Go north, across the Golden Gate Bridge, past the sleepy coastal pastures, and over the winding roads that lead to the magical town of Mendocino. There, tucked between the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean and the silent giant redwood forest, you’ll find a small slice of heaven. Mendocino is a rugged place where time stands still and devices like cell phones and Internet access are rarely used. This is great news for those who want to disconnect from civilization and reconnect with nature. Unlike many remote towns that are perched on the jagged cliffs of Northern California, Mendocino has plenty of options when it comes to dining, sleeping, and adventuring.
On Your Way There
Mendocino has an impressive wine region and 25% of its vineyards are Certified Organic. Mendocino wine country leads the country in “green wine” production, which mean less toxins in your glass of vino. The region is best known for its full-bodied Pinot Noirs and light sparkling wines.
On highway 128, numerous wineries line the valley. There are big names like Roederer and Scharffenberger, but the real gems are tucked away on gravel roads, behind big oak trees. Lula Cellars in one of those special places. Chances are you’ll get to meet the award-winning wine maker when you visit the property. Jeff Hansen, winemaker for Lula Cellars, brings nearly 30 years of grape growing and winemaking experience to the brand.
By Teresa Rodriguez – Full Story at Tango Diva
Mendocino Gay Travel Resources
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THIS April, gay beach festival TropOut will head to Thailand for its grand unveiling.
TropOut will draw together likeminded travellers from all over the globe in a bid to promote unguarded and stylish travel experiences for gay people and their straight friends.
Offering a point of difference for gay travellers, TropOut’s aim is to inspire a stylish beach festival which gives gay travellers from all over the globe the opportunity to Chill, Party & Explore together. Guests can also experience Thailand’s rich culture and spectacular sights.
Due to popular demand we’ve added one more Paris-related article to our recent series on the City of Light. This one is a day trip to Fontainebleau, our favorite nearby castle besides Versailles. In some ways, visiting Versailles during your trip to Paris has become so commonplace it borders on cliche. It’s not so much a day-trip as an extension of the city itself; as important to your Parisian cultural experience as a day at the Louvre, or a walk along the Seine.
In other words, you don’t need us to tell you to visit Versailles, just as you don’t need us to hold your hand on the way to the Eiffel Tower. But we thought you should know, there are other fish in the sea, and the Chateau Fontainebleau is one of our favorites. It’s not as well known, which also means it’s a bit less expensive and not as overrun with tourists and easy to get to; the palace is 34 miles southeast of Paris and accessible by train. The palace is, however, every bit as fabulous as Versailles, with a rich and longer history all its own.
Fountainebleau, a convenient day trip from Paris in Towleroad and in ManAboutWorld gay travel magazineBuilt in the 12th century, it was first used as a hunting lodge for the Kings of France (specifically Louis VII and Louis IX) and later expanded in the 16th century by King Henry II, and again by Henry IV. It is the birthplace and burial grounds of many French kings and has survived nearly a thousand years of revolutions and conflicts, remaining one of the world’s grandest estates.
Sherry Donegan of Fresno, Calif., had never taken a cruise before when she joined 17 others last month aboard the Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas for a six-day vacation. But a comment from an anti-LGBT employee aboard the ship and being relegated to the back of a ballroom certainly didn’t make a good first impression.
Donegan is transgender, and her group consisted of trans women, men, and allies. On her second night, a bartender turned her away, telling her, “We don’t serve fags here,” she told the Bay Area Reporter.
Donegan filed a complaint aboard ship and two days later was told that employee had been fired and put off the ship in Mexico. She told the Reporter she doesn’t believe Royal Caribbean, which recently scored a perfect 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index for the second year in a row.
Periodically we’ll feature one of our properties here to let our readers know about some great gay friendly places to stay:
Hocking Hills’ The Inn & Spa at Cedar Falls, in Logan, Ohio, features a setting that puts guests in tune with the harmony of nature, the peace of solitude and the simple joys of the Earth’s beauty. Mammoth rock formations, caves and waterfalls native to the Hocking Hills, Ohio region share their breathtaking beauty with the Inn’s charming cottages, 1840’s log cabins and antique-filled bed and breakfast rooms. Hocking Hills State Parks surround the Inn on three sides. Also within a three miles of the Inn are such tourist attractions as Ash Cave, Old Man’s Cave and Cedar Falls. Rock House, Natural Rockbridge, Conkle’s Hollow and the charming town of Logan, Ohio are also nearby.
