Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Introduction
Finding a tropical, sunny get-away that is also gay or lesbian-friendly isn’t always easy. That’s why Puerto Vallarta is such an excellent lesbian travel destination. Mexico’s “gay capital”, located on the Mexican Riviera, is the kind of place where a lesbian tourist can truly escape the everyday grind, lazing by the ocean sipping the prerequisite frozen daiquiri or margarita with her sweetie by her side…. with no unpleasant stares.
Over the past decade or so, Puerto Vallarta (also known as PV) has truly become one of the international gay hot spots, but like so many of these destinations, the trend was started by gay men. As a result, PV is still more of a boy vacation spot, but gay women are slowly starting to recognize its worth. The high season for visitors to the city is from November to April.
There is a bustling gay village in PV, charmingly known as the “Zona Romantica” in the city’s historic old town, especially around Olas Altas street. This area is filled with gay shops, restaurants, hotels and bars, and is right next to the extremely popular gay beach, Los Muertos. In this area you will also find a couple of spots that cater more to lesbians, but the women’s scene is much more spread out and doesn’t necessarily focus on the gaybourhood.
As to the local lesbian scene… well, it really isn’t very local at all. Most of the lesbians who own or operate establishments in PV are actually foreigners, ex-pats who visited Puerto Vallarta on vacation, fell in love with the town, and decided to pack it all up and move there. Unsurprisingly, most of these women are from the northern climes of Canada. One of these Canuck visitors loves PV so much that she decided to launch a women's week there, which will take place from Nov 7 - Nov 14, 2008. Check out our "events" section for more info.
One question I get asked a lot by women who are thinking about a vacation to Puerto Vallarta is where they should stay. Many people travel there as part of an all-inclusive vacation package, and some women worry that the hotel that comes with their package won’t be very lesbian-friendly. Don’t worry, it will be just fine! Puerto Vallarta really is gay-positive and I’ve never encountered any negative reactions from people working or staying at these resorts.
The few times I’ve been to Puerto Vallarta I’ve made a conscious decision to stay at a resort hotel slightly outside of downtown and the Zona Romantica, and I’ve always seen a number of other lesbian couples staying at my various hotels at the same time. Personally I find these hotels have bigger, cleaner rooms, better food, more pool areas where you can lounge and more beach space. Most of these resorts are only a 10-minute bus ride to the gaybourhood, so if you need to get your gay groove on it’s an easy trip.
One little FYI, Puerto Vallarta unfortunately isn’t available on the Girlports Passport mapping system. We hope it will be soon, but that will only happen when it’s offered by Google maps.
For those who prefer urban grit and cosmopolitanism to the more beach-centric experience that Puerto Vallarta provides, I strongly recommend a trip to Mexico City, which is incredibly lesbian-friendly. My girlfriend and I write a blog about lesbian life in Mexico City. Hopefully it will be helpful to those visiting or living in Mexico looking for lesbian resources in English. Macha Mexico: A Lesbian Guide to Mexico Cityd
Macha Mexico on Jun 19, 2008
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