Dundee Manor Bed & Breakfast – Dundee, Oregon

Dundee Manor Bed & Breakfast

Periodically we’ll feature one of our properties here to let our readers know about some great gay friendly places to stay:

Dundee Manor is truly a destination for discriminating treavelers. Originally built in 1908, with all the clean, elegant architecture of a four square Edwardian estate. Wander through our gardens and under massive trees, or just relax and ponder by the fountain. Sit in the Gazebo and deck areas and admire Mt. Hood & Mt. Jefferson in the distance.

Enjoy a gourmet breakfast in our antique-furnished dinning room, or outside on one of two private deck areas, surrounded by nature and all the glory of the red hills of Dundee. Savor a glass of wine from one of our local wineries, and let us spoil you during your stay.

Each room is filled with treasures brought back from four continents. There’s a private library with video collection, and the most delightful rocking chairs on the front porch to enjoy the garden view.

When your stay at Dundee Manor, you can enjoy the many amenities the area has to offer. Spend the day wine tasting and touring Mt. Hood or visiting the Oregon Coast, and return to the manor for the warmth and comfort we offer. And yes – Turn-Down Service is included.

Whatever you desire, Dundee Manor will be your home base and refuge after a long and busy day enjoying the Best of the Oregon Wine Country; we can reserve your tee times, dinner reservations, private wine tours, and massages.

Dundee Manor has been rated five stars on Trip Advisor by guests over a two year period. The area has more than 160 World Class Wineries.

The Manor has been reviewed by Northwest Palate Magazine and numerous other publications as a true destination with style in the Oregon Wine Country, we are continuously raising the bar! Food, comfort, passion, location and guest services, presented by its Innkeepers!

  • A/C available in each unit (when needed)
  • Guest laptop available
  • CD, flat-screens and full premium cable in all suites
  • Vast collection of videos & CD’s (Updated and archived)
  • Gourmet breakfasts
  • Ensuite Snacks refreshed daily
  • Homemade baked goods made fresh daily
  • Beverages free for guests
  • Spinal Comfort Euro Queen Beds
  • Down Comforters with full Count Luxury Linens
  • Fleece Spa robes for each guest (Hair dryers)
  • Flowers in each suite refreshed daily
  • Nightly Turn Down Service with special sweet treat
  • Local wine available for sale to our guests (Riedel Wine glasses provided)

Coming to the Oregon Wine Country? Stay with us at Dundee Manor.

See the Dundee Manor Bed & Breakfast Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

Gay Friendly Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals in Oregon

 

Two Weeks in Morocco – Keep Calm and Wander

Morocco Tangier - Keep Calm and Wander

Two weeks in Morocco is just the right time to explore the places you wanna see and go. However, this is not enough to get to know the whole country. On this trip, I skipped the Sahara desert safari because I’ve been and have lived in the desert for months. So, I don’t need to be reminded of how beautiful the sand dunes are at sunset or sunrise.

Transport in Morocco

In between cities, the train is the most convenient transport for backpackers. Though trains are kinda slow, but it will get you there. It arrives almost always on-time. Taxis are also common in cities, but most of them (or the ones I had) don’t really have fare meters. You have to agree on the fare first before getting on the cab.

Day Trips in Morocco

Taking day trips via tours save time and inconvenience. If you’re in Marrakech or in Fez, there are tours that would take you to amazing tourist destinations.

Day 1 – Casablanca

Airport to downtown Casablanca is connected via a railway. The train departs every hour and it costs $3 for forty minutes ride. Get off at the last station where McDonald’s and Starbucks greet you at the exit.

I arrived at my hotel around 4 in the afternoon. Then thirty minutes later, I went out and started walking on the corniche all the way to Hassan II Mosque. It is Casablanca’s most visited tourist attraction. I’ve got to witness the beauty of this grand mosque in late afternoon, at sunset and at night.

In the evening, I met up with the local couchsurfers who had iftar by the beach. Then, we all went to a cafe downtown where we had tea and beer.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Morocco Gay Travel Resources

Killer Whales in Patagonia – Nomadic Boys

Killer Whales

Peninsula Valdes is one the best spots in the world to see killer whales (orcas) in the wild. This is the place they come to hunt and entertain their enthusiastic audience watching on.

Orcas love this particular part of Argentina because of the large abundance of one of their favourite food prey: seal pups. If you’re lucky, you’ll see the orcas close up when they come right up to the beach to catch their supper.

