Marriott CEO is Anti Gay Marriage
DID YOU KNOW that Marriott CEO does not support gay marriage? So why are we staying there??
Bill Marriott is the chairman and former CEO of Marriott
International, a Mormon owned business. Because of his devotion to
separating personal beliefs and business, he has expressed his views on
gay marriage without backlash,(WHY IS THAT??) unlike president and COO of Chick-fil-A,
Dan Cathy.
Marriott personally believes marriage is a union between a man and a
woman, but he has kept this belief from affecting how his business is
run.
He explains his views of the church to Diane Brady at Bloomberg Businessweek:
Gay Travel Great Travel Photography
Why is it when I go on my big gay vacations – I never get to capture great photos like theses?
And HEIGHTS! Are you kidding me??? I do not have the stomach for those!
Please note – we did not take these photos. All photos are owned by their respective owners and I disclaim any ownership. No infringement or copyright is intended.
If you own a particular photo/s and would like it removed from this site, please contact me raphaelsmp (at) gmail.com, then I’ll remove it within 24-48 hours.
Gay Travel to Singapore Amazing Rooftop Pool
Infinity pool 55 floors above ground opens in Singapore! WOW!
While the water in the infinity pool
seems to end in a sheer drop, it actually spills into a catchment area
where it is pumped back into the main pool. At three times the length of
an Olympic pool and 650ft up, it is the largest outdoor pool in the
world at that height.
It features in the impressive,
boat-shaped ‘SkyPark’ perched atop the three towers that make up the
world’s most expensive hotel, the £4billion Marina Bay Sands
development in Singapore.
The hotel, which has 2,560 rooms costing from £350 a night, was officially opened yesterday with a concert by Diana Ross.
The
Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi, estimated to have cost £2billion
when it opened in 2004, was previously the world’s most expensive hotel.
Gay Travel to Greece – Skiathos Gay Weekend July 2012
Unfortunately, we just discovered this – or we would have shared it earlier. It’s a little late to book now – but maybe next year!
While Mykonos
has long been considered to be the most gay-friendly island in Greece,
with a tradition of welcoming gay holidaymakers stretching back to the early 1960s, other islands also welcome gay travelers.
The
popular island of Skiathos, perhaps better known as one of the locations
for the movie version of “Mamma Mia!”, is presenting its first Gay
Culture Festival July 12th-15th, 2012.
The 1st International Gay Culture Festival will take place on July 12th to 15th on the cosmopolitan island of Skiathos Greece. This festival is organized with the initiative of the Hoteliers Association of Skiathos. Young artists from all over the world will join their forces for the G Festival and various events will take place, from beach parties to poetry reading.
You can watch a little video teaser online.
They have an official website as well Skiathos Gay
Gay Travel in Tallinn Estonia with new LGBT Map site
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of 159.2 km2 (61.5 sq mi) with a population of 416,536.[1] It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, 80 km (50 mi) south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg.
In Tallinn, where medieval meets both classical and modern, you have every chance of experiencing a unique, relaxing and fun holiday or city break with sightseeing opportunities up in the air, at street level and underground!
Tallinn is the perfect place to shop around, unwind and enjoy yourself in great company. It is full of surprises – a party to remember!
The locals know how to make your Friday or Saturday night out rock, in every sense of the word. You’ll be left wanting more… and we’re happy to help you!
A warm welcome to Tallinn, the capital of positively surprising Estonia!
GayMap Tallinn 2012 edition announces the capital of Estonia being now more gay-friendly than ever
More gay-friendly restaurants, more cafeterias, more hotels for LGBT travellers to choose from – Tallinn, the medieval yet modern capital of Estonia is truly more gay-friendly than ever before.
GayMap Tallinn is available as a pocket size city map distributed for free all over the town including Tallinn Airport, the Port of Tallinn, Tallinn Tourist Information Centre and Tallinn Traveller Info Centre. GayMap TALLINN is also available through the best service partners’ network and readable/downloadable online at tallinn.gaymap.ee – the daily updated LGBT tourism information service for Tallinn, which includes a full list of gay friendly partners and services plus a list of events and parties in town!
Tallinn, the northernmost capital in Baltic States, offers visitors a lush cultural scene with a wide scale of sightseeing opportunities. The brand new GayMap Tallinn 2012 edition allows LGBT visitors to easily navigate through the diverse cultural setting and enables them with the possibility to create an individualized holiday according to their own desires. This includes, but is not limited to a wide array of entertainment and city life, tours in nature, and shopping opportunities.
