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Charming Puerto Vallarta, Mexico is a lively small city of red tiled roofs and cobblestone streets, roosters, donkeys and iguanas, friendly locals, expatriates and fun loving tourists. Nestled between the brilliant Banderas Bay and the lush tropical forests of the Sierra Madre mountains on the west coast of Mexico west (see map), Puerto Vallarta is known for its long sandy beaches, beautiful ocean and mountain views, handsome men, happening nightlife and its many fine restaurants. Whether sunbathing at the popular gay beach, sailing on one of the gay cruises, bike riding along the Cuale River, whale watching on sun drenched Banderas Bay or dancing the night away at one of your favorite local gay bars, there is something for you to adore and fall in love with in gay Puerto Vallarta.

Puerto Vallarta was a small town based on agriculture and fishing until 1963, when Hollywood director John Huston chose his site for the filming of Tennessee Williams’ brilliant play “The Night of the Iguana” in the small fishing village of Mismaloya, ten miles south of Vallarta. The movie starred Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, Deborah Kerr and Sue Lyon. Liz Taylor came to be with Burton, whom she married here for the first time. The story is told that the talented, macho director Huston gave each of the stars their own pistol with a set of bullets engraved with the names of the other actors. Surprisingly, there was harmony among the tempestuous actors, but the spotlight was turned on and the international attention that started then has brought Puerto Vallarta an abundant wealth of tourism ever since. The population has grown rapidly from some 12,500 in 1964 to around 250,000 inhabitants in 2008. Approximately two and a half million Mexican and foreign tourists visit the city every year, hence it is today one of Mexico’s major resorts and tourist destinations. The local economy is largely based on tourism, but also on construction and a variety of agricultural products.

As with most port cities, Puerto Vallarta has a tradition of tolerance and is certainly one of the most gay friendly vacation spots in Mexico. The local newspaper La Tribuna de la Bahia conducted an unofficial survey in November 1999 and found that a majority of the people surveyed said they would have no problem with a gay mayor, as long as he was qualified for the job.

Puerto Vallarta has become one of the most popular gay travel destinations south of the border, if not the largest, surpassing the huge resort city of Acapulco in recent years as a romantic gay vacation hot spot. The town is safer than any American city of its size that I know of and combines beautifully the Old World charm of its cobblestone streets and white stucco houses with the modern amenities of a world class resort, having a multitude of five star hotels, fine sandy beaches and quality stores, restaurants and art galleries, as well as large and growing middle and professional classes. The Mexicans are known for their friendliness and the people of Puerto Vallarta (often just known as PV for short) are no exception.

The American Society of Travel Agents reported Vallarta as the sixth most favorite destination for American travelers abroad, and for good reason. Conde Nast Traveler ranked Puerto Vallarta in 2002 as one of the top 10 foreign cities of the world, up there along with Paris, Rome, Sydney, London and Hong Kong. For foreign friendliness the town outranked all the choices and was also the first choice for its ambiance. Conde Nast further noted that Vallarta “makes its debut on the list this year, in part because of the remarkable amiability of the local folk.” So there you have it, folks! More good reasons why Puerto Vallarta has become one of the leading overseas travel vacation spots for the gay and lesbian community in the last decade or so.

Mexico’s #1 Gay Beach Destination

Most of Puerto Vallarta’s gay tourism comes from the West Coast states and British Columbia, Texas and the Southwest, as well as large numbers from Montreal and Toronto. One meets more and more people from the Midwest, especially Chicago. Vallarta’s reputation draws tourists from the East Coast as European gay destinations and the gay vacation resorts in Florida and Hawaii become more expensive. Prices are still reasonable here and the American dollar is quite strong vis-a-vis the Mexican peso, at around 12.7-13.2 pesos to the dollar. Puerto Vallarta has been listed as the #1 beach destination in Latin America by Travel and Leisure Magazine and is a great romantic tropical getaway.

In a New York Times travel article from a few years back Susan Hauser writes that she ditches her Vallarta city tour and goes off “to walk for hours along the beach and through the picturesque town. The inviting shops and restaurants that fill every block give this town a European feel, I think, and I love the modern bronze sculptures placed along the waterfront.”

David Kirby in another NYT vacation article from May 2004 says that the crowds on gay holidays at the beach were quite friendly, “mostly over 30, and mostly from the Midwest or West Coast. For a gay beach scene, it was pretty low key. Many there said they go back to Puerto Vallarta every year, not only for the gay scene but also the relaxed atmosphere and gorgeous natural surroundings.” You can eat, cruise, party, sun, shop and chat at the same time – talk about a tropical gay holiday paradise! Kirby also rightly notes that Puerto Vallarta gay nightlife compares well with that of almost any equal-sized American or Canadian city and that there are a good number of day and night-time entertaining holiday activities to be enjoyed.

These vacation activities and excursions occur nearly every day or night of the week during the “high season” winter months of November to April: the gay cruises, bingo, stripper and drag shows, happy hours galore, pool parties, special performers at nightclub Manana, and of course the extremely popular gay beach on Los Muertos. All-in-all a near perfect gay holiday destination. The bars are doing a booming business and there are now some eighteen gay bars, nightclubs, cantinas, discotheques and lounges, all but three of them in the unique part of town known as the South Side, sometimes referred to as the Zona Romantica. Puerto Vallarta is also known for its lively and eclectic local art and music scene. Though the summer months are slower for tourism compared to the winter season, more tourists are coming year-round for the friendly accomodations, lovely beaches, relaxing atmosphere and the many fun things to do and see.

Source: www.discoveryvallarta.com