Despite their name, killer whales are not dangerous and there is no evidence of them ever having attacked humans in the wild. Killer whales is the nickname given by the Spanish whalers in the 1700s when they noticed that orcas were hunting whales for food. They have no known predators, so they freely hunt without fear of being attacked by another marine animal. They feed on seals, sea lions, penguins, fish, dolphins, sharks and even whales.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Argentina Gay Travel Resources

Chile Gay Travel Resources

Camp-Run-A-Muck – Nevada City, California

Camp-Run-A-Muck

Periodically we’ll feature one of our properties here to let our readers know about some great gay friendly places to stay:

Nestled in the foothills surrounding Historical Nevada City (in California’s Gold Rush Region), we invite you to come join us at Camp-Run-A-Muck to relax, refresh and recharge your body and senses; and to escape your normal routine or daily grind.

An easy drive from the Bay Area, or Northern California, Camp Run A Muck is as nice and more charming than Lake Tahoe, but without the crowds, traffic and the noise.

The property is situated just an easy stroll from one of the Sierra Nevadas’ private, hidden lakes (3 1/2 miles long X 1 mile wide), Camp-Run-A-Muck is a Tahoe Style A-Frame cabin comprising 4 Bedrooms and 2 Bathroom located on an uphill cul-de-sac surrounded by mature evergreens (some of which actually grow through our expansive sunset deck).

We can comfortably accommodate up to 13 guests at a time in standard Queen sized beds or comfy sleeper sofas. Premium 560 thread count sheets and resort quality plush towels are standard.

For those that are still tied to the world, we offer full connectivity via Wi-Fi and telephone. Or, as the alternative, it’s a great place to “unplug” and re-acquaint your self to nature and tranquility. Ordinarily, the only sound one hears here is the wind through the trees.

Dining room table is expandable to 10+ people at a time. Breakfast bar with 3 extra seats compliments dining room for more casual dining. Steps away through 2 sliding glass doors is our patio (or sunset) deck with 3 tables and 10 chairs for a more alfresco experience or the perfect place for morning coffee or the cocktail hour. All electric kitchen with all the bells and whistles, full dinnerware, eating utensils, condiments and service items round out our kitchen decor. All that you need is your food and beverage choices.

After dinner or drinks, our guests can luxuriate in our 4 – 6 person jetted hot tub with ambient lighting for after dark. No streetlights in the area means stars shine brightly through our canopy of tall trees surrounding the property.

Located an easy drive from the Bay Area or Northern California, and a short 10 minutes from the Hwy (49) and Downtown Nevada City. We have almost everything that will truly make your stay with us memorable and inviting.

Your hosts have been in the travel and guest services industries for the past 30+ years and have tried to replicate what we personally enjoy and expect in our travels and experience to replicate those attributes for the guests at Camp-Run-A-Muck.

So, we invite you to experience what a stay at our “little place in the woods” can do for you.

Please contact us for a unforgettable getaway at Camp-Run-A-Muck.

See the Camp-Run-A-Muck Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

Gay Friendly Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals in the Sierra Nevadas

Life Lately and Upcoming Travels – Globetrotter Girls

dani-globetrotter-girls

In my monthly round-ups, I am looking back at my travels over the past four weeks, what went well and what didn’t, and what’s next for me.

Where I’ve Been

Even though I did not once leave the city limits of NYC this month, I feel like I’ve been traveling a lot! I may have physically arrived here, but the gypsy in me definitely hasn’t mentally arrived.. yet. And I think I know why: Because I haven’t stayed put anywhere for this long since summer 2014! Can you believe it? I was flabbergasted when I noticed it – it just hadn’t seemed to me like I was on the move all the time, but this ‘break’ that I am taking now, just over 3 months (I’m five weeks in now), is the longest I’ve stayed anywhere since August 2014, when I left New York after four months, with only two short getaways in between.

This got me reminiscing – but I’ll get into that in a moment. Back to gypsy-ing around New York: This month, I’ve lived in Astoria (Queens), Brooklyn Heights and Prospect Heights (Brooklyn), Chinatown (Manhattan), and right now, I am settling into my latest place in Bushwick (Brooklyn) – and no, this one is not permanent.