Bubble hotels in Popping Up in France and Estonia
We first came across Bubbletree’s playful transparent tents sometime last year.
Now they are being used to create an entire hotel in France! Just 12km from Marseille, a handful of these bubble tents have been placed amidst the beautiful forests of Bouches-du-Rhone,
allowing guests of the Attrap’Rêves Hotel to experience nature up close
and personal. 189 euro a night!
They are popping up everywhere. You can also watch the stars right from a comfortable bed without having to sleep
in a sleeping bag.
Now in Estonia, one of the three so called “Baltic states”, now features its
own unique hotel – A Bubble-hotel “Mullihotell”. The hotel is situated
near the beach in Rannakula district. It resembles a tent, which is
partially transparent and has a rounded shape. “It’s a unique
opportunity to stay in the pristine nature and enjoy the beauty right
out of a comfortable bed,” – states Mullihotell website. $116 – 129 euro per night.
The diameter of the bubble is 4 meters, height – 3 meters. The room has a
comfortable bed, table and chairs. Executive Director of Mullihotell
company Ermil Miggur said that the tent holds its shape due to the air
pumped into it. The round part of the tent does not have any support,
only the corridor is strengthened. If the generator stops working, then
the “bedroom” part of the bubble deflates, but the corridor not so it is
easy to leave the room.
Watch a video now on YouTube
Monkey Orchids Dracula simia from Peru
This is the rare Monkey Orchid, found only in high elevations of Ecuador
and Peru, especially the Peruvian Cloud Forest. The primate-esque flowers are formally known as Dracula simia.
The orchid was only named in 1978 by the botanist Luer but is in a
family containing over 120 species mostly found in Ecuador. Up in the
cloud mountains the monkey orchid can flower at any time – it is not
season specific. It scent resembles that of a ripe orange.
The Monkey orchid (Orchis simia) is an orchid species of the Orchis genus.
It is known for its pungent odor, which some say is similar to that of feces! Nice right?!
Its scientific name is Dracula simia, the last part nodding towards
the fact that this remarkable orchid bears more than a passing resemblance
to a monkey’s face – although we won’t go as far as
to be species specific on this one.
The Dracula (genus) part of its
name refers to the strange characteristic of the two long spurs of the
sepals, reminiscent of the fangs of a certain Transylvanian count of
film and fiction fame.
Gay Travel to Maui – Airfare Prices Drop
AIRFARE TO MAUI
CONTINUES TO PLUMMET!
You Can Now Fly Roundtrip from the West Coast for $500 bucks OR LESS!!!!
As you may know, earlier this year, the major airlines were charging outrageous fares to Hawaii.
We could not believe
roundtrip airfare from LAX to OGG (Kahului, Maui) for mid-week flights
in July, 2012 ranged from $950 up to an outrageous $1,400 roundtrip in
economy class.
Then we got the great news,
the three major airlines (United, American and Delta) all cut their
fares from the West coast cities down substantially down to about
$600-700.
Well now Hawaiian and Alaska Air have undercut the major airlines, forcing them to cut again.
We just went online and here are some sample fares for these cities for travel in the fall (8/21 to 11/14):
LAX to OGG $462 Roundtrip
SJC to OGG $499 Roundtrip
OAK to OGG $519 Roundtrip
SFO to OGG $439 Roundtrip
SAN to OGG $509 Roundtrip
SEA to OGG $478 Roundtrip
PDX to OGG $475 Roundtrip
Be sure to book your room at the Maui Sunseeker LGBT Resort at our already low rates for the fall!!
$99 Palm Springs Cool Summer Deal
Sure, it can get a little HOT in the desert in the summertime. But so what? That’s why God made pools, right?!
Our fitness friend DAVEY WAVEY told Gaytravel.com, “Interestingly, the high temperatures bring in a different crowd. Instead of attracting the usual crowd from San Diego and Los Angeles,
many of the tourists were from Eastern Europe. For the international
visitors, discounted hotel rooms and hot weather are a huge draw—and
much of Europe closes down later in the summer. It’s why the Palm
Springs locals affectionately refer to the summer months as “Foreskin
Season.”
This trip, I stayed at INNdulge—a clothing-optional resort for gay men.
