Croatia’s Island of Mljet – 2TravelDads

Croatia's Island of Mljet - 2TravelDads

Unless you’ve been island hopping in the Dalmatian Isles, you might not have heard of Mljet or considered visiting this funky little Croatian island. There are lots of things to do on Mljet and if you have the opportunity to spend a few days here, it’s well worth it and you’ll be so glad you did. We loved the two ports we visited on the island… and learned a lot about Croatia.

Mljet was an amazing surprise filled with butterflies, vineyards, lamb, and even a pirate monastery. Take a look at what makes Mljet the most fascinating of the Dalmatian Isles. And then please let us know when you’re going to visit because we’d love to go back and spend a few more days there.

Unless you’ve been island hopping in the Dalmatian Isles, you might not have heard of Mljet or considered visiting this funky little Croatian island. There are lots of things to do on Mljet and if you have the opportunity to spend a few days here, it’s well worth it and you’ll be so glad you did. We loved the two ports we visited on the island… and learned a lot about Croatia.

Mljet was an amazing surprise filled with butterflies, vineyards, lamb, and even a pirate monastery. Take a look at what makes Mljet the most fascinating of the Dalmatian Isles. And then please let us know when you’re going to visit because we’d love to go back and spend a few more days there.

Full Story at 2TravelDads

Croatia Gay Travel Resources

 

Bandung Road Trip – Once Upon a Journey

Bandung - Once Upon a Journey

Bandung is Indonesia’s third biggest city and is located in West Java. With way cooler temperatures than Jakarta, it’s the perfect getaway. Be prepared for some crazy cool Instagram spots like Rabbit Town, beautiful mountain scenery and many traffic jams (it’s almost as busy as Jakarta). There are a lot of fun things to do in and around Bandung and you can totally do it on a day trip!

In and around Bandung you can find many crazy Instagrammable hotspots. And you will find them in the weirdest places. The first one we stumble upon is the area around Cakrawala Sparkling Nature Restaurant. A great place for drinks and food at one of the restaurants or just to enjoy the view and photo spots.

Rabbit town is even more random, but we like fun places so it’s perfect! If you want colourful pictures, go here. The building is full of crazy, colourfully decorated rooms – on multiple levels. We paid 65.000 IDR entrance fee to Rabbit town.

By Roxanne & Maartje – Full Story at Once Upon a Journey

Indonesia Gay Travel Resources

 

Starlight Pines B&B – Flagstaff Gay Bed and Breakfast

Starlight Pines B&B

Imagine stepping back in time to a place in the Arizona west where crackling fires welcome you, spacious guest room accommodations, and luxurious, claw foot bathtubs await you! Imagine staying at Starlight Pines Bed and Breakfast, a Victorian style house nested among the pines at the foot of Mt. Elden, in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Make us your home base while visiting the Grand Canyon (a bit more than 1 hour from our Inn) and Sedona (40 minutes south of our Inn) and many other area attractions within a 2 hour ride of our Bed and Breakfast!

You’ll love the old-fashioned romance of the antique-filled rooms, Tiffany lamps, complimentary beverages, free Wi-Fi, free parking, the full gourmet breakfast and the friendliness of your hosts, Richard & Michael, and their special Shih Tzu friends, Moo Shu and Taz – and our newest addition, Baxter our Puggle!

See the Starlight Pines B&B Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

AREA Gay Friendly Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals

Hiking the Vermilion Cliffs – Free Wheel Drive

Vermilion Cliffs - Free Wheel Drive

This area of Arizona and Utah is a hot spot for Slot Canyons. What is a Slot Canyon? Slot Canyons are narrow passages formed by rivers that are now mostly dried up. Slot canyons are significantly deeper than they are wide. Hikers can follow the dried river beds that pass through the canyons. Sometimes the canyons can be very narrow, filled with debris, or can fill with water in a flash flood. Meaning they can be dangerous and hikers must be prepared and not go solo.

The tragic movie 127 Hours was about a solo hiker exploring slot canyons in this area of the country. The most famous slot canyon right now is Antelope Canyon near Page, AZ. Antelope Canyon is on the Navajo Reservation and access to this slot canyon is run by people who live on the reservation.

Unfortunately, because this canyon has become so popular on Instagram the demand to see it has skyrocketed and the reservation charges a lot of money to see it. We’re not saying we’re mad at the people who run the sight, it’s not public land and they have every right to make money off of tourists. It’s just for the moment seeing Antelope Canyon was out of our price range. So, what are we to do?

Good thing this area of the country is packed full of similar if not equally as beautiful other slot canyons. This is how we became introduced to Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. This National Monument is huge! It’s also very different from any other National Monument we have been to yet.

By Laura and Camrin – Full Story at Free Wheel Drive

Northern Arizona Gay Travel Resources

 

Koh Adang, Thailand’s Hidden Gem – The Nomadic Boys

Koh Adang, Thailand's Hidden Gem - The Nomadic Boys

Unspoilt and untouched by mass tourism, Koh Adang is how most islands in Thailand used to be 25 years ago.

It is the largest island of the Adang Archipelago, which forms part of the Koh Tarutao National Marine Park. It is also the antithesis of busy touristy Koh Lipe located just opposite: secluded, unspoilt and peaceful.

We love visiting this part of Thailand because on the one hand it offers all the touristic options you need for a comfortable holiday on Koh Lipe, whilst at the same time you find gems like Koh Adang.

The Adang-Rawi Archipelago

Adang is part of the Tarutato National Marine Park in southwest Thailand close to the Malaysian border. Within this national park there are two groups of islands: Tarutao and Adang-Rawi. The Adang-Rawi group consists of Koh Lipe, Koh Adang, Ko Rawi, Koh Butang and Koh Lek.