What I’ve Been Up To

It’s been quite a month, despite not leaving New York City in the past 31 days. I am still getting used to the pace of New York again, and if I’ll be able to get more than six hours sleep at some point next month, I’ll be a happy girl. I am already reminiscing about how much time I had for myself in Ecuador, only a couple of months ago. Time to read books, work out every day, maintain the blog, work on freelance projects and get them done on time, and having time to socialize and explore.

By Dani – Full Story at Globetrotter Girls

Cruise With the Nomadic Boys – Three Cabins Left!

Galapagos gay cruise - Nomadic Boys

Fancy visiting the Galapagos Islands with the Nomadic Boys aboard the Passion: one of the most exclusive luxury yachts in the world with an awesome group of gay guys?

You’re in the right place!

Nomadic Boys Do Galapagos

Our first gay cruise to the Galapagos took place in October 2016 and was  such a resounding success, we’re doing it again in October 2017. We’ve teamed up with the highly rated and gay owned Ishpingo Tours in Ecuador to host our second luxury gay cruise to the Galapagos Islands on: 12-21 October 2017.

Spaces aboard the highly rated Passion are limited to 12 people and we expect another sell out in 2017.

And because we love you so much, we’re offering our readers an exclusive 5% discount for this one in a lifetime experience with the promo code NOMADIC5.

THE WILDLIFE OF THE GALAPAGOS

The Galapagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean, around 1,000km (600 miles) from Ecuador’s coast. The variety of unique wildlife here not only inspired Darwin back in 1835, it completely captivated our group when we visited in October 2016.

This is one of the few places in the world where you get so close to the wildlife because they are blasé to humans. You’ll be so spoilt, no other safari will be the same again.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Ecuador Gay Travel Resources

Other Gay Travel Events

What I’ve Been Up To – Dream Euro Trip

DJ Yabis

DJ Yabis catches us up on his life.

Will you ever grow tired of this?

Yes, but maybe not today. Or maybe never.

Spring has always symbolised rebirth for me. New beginnings. New dreams. It’s like the world is having an orgasm, bursting with flowers and colors it kept all those winter months. How else could you explain this beauty?

So besides enjoying all these beautiful cherry blossoms, what have I been up to lately?

100-Year-Old Granny

If you’ve been following me on Instagram you know that I have been quite busy obsessing about living a healthy life lately. It’s not that I have lived an unhealthy one before. It’s just that I wanted to live even healthier because my goal in life is to be a 100-year-old granny. So my health is my top priority. I obsess about the food I eat, how much sleep I get, minimizing stress and exercising enough. I enjoy cooking healthy meals so much so that I even plant my own vegetables. I have a mini-greenhouse full of super healthy sprouts. And my balcony is now filled with more vegetables, fruits and edible flowers. I can’t wait to harvest them in the summer!

By DJ Yabis – Full Story at Dream Euro Trip

Visiting Gay India – Keep Calm and Wander

Gay India - Alain

Early this year, I had a 10-day trip to India. Yes, I know, for a huge country like India, 10 days is a joke, right? That’s why, I chose to explore New Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. These three cities are the usual tourist destinations for those who have little time in the country. They’re called “The Golden Triangle” route due to their location from each other. This tourist route can be done in 7 days – then I went to Varanasi for 2 days and back to Delhi on my last day. Here’s how I explored gay India.

Weather in January/February

I flew there in February – winter time. A light jacket was fine in the morning and in the evening. I survived wearing t-shirts and shorts during the day while exploring the sights.

Taking the trains in India

Do not trust taking trains from one city to another at wintertime. The delays were horrendous and gave me wrinkles and tested my patience. My train from New Delhi to Agra was delayed for 30 minutes – which was fine for me. But, from Agra to Jaipur, our train was delayed for 9 slow hours! Bejesus, my butt almost exploded from sitting down at the filthy train station! The train ride from Jaipur to Varanasi was the worst – 15 hours delayed! It was the longest train ride I’ve ever had in my backpacking life! A total of 24.5 hours were wasted. I lost so much time that I had to limit the places I wanted to go and see. All of these delays have one reason: fog! Or pollution?

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

India Gay Travel Resources

TRAVELING IN OUR FABULOUS GAY WORLD: The Ringling Museum

The Ringling

The RinglingWhen one thinks of the word  ‘Ringling’ most people think of the “Greatest Show on Earth” like the Circus. A trip down to Sarasota, Florida will put a new meaning to that word.  John N. Ringling of course was the founder of the Ringling Brothers Circus and with his brothers he did make it into the “Greatest Show on Earth” however there is much more to John N. Ringling than just his “Circus”. We call it ‘The Ringling in Sarasota’ and is located right on the beach of the Gulf of Mexico.