Though there is no shortage of clothing-optional or gay hotels in Palm
Springs, INNdulge is different. The owners of INNdulge, Sandy and Jon,
go out of their way to build a real sense of community. Each evening,
for example, the owners hold a social hour to let the guests mix and
mingle. It’s a great way to connect with other visitors and to make new
friends.”
BY THE WAY, INNdulge has a $99 Summer Special till September 15th, 2012.
Davey continues, ”
Having said all of that, here are my best tips for visiting Palm Springs—and staying cool—during the summer months:
1. Bring a car. If you don’t drive to Palm Springs, be
sure to pick up a rental car at the airport. While walking is fine
during the cooler winter months, the summer heat is oppressive—and
dangerous. Get a car and take advantage of the air conditioning.
2. Prioritize the pool. Needless to say, the pool is
more important than the room. Stay at a hotel or resort with an amazing
pool. With temperatures as high as 120 degrees, you’ll want to spend
much of your downtime in the water.
3. Ride the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. Every half
hour, a cable car departs for a mountain peak 6,000 feet above Palm
Springs. The views are stunning—and, it’s usually 30 degrees cooler at
the top. It’s generally 70 – 90 degrees at the summit—thereby providing
some much-needed natural A/C.
4. Shop at the Thursday street fair. Each Thursday—and
after the hot sun goes down—the city comes alive for a weekly street
fair. Packed with local arts and crafts, food and jewelry, it’s a great
way to spend the cooler evening hours.
5. Drink lots and lots of water. Because it’s so hot
and dry, sweat tends to evaporate very quickly—and you might not realize
how dehydrated you really are. Make sure you drink plenty of water—and
take extra bottle with you while you venture out (especially during the
day).
Gay Travel to Iceland – Reykjavik and More!
Iceland is a great destination for LGBT travelers, gay people are equal in the eyes of the law and have enjoyed marriage rights, in churches from the year 2010.
Iceland is proud to have the worlds first openly lesbian primeminister and to show support in action one third of the population shows up for Reykjavík Gay Pride.
The gay scene and society in Iceland is small but active and open, it exists mostly in the capital Reykjavík but the northern branch in Akureyri is getting stronger each year. Iceland as a gay friendly destination has gotten great reviews, it has landed on various top ten lists and gotten 5 pink stars by Diva magazine.
With its gay friendly atmosphere Iceland has come a long way since the Gay rights association, Samtökin’78 were founded in 1978 by brave, but few people. Now in the year 2012 we stand equal to straight people in the eyes of the law. The Reykjavík Gay Pride has become one of the biggest celebrations of the nation with 100.000 people attending the parade and the down town festivities and prejudice towards lgbt people are on retreat.
Ask someone in Iceland: Do you know any gay people; we can almost guarantee that the answer will be positive, this has helped the progression of gay rights in Iceland. As soon as someone you know and love has come out, gay rights are also yours to protect because they protect someone you love. Regarding transgender rights Iceland has a long way to go but we are hopeful that we can celebrate equality in the year 2012.
Check out these events!
Reykjavik Gay Pride
Always held in the second weekend of August Reykjavik Gay Pride is one of the biggest festivities in Iceland.
Dates for 2012: August 7th-12th
Gaypride.is
Pink West:
Amazing LGBT trip to the Westfjords of Iceland pre and post Reykjavík Gay Pride
Dates: August 13th-15th
Pink West
Pink East:
Magical LGBT trip to the Eastfjords of Iceland pre and post Reykjavík Gay Pride
Dates: August 6th-8th & August 13th-15th
Pink East
Bears on Ice: Four day event from September 6th
Bear event in the world´s northernmost capital
Bearsonice.org/
Rainbow Reykjavík: January 31st-February 3rd
LGBT winter festival, mixture of nature, culture, wining, dining and great parties:
Rainbowreykjavik.com/
Death Threats in Croatia for Gay Pride
I have always wanted to see Croatia.
Croatia has a double ‘personality’ with its thousand Adriatic islands adjacent to picturesque mountains
and lakes. But it’s also a survivor of the bloody Balkan wars where massacres and ethnic cleansing ravaged
the land in the 1990’s. Narrow-minded socialist thinking still expresses some sharp intolerance toward gays and lesbians. But time, peace and prosperity have helped in the healing of war scars while new national legislation has given first-time recognition of LGBT partnerships. (from 2006).