Koh Lipe is the only island in this archipelago that has been allowed to develop for mass tourism, with many restaurants, hotels, resorts, bars, agencies and more. Although Koh Lipe has managed to avoid the problems caused by mass tourism in Thai islands, during peak periods like the Chinese New Year, it can become extremely busy, and quite claustrophobic.

Koh Adang on the other hand is the total opposite: remote, underdeveloped and peaceful. It is the ideal respite from the heaving crowds on Koh Lipe, yet only 5-10 minutes away by tail boat.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at The Nomadic Boys

Thailand Gay Travel Resources

 

Warm Gay Friendly Holiday Destinations

Fort Lauderdale

If you’re gay and looking to get away for the holidays, chances are you’ll be visiting South Florida.

Four local cities — Wilton Manors, Fort Lauderdale, Miami Beach and Oakland Park — ranked among the most in-demand gay-friendly global cities for LGBTQ travelers during the holidays.

That’s according to the newly released Holiday LGBTQ Travel Ranking from misterb&b, a website that connects LGBTQ travelers with short-term rental apartments and private rooms. The website looked at year-round online searches for bookings and travel for the holidays and also factored in whether the city has legalized same-sex marriage and hate-crime protection laws in place. (They considered the holiday season beginning with Thanksgiving.)

Wilton Manors, which just elected an all-LGBTQ commission during the midterm elections, ranked No. 1 on the list, followed by Palm Springs (California), Fort Lauderdale, Cathedral City (California) and Miami Beach.

By Johnny Diaz – Full Story at Sun sentinel

Florida Gay Travel Resources

Top Ten Gay Amsterdam Hotels – Nomadic Boys

Gay Amsterdam Hotels

Amsterdam is one very gay friendly city which we love visiting. It has one of the best gay scenes and we always have an amazing time here.

Booking a hotel to stay in Amsterdam has never been a problem for us. We have always felt welcome at every place we’ve stayed at and sharing a bed has never been an issue. We never feel like we have to hide our sexuality anywhere in Amsterdam or in Holland, which is why we think it is one of the most gay friendly countries in the world.

These are our 10 favourite unique gay Amsterdam hotels based on our personal experiences and from recommendations by other LGBTQ travellers. Just remember, Amsterdam is one of the most expensive cities in Europe, so anything around $100 or less is considered budget, between $100-$200 is medium average budget, and over $200, high end luxury.

1. Quentin Golden Bear: budget hotel

The Golden Bear used to be a gay hotel, but recent change in management has widened the net to target backpackers and travellers on a budget. Despite this, it’s remained a very gay friendly hotel. It is located at Kerkstraat 37, which is walking distance to the city’s gay hangouts.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at The Nomadic Boys

Gay Amsterdam Travel Resources

Yi Peng Lantern Festival in Chiang Mai – Once Upon a Journey

Yi Peng lantern festival - Once Upon a Journey

If you have ever seen pictures of Yi Peng lantern festival in Chiang Mai, you are probably as enchanted as we were. Thousands of lanterns floating into the sky, all around you – just like that one scene in Tangled. Okay, admittingly, that’s how we found out about this festival in the first place. The idea of something so magical happening in real life was too good not to check out ourselves!

We dove deep into the web to find everything about this sensational event and unfortunately, instead of magic, we found a struggle. There is surprisingly little information on this increasingly popular event and the information that is out there is very vague… Our mission, aside from experiencing our Disney moment, became to collect the best information and tips for YOU to experience the magic!

A couple of days before the festival starts, we arrive in Chiang Mai. Surely locals can tell us more about the festival and where to go!

YI PENG (OR YEE PENG?) AND LOY KRATHONG

Yi Peng is also known as Yee Peng, the local name of the lantern festival in northern Thailand. Yee means two and Peng means full moon day, which relates to the night of the festival: during the second full moon of the Lanna calendar. Usually, this is in November. In 2018 it takes place from November 21*. This full moon is also the 12th full moon of the Thai lunar calendar, which means Loy Krathong is also happening: a 3-day festival celebrated throughout all of Thailand and surrounding countries.

The two festivals, Yi Peng and Loy Krathong, are celebrated simultaneously during the period of the full moon. Both are light festivals (see how this can be confusing?), but Loy Krathong means ‘to float a basket’ and is celebrated by lanterns on the water, whereas Yi Peng is all about sky lanterns.

By Roxanne & Maartje – Full Story at Once Upon a Journey

Thailand Gay Travel Resources

 

Oia, Santorini is Paradise on Earth – Keep Calm and Wander

Oia, Santorini, Greece - Keep Calm and Wander

In Santorini, Oia is paradise on earth. That is – if your idea of paradise is filled with white-washed houses with blue domes, sitting on a cliff that traverses down to the blue waters of the Aegean Sea.

You have probably seen Santorini already, I’m sure. Its white-washed houses with a spectacular sunset in the background have graced in countless postcards, books, photography websites, calendars, blogs, posters, promotional materials, and romantic wedding albums.

The volcanic island’s capital is Fira, but the postcard-perfect place not to miss is Oia. It’s on the edge of the island but it’s accessible by buses.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Greece Gay Travel Resources

Oia is Paradise on Earth – Keep Calm and Wander

In Santorini, Oia is paradise on earth. That is – if your idea of paradise is filled with white-washed houses with blue domes, sitting on a cliff that traverses down to the blue waters of the Aegean Sea.

You have probably seen Santorini already, I’m sure. Its white-washed houses with a spectacular sunset in the background have graced in countless postcards, books, photography websites, calendars, blogs, posters, promotional materials, and romantic wedding albums.

The volcanic island’s capital is Fira, but the postcard-perfect place not to miss is Oia. It’s on the edge of the island but it’s accessible by buses.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Greece Gay Travel Resources