dollaroff

Did some searching here in the forum, but wanted to get your opinions.

Want to visit either Florida (Key West & Fort Lauderdale) or Puerto Vallarta over the holidays (late December to early January).

Never been to either location.

What I have in mind:
Traveling alone. Would like to meet people, but not a must.
Staying in a hotel on either trip.
Want warm weather and a nice beach. Want to relax.
Will do some shopping, clubbing, sightseeing during the trip.

For the Florida trip, I will rent a car. Will not rent a car for the PV trip.

Hotel/flight/car costs are about the same for both trips.


What would you do/recommend?
(if there is something specific you need from me, let me know and I'll try to expand)


Thanks.

saint82

Have been to Key West many times and loved it. Unfortunately, it is going straight. There are very few gay guest houses left, and the nightlife is underwhelming. It used to be a gay haven, but then was overtaken by South Beach and Fort Lauderdale, and all those cruise ships started bringing in all the straights.

If you do go to Key West, the place to go without a doubt is Island House.
A great experience.

dollaroff

I could easily spend more time in FL than KW.

Ollie

Hi --

You pose a great challenging question. I’m a fan of both PV and Ft Lauderdale, and you won’t go wrong with either. Both offer good gay hotels, good restaurants and a good gay bar, beach and club scene. Both are very relaxed and friendly, though FtL may be somewhat more gay-friendly than PV.
Yet, if you pressed me, I’d tilt you towards Ft Lauderdale. For one thing, it now is probably the #1 or #2 gay travel destination in the U.S. Thus there will be lots of other gay visitors.

For another, there are more than a dozen really good gay clothing-optional resorts near the ocean. This gives you lots of chance to meet other guys. (My favorite resort is The Worthington, though Royal Palms and The Grand are also very good and also near the ocean and the “gay” beach, and a bit more upscale – and pricier.)

FtL also offers a very diversified bar and club scene, and it gets going way before midnight; PV clubs and even some bars, by contrast, don’t rev up much until midnight. If you are a LA stud club-goer, the later start in PV may appeal to you; otherwise, you may prefer FtL. Also, and this, of course, depends upon your tastes, FtL has 2 excellent bathhouses and several sex “clubs.” PV does not.

One great FtL advantage is its proximity to South Beach and Miami – with their many cultural, Art Deco architectural, dining and gay venues. It’s a very easy drive to South Beach and Miami.

Overall, therefore, I’d nudge you to Ft Lauderdale. As for me personally, in the next 2 months, I’ll be visiting both. LOL

Hope this helps.

Ollie

JCinNYC

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8830/4.2.2 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/104)

Well, if you are looking for nice beaches, then FLL is the place to go (not Key West). I was a little dissapointed with PVR's beaches, not the nicest I've ever seen. And the nightlife is good but I prefer FLL's, more options.

CarNut

If you definitely want warm weather, the only choice is PVR. Florida can be hit and miss with the weather over Christmas and New Years, even in Key West.

MiamiAirport Formerly NY George

getsaround

It can be down right cold in South Florida in December and January so you'll be taking your chances with your "warm weather" desire. Don't know how old you are but FLL is a good place to meet older ( 50's-60's) men that time of the year, particularly at cocktail hour at TROPICS restaurant in Wilton Manors. Of course, younger guys abound, too.

dollaroff

Thanks for all of the good advice.

I still haven't made any decisions; I may just stay home and save my $ instead...

DCFFlyer

PV gets my vote hands down. I like Ft Lauderdale but I like PV even better. I should disclose here that I will be there during New Years. Been to PV several times and have always had a wonderful time.

The weather should be very warm and the guys who go down there at New Years are even hotter. Another big plus is that the dollar has surged against the peso from about 10 pesos to about 13 or 14 pesos to the dollar. That's like a 30-percent off sale.

If you go, stay somewhere around the old city. Although there are nicer hotels near the marina, it's very touristy and you'll end up spending too much on Taxis.

As for bars and clubs, I like La Noche and Manana

http://www.lanochepv.com/

http://www.clubmanana.com/

Restaurants are very good and with the exceptions of the gringo restaurants, are not very expensive.

As for beaches, the blue chairs and their neighbors at Los Muertos is a great place to meet new friends. If you want something a bit more chill and picturesque, walk down to Conchas Chinas.

Don't forget to have a sunset cocktail or two at the rooftop bar at the Blue Chairs Hotel

http://www.hotelbluechairs.com/

I can't vouch for any of the gay hotels. Some of them look to be a bit long in the tooth. And whatever you do don't waste your time or money on the Secret Oasis tour. It's a total sham.

I think you'll really like PV if you decide to go there.

dollaroff

Thanks for all your advice: I decided to save my $ and stay home instead.

However, I'm planning to do something next year during this time...I'll just figure it out much sooner.



Thanks!