THIS WEEK, Several government ministers in Croatia announced they will join a gay pride march
set for this weekend amid threats of violence from opponents, saying it
was a test of democracy for a country due to join the European Union
next year.
Last year’s event, held in the Adriatic city of Split,
plunged into violence as police failed to protect the marchers from
angry locals who pelted them with eggs and rocks. Several people were
injured and at least 30 arrested.
Several nationalist and war veteran groups have issued warnings
against this year’s June 9 march in Split, calling it a “shameful
provocation by sick people to which we will respond.”
I can tell you, we were in Budapest last year, 2011, for Gay Pride, and nearly 1500 police tried to protect the 1500 marchers. And it was kind of scary. This year Police said they would NOT do it again and tried to cancel Pride – but Parliament overruled, and said they MUST protect the marchers again this year!
But back to Croatia.
Croatian Gay Pride revelers are being threatened with violence by members of a rightwing Facebook group, according to reports.
B92 notes that over 400 Facebook users joined the now-defunct group,
which has been dubbed, “Blood will flow in the streets of Split, there
will be no gay parade.”– the group even threatened.
“The group says its goal
is to point out to the public that it was unacceptable to hold the
“immoral manifestation” which should be held on June 9 in Split.
According to the group, the manifestation is “poisoning children”.
“What
are they proud of, their disease?”, “Every normal person is sick of
parades of mentally ill people (gays). They don’t care about the fact
that someone’s child has to watch the sick people”, “Gay bashing June 9,
2012”, “Don’t parade, go get some treatment!” are just some of the
comments posted on the group.“
An investigation of the group and its origins is reportedly underway.
“We will try to determine who the author of the group was and we will
act in accordance with the law,” Split-Dalmatia Police Spokeswoman
Marina Kraljević-Gudelj told the site. “After that we will inform the
state prosecution.”
Albuquerque New Mexico Hot Air Balloon Festival Oct. 6-14, 2012
Is this an amazing feast for the eyes, or what?!
Since 1972, The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is a yearly festival of hot air balloons that takes place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA during early October. The balloon fiesta is a nine day event, and has around 750 balloons. The event is the largest hot air balloon festival in the world.
Buy the amazing and breathtaking book!
The World Comes to Albuquerque
Gay Travel to Maui: The Gay Side of the Valley Isle
Paradise is a strong word.
But ask anyone who has been to Maui, Haawii and they say it
is truly a paradise in every way.
For the gay/lesbian couple seeking a romantic haven, the island of Maui is waiting to welcome you with bright rainbow leis.
From snorkeling to whale watching and lounging and relaxing on a remote gay beach, Maui is paradise found.
With a population of less than 150,000 people, the gay scene is much smaller on Maui than in Oahu but there’s a small, tight knit LGBT community and a lot of great activities geared toward the gay tourist. The gay population is mainly concentrated
around the Kihei area in South Maui, but gay people live all over the
island.
Whether you want to surf, canoe or kayak, opportunities abound on gay Maui for the outdoor enthusiast. (which I am not! However, Maui was the perfect place for me, to unplug, and RELAX!). There are several companies that offer visitors outdoor equipment and training.
If you’re looking for something lower impact, Maui is the leading whale-watching center in the Hawaiian Islands. Head to the beach and try to spy a Humpback, dolphin or sea turtle. Stick around and be sure to catch one of the most amazing sunsets you’ll ever experience. No Ka Oi Adventures offers nature-based excursions organized for LGBT travelers. The operator specializes in nature-based excursions and offers the queer traveler small group tours featuring off-the-beaten-path destinations on the island.
The first step in planning your memorable jaunt to the Valley Isle is finding the right accommodations. Luckily there are several gay and lesbian owned or friendly hotels and resorts on the island. Some of these properties, like the Maui Sunseeker, offer LGBT specific packages and host commitment ceremonies. In 2012, Hawaii became the seventh US state to legalize civil unions. What better place to be married and have your honeymoon at the same time?!
Industry insiders have said they expect that the law legalizing civil
unions, which took effect Jan. 1, 2012, will lead to a boost in tourism among
same-sex visitors. Hotel executives said they’re actively reaching out
to the gay and lesbian community with promotions and packages aimed at
couples who are eager to make their commitment official.
