Ruiz (+52-044-322-227-2189). Paco once owned the wildly popular Club Paco Paco and the now-defunct Paco’s Paradise resort. He is a certified massage therapist and his signature rub down is the “River Rock” relaxation massage.
Round out your last night in PV with traditional Mexican food at the woman-owned, Gourmet magazine-endorsed Red Cabbage Café (240A Rivera del Rio; +52-322-223-0411; $13-28). The hard-to-find spot, next to the Cuale River, has about four-dozen seats and a funky cabbage and Frida Kahlo theme throughout.
The gay nightclub scene in PV doesn't get going until after midnight. If you want an earlier start, there's a daily happy hour at La Noche (257 Lazaro Cardenas; +52-322-222-3364). The soft music and dramatic lighting encourage conversation, as do the specialty tequila cocktails. Stereo (267 Lazaro Cardenas) is a small dance bar near La Noche that is particularly popular with locals and is often busy early as well.
Complete your last night in PV in one of the city’s gay mainstays, Paco’s Ranch (formerly Club Paco Paco: 278 Ignacio L. Vallarta; +52-322-223-0537). The second floor is a cantina with a pool table, jukebox, and video games, and the third floor extends out to a rooftop patio, regularly featuring live entertainment. A '70s-style disco for dancing and drag shows fills the main room downstairs. Paco’s attracts more women than the other clubs.
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