Mexico City seems to be trying to win some kind of award for being the most liberal city in Latin America. In fact, Mexico as a country has won an award: gay Destination of the Year by the PlanetOut Travel Awards, which recognize gay-friendly tourist destinations. Past winners have included Barcelona and Buenos Aires.

Lots of beautiful men that would would say even rivals the likes of Rio de Janeiro’s Ipanema. There is a cruisey area called  “the rocks“, where sunbathers fling off their Speedos and go au natural! Around sunset can be very cruisy. In the last year, Acapulco has seen  a new infusion of luxury accommodations, as well as a growing gay scene, Acapulco is once again showing up on the itinerary of gay globetrotters.

I’d long heard about the elegant buildings and churches that make up the city’s historic center, the stylish shops and cafes of the fashionable suburb of Tlaquepaque, and the easy proximity to the beloved town of Tequila, home to the Sauza, Jose Cuervo, and numerous other fine distilleries. Indeed, there’s much to see and do in Guadalajara and the surrounding region.

But I hadn’t known that the city has nearly two-dozen gay bars as well as gay-friendly colonial B&Bs and plenty of welcoming restaurants and cafes, the majority of them within easy walking distance of the central Plaza Tapatia.”

Club Manana (the hottest gay club in Puerto Vallarta) launched Vallarta Fever in association with Naked Sword. It was a great week of parties with lots of great entertainment, porn stars, and hot men!

  Diana’s Gay Cruise. WHAT A GREAT TIME! Now in her 8th year she offers cruises 10am-5pm one or two days  a week, depending on the season.  $75, continental breakfast, snacks, unlimited beer and open bar (national brands), lunch on shore with a beer or beverage and snorkeling at several different stops throughout the day. It was a great day, a Thanksgiving Day to remember for sure, a beautiful tour of PV’s waterfront and Diana and her staff were awesome! – She just started a Monday night sunset cruise as well. Well worth checking out.

              Cafe’ des Artistes. This renowned cafe claims to be “one of the best restaurants in the world” and has the reviews to support that notion. Chef Thierry Blouet was recently named a Maitre Cuisenaire de France. The menu changes seasonally; a recent offering included grilled lamb chops cooked with local spices and balsamic vinegar, served with a garlic creme brulee. The desserts are also extraordinary. The self-described dress code is “dressy to casual,” but you may wish to dress up a bit. The patio is gorgeous and romantic – if you can get a seat out there!

While in Vallarta, someone had told us about  this restaurant called  EL ARRAYAN. They have been voted Best Mexican In Vallarta three years in a row  by Frommers Guide. And they serve RAICILLA. Raicilla, pronounced “rye-see-ya”, is the local moon shine. It is distilled in crude, primitive stills from a fermented mash made from the roots ( raicilla means “little root” ) of the maguey plant and usually more than 100 proof. Since it is produced without government license, and sold without government tax, it is illegal in the same sense that moonshine is illegal in the United States. Its production is one of the traditional local arts, and it is found only in this area.

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