The RinglingThere are actually five main buildings at ‘The Ringling’. First is the main office complex with galleries, bookstore and is where you purchase your tickets. It also has the Center’s Education Art Library and Conservation Lab.

It also houses a very upscale dining room. The 2nd building is the Museum of Art. First stop after getting your tickets is to walk to the Museum of Art with 31 galleries filled with priceless pieces of art from Old Masters thru contemporary from throughout the world.  The exterior of the Museum is magnificent itself with statues and columns everywhere. One could easily spend a whole day just in the Museum of Art.

The RinglingThen a leisurely walk to the Gulf of Mexico to tour John and Mable’s Mansion. With 4 floors of magnificent European furniture, oil paintings, bronzes, crystal chandeliers, fine china and silver, it is breath-taking to see.  Located directly on the Gulf of Mexico with views to remember forever.

While you are there, visit the Bayfront Gardens. This is one of the most beautiful gardens that we have seen. It is as much ‘real art’ as one can witness. It is a true living treasure with plenty of statuary under the magnificent banyan trees and roses everywhere!

The RinglingAs you take another leisurely walk to the Circus Museum you will see the parade wagons, the posters, the glittering costumes and the cannon that shot performers through the air. It will surely bring back a lot of memories for you when the circus would come to town and you and your family would rush down to see it.

The 5th building is the beautiful historic Asolo Theater which is housed next to the main building. They have dramatic performances there that is a ‘must see’ for visitors.The theater has a remarkable history and you can read all about it at  https://www.ringling.org/history-historic-asolo-theater It actually dates back several hundred years and was brought over to the United States years ago and re-assembled.

The RinglingThey have two places to dine at “The Ringling”…… a very lovely sit down restaurant in the main building and an outdoor dining option close to the Museum of Art. Next time that you are in Florida, forget Mickey Mouse and visit the ‘Ringling’ instead. You won’t be sorry as this is a tremendous Museum to visit and one that you will remember forever.

The Ringling Museum is the largest museum in Florida.  They are located at 5401 Bay Shore Road in Sarasota. They are open daily, 10 AM -5 PM and Thursdays until 8 PM.  Their phone number is 941.359.5700 is www.ringling.org/   They have plenty of free parking.

When we visit museums and art galleries we always like to give praise to special people. At the ‘Ringling’ we want to praise Robin Findlay and Alice Murphy in the front office and to Mary Schreck who was one of the finest tour guides that we have ever encountered in all of our travels from coast to coast. She was extremely professional and informative about the Mansion.  Everyone in our group was extremely pleased with her knowledge and she answered all questions perfectly.

Don and RayAlways remember to have fun when traveling, meet new people and talk to everyone!

TRAVELING IN OUR FABULOUS GAY WORLD is written by Donald Pile and Ray Williams, Award-winning, Celebrity travel columnists who write for gay publications from coast to coast (And now legally married).

Proud members of the IGLTA. You can email them at gaytravelers@aol.com and visit their website at http://gaytravelersataol.blogspot.com/

West Central Florida Gay Travel Resources

New Delhi’s First LGBT Cafe

Chez Jerome – Q Cafe

New Delhi’s first LGBTI cafe will leave you hungry for moreChez Jerome – Q Cafe is the first LGBTI cafe in India’s capital, New Delhi. India’s capital, New Delhi, now has its own LGBTI cafe which along with an amazing menu will be a safe space for all people in the rainbow community.

Chez Jerome – Q Cafe has been open since late last year but word is still catching on about this unique space for LGBTI people. Chez Jerome is the brainchild of Sambhav Dehlavi who is also the head waiter and chef.

‘I want this to be a safe space for women, too, for anyone who wants to be part of an inclusive culture,’ Dehlavi told the Hindustan Times. The 27-year-old came out 10 years ago and said that tough experience has given him a great resilience. ‘We first realised about negativity when we came out of the closet. I came out when I was just 17,’ he told The Indian Express. ‘Now that I’ve come through all of it, these tiny hurdles [opposition to the cafe] feel like nothing.

By Shannon Power – Full Story at Gay Star News

India Gay Travel Resources