The amazing coastline is one of the main reasons to visit Maui and Little Beach is the most popular gay beach on the island. You’ll find this nude beach in Makena State Park, South of Wailea at the end of Wailea Alanui Road. It’s a little tricky. You’ll have to walk past the Big Beach and over the lava-flow trail to get there. It’s a great place to meet and greet the local gay set and gay tourists from all over the world.
After a day of fun in the sun, you’ll want to experience the local gay nightlife. Don’t expect to a wide variety of dance clubs and other gay venues like you’d find in Honolulu, but you’ll definitely have a great time.
One of the most popular bars for gays and lesbians on the island is Ambrosia. Named by Maui Time Weekly as best bar (two years in a row), Ambrosia offers daily entertainment and eclectic décor. If you want to try some exotic local drinks, you’ll fall in love with Ambrosia. Their wide varieties of specialty martinis are extremely popular and are the perfect way to cap off an adventure-packed day. There are also great drink specials and a happy hour every night from 6pm to 9pm.
Betty’s Beach Café is also a great place to eat, drink and be Mary! Their Sunday brunch is out of this world, featuring amazing omelets, egg scrambles and signature cocktails. No trip to this tropical venue would be complete without trying one of their “Betty” drinks. From the Bettie Paige (red wine, peach schnapps and pineapple) to the Betty Rubble (a Blue-beri Hawaiian), there’s truly a vice for everyone. Happy hour is always a blast at Betty’s. Every afternoon from 2pm to 5pm enjoy $3 Mai Tais and $4 Longboard Kona Beers. Stay or come back later in the evening for Betty’s evening happy hour, from 9pm to 11pm every day.
October is a great time for gay travelers to experience Maui. Maui Pride is October 5-7, 2012 and it’s always a celebration to remember. The festivities begin that Friday with an Aloha Reception at the Maui Sunseeker. This mixer is a great opportunity to get to know the local queer community and hobnob. But space fills up fast! Book as early as you can.
The main event will be held at the Maui Tropical Plantation on Saturday, October 6. Entrance is free and there will be a wide variety of vendors and activities. That morning the Pride committee will also be sponsoring drag races and other fabulous events. Saturday night, return to the venue to hula your ass off! DJs will be spinning and live performances (including the local Deborah Vial Band) are scheduled to entertain the masses. The final day of the Pride festivities kicks off at Stella Blues for breakfast (8am to 10am). Cap off the final day with a snorkel tour or hidden waterfall hike.
Before you leave Maui, during Pride or any other time of the year, you MUST take a helicopter ride overlooking the island. Air Maui and other operators offer flights for tourists and it’s only about a 45-minute flight. The sea cliffs are breathtaking! The waterfalls, awe-inspiring.
When the luau is over and you’re depressed that you have to leave the dream vacation of a lifetime, take solace, when you say “aloha” it means goodbye and hello. The friendly islanders will be there to welcome you back with sweet, sun-kissed smiles!
Guest Author Jon Fairbanks – Gay Travel Team Member
For more information about Maui or other LGBT destinations please visit www.gaytravel.com
Photo credit Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) / Tor Johnson
Awesome travel Photos from Gay Readers
An island AND a train??
Dubai, high above the clouds!
EMERALD lake sits inside in empty Volcano! New Zealand.
Gibraltar Airport – The main road heading towards the land border with Spain, intersects
the airport runway, so consequently has to be closed every time a plane
lands or departs.
Peaceful. A mom and her babies in Michigan.
Thanks to Jerry for sending in these photos!
*All photos are owned by their respective owners and I disclaim any ownership. No infringement or copyright is intended.
If you own a particular photo/s and would like it removed from this site, please contact me raphaelsmp (at) gmail.com, with your proof of ownership then I’ll remove it within 24-48 hours.
Gay Travel with HELLO KITTY
I personally LOVE Hello Kitty. It is so bright and gay and happy!
EVA Air has recently announced the transformation of two of its
Airbus A330-300 airplanes into airborne tributes to Japanese icon Hello Kitty. I’m pretty sure this proves there is nowhere to hide from the magic of Hello Kitty.
The adorable kitten created by Sanrio, in 1974, has become a
powerhouse brand in Asia, worth billion of big dollars. Everybody seems
to love Hello Kitty so Taiwanese airline EVA Air decided to associate
itself with it in an attempt to boost their struggling sector.
Analysts
say there is no risk in the move, and that despite having to pay Sanrio a
HUGE sum of money for licensing , the company has a high chance of reaching
its goal. After all, this is their third Hello Kitty plane, so they must
have had some success with the previous two.
Photos: REUTERS
Just in case you were wondering what other things bare the Hello
Kitty logo, the answer is simple: EVERYTHING! The world already has Hello Kitty theme-park, a Hello Kitty Castle, Hello Kitty cars, and even Hello Kitty themed weapons. If you’re looking for more, just check out Hello Kitty Hell, and you’ll realize there’s just no escaping the pussy. Um, kitty I mean.
Get a peak!
see also Hello Kitty Hotel in Japan
Gay Travel to Amsterdam Holland and Keukenhof
Keukenhof – known as the Garden of Europe – is the one of the best places to view the abundance of spring flowers in the South Holland region of the Netherlands.
Amsterdam’s flower market – the Bloemenmarkt – reflects the country’s passion for cut flowers and plants.
Around seven million bulbs are planted each year in the park at Keukenhof, in an area of 32 hectares.
The Bloemenmarkt – set on the capital’s Singel canal and said to be the world’s only floating flower market – has a score of stalls where you can buy all sorts of plants, flowers, bulbs and seeds.
The mild climate of Holland, with its wet springs makes it an ideal place for bulb cultivation.
DID YOU KNOW???
Tulips originated in the east and were brought to Holland from the Ottoman Empire in the mid 1500s.
In springtime, the lowland area by the North Sea is carpeted with fields of gladioli, hyacinths, lilies, daffodils, crocuses… and, of course, tulips.
Keukenhof – literally ‘kitchen garden’ – is part of the hunting grounds of the ancient Teylingen estate.
This year, the theme for the Keukenhof exhibition is Germany: Land of Poets and Philosophers.
The patchwork quilt of colours in the Keukenhof park, just outside Lisse in South Holland, is a veritable feast for the eyes.
The bulbs of Keukenhof are re-planted each year according to the current trends and in collaboration with a number of gardening magazines.
The best way to appreciate the full glory of the Dutch spring is to hire a bike and cycle one of the tourist routes among the bulb fields.
GAY PRIDE in Amsterdam is happening August 1-7, 2012
Special pricing and packages available NOW
Call DAVE at 1-800-942-1280
*All photos are owned by their respective owners and I disclaim any ownership. No infringement or copyright is intended.
If you own a particular photo/s and would like it removed from this site, please contact me raphaelsmp (at) gmail.com, with your proof of ownership then I’ll remove it within 24-48 hours.
Do Gay Travelers Have A Lot Of Baggage? Don’t Fly Spirit
OK, you have seen the travelers trying to avoid the checked baggage fee and cramming 7 days of clothes into a carry on that has to be SHOVED into the overhead!
Spirit Airlines’
new $100 fee for a carry-on bag may be the most recent irritant for
fliers, but other airlines also have quietly raised their fees.
Spirit says that beginning Nov. 6 it will charge $100 for fliers who pay
for a carry-on bag at the boarding gate. That’s a big jump from the $45
the airline is charging now at airport gates and means it could cost
$200 round-trip to carry a bag on board.
Most airlines don’t charge to
carry on a bag, but last month Allegiant Air began charging up to $35, depending on the route.
Bag fees on other airlines also have been rising since USA TODAY surveyed all fees in September:
•Delta
Air Lines’ highest fee then for a second checked bag was $75 for some
international flights. Now the airline charges $80 for fliers paying
online and $100 at the airport for flights between the USA and Europe or
North Africa.
•American Airlines’
highest fee in September for a second checked bag was $60 on some
international flights. Now the price is $70 for flights between the USA
and South America (excluding Brazil).
•JetBlue
increased its fee for a second checked bag from $35 to $40 in February.
Unlike most competitors, though, the airline doesn’t charge to check a
first bag.
BACK TO SPIRIT – It’s been 24 hours of turbulence for Spirit Airlines chief executive Ben
Baldanza since he waved off his airline’s “irrelevant” industry-worst
customer complaint record in an exclusive interview with FoxNews.com.
US Tourism is not Afraid to Welcome LGBT Travel
Watch the music video for “Land of Dreams,” the original song written by
Rosanne Cash and John Leventhal and performed by Rosanne Cash and guest
artists Los Lobos, Bebel Gilberto and TREME.