One of the finest bed and breakfast stays in the Hocking Hills, Ohio region, the Inn & Spa at Cedar Falls offers nine, antique-filled bed and breakfast rooms with individual heating and air-conditioning. Each inn room is furnished with two twin beds or a queen-size bed, small writing desk, towel warmers, hair dryers, cd music player, comfortable sitting chair and a private bath. Now Available-Wireless Internet Access in our Inn Rooms and Common Room!
Five renovated 1840’s log cabins accommodate up to four. Each Hocking Hills cabin has a deck with porch swing, cooking facilities and its own wooded lot. After a day of hiking the Hocking Hills, the gas log stoves and whirlpool tubs are cozy additions.
Each cottage features a room with a queen or king size bed, two-person whirlpool tub and separate shower, gas log stove and under counter refrigerator. Enjoy stargazing off the back deck or sitting under the tin roof listening to the rain.
A unique dining experience awaits our Hocking Hills guests in the double log cabin originally constructed in the 1840s. The open kitchen is the heart of this bed and breakfast inn, where guests may chat while watching gourmet meals being prepared from scratch. Fine American cuisine is the specialty and in-season patio dining is available.
Relax at the hands of trained therapist, at our secluded spa. We offer guests a full range of massage and bodywork.
Come enjoy all that Hocking Hills, Ohio has to offer.
After my visit to the coffee region, I finally made it to Medellin, a highly anticipated stop on my tour of Colombia, and I was lucky enough to know some locals who introduced me to the city’s nightlife (and kindly hosted me!).
Not all of my plans to explore the city work out, however: the walking tour I was keen on taking was fully booked and the alternative I’d found didn’t happen (or I was at the wrong meeting point?), and every attempt to take Medellin’s famous cable car up into the mountains was rained out by afternoon downpours.
What I did succeed to do though was visiting most of Fernando Botero’s bronze sculptures which are scattered around the city, with over 20 of them on Parque de Las Esculturas, right in front of the excellent Museum of Antioquia (which also features a lot of Botero’s art). The sculptures and the museum were both huge highlights in Medellin for me, because I adore the art of Colombia’s most popular painter and sculptor and had been looking forward to seeing his art in Medellin for years (really, years!).
San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener confirmed Thursday that there will be no Pink Party in the city’s gay Castro district the Saturday before the annual LGBT Pride parade.
Following a March 17 meeting with key stakeholders, Wiener told the Bay Area Reporter that there will be no street closures this year. In previous years, the streets were closed for the unofficial party.
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence had produced what was known as Pink Saturday for nearly two decades. Last year, however, the Sisters decided to end their oversight of the street party due to escalating violence. A sister and his husband were attacked in 2014, while Stephen Powell, 19, died after being shot toward the end of the party in 2010.
Oh yes, Angkor Wat and the the Cambodian temples – a bucket list favorite and truly outstanding, if you love ruins. From a distance their enormity and grandeur awed and humbled us as we realized what the toil of thousands of workers had produced. But seriously folks, once inside the huge blocks of stone and surrounded by countless depictions of gods, warriors and dancing girls the excess of it all melds together.
To the uninitiated, one interior is like another as they trudge across vast anterooms and then face stairs up to the towers, stairs down to the gardens, stairs up to the gates, stairs down to the pool and stairs up to the main stairs. At every point, the eyes are inundated with imposing statues, elaborate columns and enormous carved panels depicting battles, rituals and kings all with names having six to10 syllables which were reverently intoned by our guide. He had learned it all by rote and happily rattled on (and on) listing everyone’s pedigree and claim to fame.
Also included were minute details regarding the hero’s inevitable companion – usually a lion, three-headed elephant, monkey or bullfrog. Our heads aching and reeling from the mostly incomprehensible verbal deluge, but so grateful for the finale, we gushed our thanks and tipped him hugely before trekking half a mile to our tuk-tuk and hurdling on to the next massive dilapidation whose rooms, towers and corridors duplicated what we just left, including the stairs.
This post comes to us courtesy of Ned at 
Periodically we’ll feature one of our properties here to let our readers know about some great gay friendly places to stay.
Located in scenic Champlain Valley between Stowe and Burlington minutes away from Mount Mansfield you will find this out of the ordinary contemporary LGBT friendly three units Bed and Breakfast built on 12 acres of private wooded land.
With large common areas, including a cozy living room with a fireplace, European antiques and arts, as well as fresh flowers throughout, this Parisian lady owned and run guest house will remind you of a typical artist retreat in France.
Each of the guest rooms represents a European painter of the 20th.century, is individually decorated with reproductions paintings, fine linens, and comfortable king, or queen beds. They come with private baths, and an individual patio overlooking mountains, meadows and gardens. To allow hassle-free check-in for late night arrivals each units comes with its own private entrance.
The region of Champlain Valley is fantastic in all four seasons: