bml86

I frequent the Delta forum and newer to this forum, so apologies for any conventions I don't know--

My fiancee and I recently got engaged and are getting married early next June. Needless to say, we love traveling, but most of our travels have taken us through the continental US and urban centers in Europe (with a recent notable exception of a trip to Iceland).

We are looking for a 12-14 day trip next June that will take us a bit out of our "normal" range of destinations and be a combination of relaxation (beach?) and activity (we both love to hike, bike, run, and explore--all at a novice level). A key consideration is that we want an area that is as gay friendly as possible.

We are both in our late 20s (I'll hit 30 right before the wedding). While we don't have a set budget for the trip yet, I'm thinking hotel rooms <$350 and flying in Y.

Our dream list includes Argentina and Australia, but we'd have to compromise big time on weather in June (we really want to be warm!). Thus far we've considered Greece and Hawaii, the former being perhaps too expensive and the latter maybe not quite far enough outside the realm of "normal" trips for us-- we are looking for something a little different. I haven't explored SE Asia and am frankly a bit nervous about being an openly gay couple in some of those areas. Maybe that's an ignorant perspective.

I would love to hear your thoughts on destinations and suggested itineraries.

perthflyer

You don't necessarily have to compromise the weather in Australia in June - the top third
of Australia will still be warm. Broome, Darwin, Cairns etc. are hot all year round - June is actually the best time as that's the dry season! I've not been to Darwin but I've heard great things about it - it also has a small but lively gay scene there.

Bali is just a stones throw away as well from the north of Australia. Seminyak is quite gay friendly. From Bali you have the less visited Lombok and Gili Islands as well.

bml86

Thanks Perth!

Another option I left off is the Iberian Peninsula - starting in Lisbon, spending time along the coast and then driving inland both in Portugal/Spain to spend time in wine country for some biking.

tatterdema

Big Island of Hawaii would probably fit the bill, except like you said, kind of ordinary. There are things there that you cannot do anywhere else though, like the night manta ray snorkeling, ride horses down into the valley, hike around at the volcano, etc. 12 days would be about right to see the entire island without rushing. June is a great month to visit, and for your hotel budget, you could get a very nice room on one side of the island, and a room at the Volcano House on the other side.

adampenrith

Asia,

Bali is open to gay people, the rest of Indonesia is not.

Malaysia is pretty accepting, so is Singapore.

Cambodia and Vietnam have some great gay resorts

Lots of choices

JVPhoto

I would go to South East Asia. You can do a 5* vacation in Thailand under your budget and you could also go to Singapore or Hong Kong for a few days (which would balance out the savings you made in Thailand).
It's just a long trip in Y.
NYC-NRT/ICN/HKG-BKK/SIN

For outdoors and sporty I would also recommend Cape Town but may not be the best weather in June. I'm not sure of the safari options in that price range but I know people go in the S.Hemi winter as it is better game viewing since it is not as lush.

carlosdca

Definitely forget about Bs. Aires (or nearby Mar del Plata) if what you want is warm.
Bs Aires is rainy and foggy and in the 50s in the winter (their winter is June-August)

BosTravel

Agree on Southeast Asia. Check out Koh Samui in Thailand, which I found to be very gay friendly. You could easily incorporate that with a stopover in Bangkok, SIN, or Hong Kong should you want some action.

JVPhoto

Even if you did all of Thailand you could get some of the Bangkok action and also do something like Koh Samui, Krabi, Phuket (I like Surin Beach area) for water and sand and also do Chiang Mai for the elephants and things like that.

If that's too much Thailand than as mentioned with the way to get there a few days in HKG or SIN is a prime idea.

Milz02315

Quick question for those proposing Thailand. I'll be there in two weeks and want to know if PDA is acceptable in Bangkok or Phuket?

carlosdca

Define PDA.

Holding hands?
Making out at a restaurant with slurpy noises?
rear end tapping?

Milz02315

Hold hands or maybe hold arm. Kissing but not making out. Rear end tapping, but the kind that is somewhat discreet and more humorous to the tapper.

JVPhoto

I wouldn't be all kissy in a temple, in fact many signs about with a couple a heart and a no slash through it...doesn't matter if it's gay or straight.
Walking around Silom after going to DJ Station or Soi 4...go head it's no big deal.

Enjoying yourself at dinner or having drinks? I wouldn't worry. I feel at any nicer place a good portion of the people in the service industry can be gay and you also have some now and then who are trans.
You're not in Louisville anymore!!

But with anywhere it's all about your surroundings. I would have no problem holding someone's hand walking out of my apartment on Bowery...but I wouldn't do that in Crown Heights.

LGA

Another vote for the great value of Thailand. Hard to beat the 5* hotel values you can get there! Consider the Citi Prestige card for the 4th night free benefit and Priority Pass for the places where you might not be flying a SkyTeam partner/using your DL Gold status.

cargo13

Your honeymoon is a once in a lifetime trip and you want to be well taken care of and enjoy it. This is the type of trip to consult a travel expert on. www.vacation.com is filled with travel experts, this is the page for Gay & Lesbian highly rated travel experts and you can select based on your location or their expertise--some also specialize in honeymoons and can answer your questions:

http://www.vacation.com/travel-agent...re&sort=rating