Encouraging travelers to
come and find your “Land of Dreams,” they are featured in the first ever
global tourism campaign for the United States.
For a couple seconds we see what appears to be a gay couple! (about 1:16). I wish they would have done a little more than just that…but, it’s better then not being included at all.
WATCH NOW!
St Stefan in Montenegro…Not So Gay Friendly?
So I am debating where to plan my next European adventure. While I love Prague and Budapest, and I can’t keep going there every year, when there are other places I want to see.
A friend recently suggested planning a trip around Montenegro. I said, “WHERE?!”
Montenegro is the pearl of the
Mediterranean, unique in many ways, is situated in the south of the
Adriatic. Nowhere else can you find, so much natural wealth, beauty,
mild beaches, clear lakes, fast rivers, and gorgeous mountains in such a
compact area as in Montenegro. In the morning you can wake up along the
beautiful Adriatic coast, have lunch on the banks of Skadar Lake, and
enjoy an evening walk in the Montenegrin mountains. Montenegro cannot
leave you indifferent.
Not only an excellent choice for holidays, Montenegro has many other
remarkable characteristics: history, culture, tradition, good weather
conditions, clean air, beautiful nature, the blue Adriatic Sea….
Everyone should visit Montenegro. This little country combines features
of both the Balkans and the Mediterranean, near Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia,
Italy and Albania. Despite its small size, Montenegro offers great
diversity and abundant natural beauty.
And my friend said ST STEFAN island and hotel resort is a must. The resort includes the islet of Sveti Stefan and part of the mainland,
where the Villa Miločer part of the resort is located. An Adriatic
playground for the rich and famous from the 1960s to the 1980s, the
hotel is now a 5-star franchise hotel of the international group of Aman Resorts,
completed in 2009 and operating under a 30 year lease. Formerly an
island, Sveti Stefan is now connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus. The resort in total contains 50 rooms, cottages and suites on the island and 8 grand suites at the Villa Miločer.
My only worry is that Serbia is not so gay friendly. Many of those little countries over there are not so gay friendly!
In an article called HONEYMOON FROM HELL it says.. If embarking on a tour across Europe is your ultimate goal, same-sex
couples should skip a stop in Montenegro. Located on the Balkan
Peninsula, Montenegro decriminalized homosexuality in 1977; yet deeply
ingrained anti-gay attitudes continue to permeate the culture in this
conservative Eastern European nation. Similar sentiments are reflected
in many of the former Soviet Republics, including Belarus and Ukraine,
according to Collins.
Gay-friendly destinations in Europe: most western European countries, Czech Republic, Slovenia (western), Hungary!
Gorgeous Inn in Ohio hills Offers Chance to be Innkeeper for an Afternoon!
Inn offers “Innkeeper for an Afternoon” experience; includes free overnight
After frequent comments from guests who say they think it would be fun to run an inn, Inn & Spa at Cedar Falls has created a unique way for them to experience firsthand what it’s like to be an innkeeper. The “Innkeeper for an Afternoon” program was just launched to give staff the day off so that they may help celebrate the Inn & Spa at Cedar Falls’ 25th Anniversary. But the program also allows guests to try their hand at the job of innkeeping.
Thus, the Inn & Spa at Cedar Falls is seeking friendly, energetic people to help run the inn on Sunday, June 3. The “job,” will include checking in guests, taking phone messages and other innkeeping duties. The lucky person to get the assignment will also receive a free overnight stay that evening. Interested travelers can email Innkeeper Ellen Grinsfelder, ellen@innatcedarfalls.com or call (800) 653-2557. Reservations and complete details on the Inn & Spa at Cedar Falls are available at Innatcedarfalls.com.
A Hocking Hills Tourism Association Certified Green destination, The Inn & Spa at Cedar Falls is located ½ mile above Hocking Hills’ scenic Cedar Falls. The region offers a variety of recreational opportunities including hiking, bird watching, canoeing and fishing, as well as exquisite photo opportunities. The Inn’s pampering spa offers a full compliment of spa services, including couples massage, girlfriend getaways, bridal parties and group events.
Fine American cuisine is the specialty at the Inn’s dining room and meals are prepared with the finest organic herbs, produce and ingredients. The Gathering Place at The Inn at Cedar Falls caters to weddings, family reunions, business retreats and organizational brainstorming sessions of up to 50 guests.
We wrote about this Inn last year – it was an amazing time!
