J. Scott Coatsworth

Indonesia’s “Broken Beach” – Keep Calm and Wander

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Broken Beach - Keep Calm and Wander

The Broken Beach in Nusa Penida is one of the most-visited tourist attractions on the small island, next to Bali. But is it really broken? When I saw it personally, I couldn’t figure out why they call it as such. Nothing there is broken.

Broken Beach Views

As you can see in these photos, there is a natural bridge with a natural arched tunnel under it. The water passes through the tunnel and smashes to the small beach below.

Of course, there’s no way going down to the beach, except taking a boat tour – as we were told. You see, the area is circular, and the hole in the middle forms a 50-200 meters high cliff. It is a unique rock formation and truly one of the island’s natural wonders.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Indonesia Gay Travel Resources

Frog Meadow – Vermont Gay Bed and Breakfast

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Frog Meadow - Vermont gay bed and breakfast

VERMONT GAY BED AND BREAKFAST
& MASSAGE OASIS FOR MEN

Welcome to Southeast Vermont’s Frog Meadow Bed & Breakfast and Massage Oasis – a welcoming, non-judgmental place for men of all colors and backgrounds. Stay with us and relax and get away from your busy modern life.

Frog Meadow is a Vermont gay bed and breakfast that’s surrounded by 63 private acres with hiking trails (snowshoeing in the winter), mountain views, gardens, swimming pond, a wood-fired hot tub, and a full gym. We’re just 2.5 hours from Boston, 3.5 hours from NYC and 4 hours from Montreal.

Enjoy Frog Meadow’s spring-fed swimming pond & gym, and then relax your sore muscles and tired soul with a long soak in our wood-fired hot-tub.

At our Vermont gay bed and breakfast, we offer six unique lodging options:

Main House South Room: king bed and lovely views of the Vermont hills, the swimming pond and gardens. The room’s southwestern exposure is bright and sunny and offers wonderful cross breezes. On the rare occasion when it does get warm and muggy at night, the room offers quiet central a/c. There’s also a large full bath tiled in beautiful blue handmade ceramics, shared with the North Room.

Main House North Room: the mirror image of the South Room, complete with king-sized bed and a plush yet firm pillow top mattress. 

See the Frog meadow Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

Vermont Gay Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals

Gay Vancouver – The Nomadic Boys

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Gay Vancouver - The Nomadic Boys

Greenpeace, Ryan Reynolds, Hayden Christensen, and Botox – what do they all have in common?
Vancouver!

That’s right, they were all created in this super cool city located right on the far West coast of Canada. Vancouver is the capital of the British Columbia Province, famous for being one of the most diverse regions of Canada. It is also nicknamed “The Hollywood of the North” due to its popularity as a filming location for TVs/movies after LA and NYC. Oh, and did we mention the part about Ryan Reynolds and Hayden Christensen?

We visited Vancouver several times on our trips to Canada and always have a fantastic time. As well as a bustling Gay Village over at Davie Street, Vancouver has tons of fun things to do, with the mountains on its doorstep and the natural paradise of Vancouver Island a short ferry ride away.

Most importantly of all, we found gay Vancouver to be a very tolerant city, accepting of everyone. We frequently saw many gay couples walking the streets hand-in-hand all across town and felt comfortable to do the same. Of course, this comes as no surprise as this is Canada, a country we absolutely adore and rate as the most gay friendly country in the world.

In this detailed gay guide to Vancouver, we summarise our experience discovering the gay scene of Davie Village, as well as some of the best things to do in the city, gay hotels to stay and more practical tips for LGBTQ travellers.

Davie Street: The Gay Vancouver Village

Vancouver’s gay village, also known as the Davie Village, is the heart of the city’s LGBTQ community. It is based mainly along Davie Street between Jervis Street and Burrard Street. This is where the majority of the queer bars and clubs are. Although it’s not as big as the scene of Montreal or Toronto, it’s just as fun.

There is also a more bohemian area popular with the lesbian community of the city at Commercial Drive, called “The Drive” over in East Vancouver, which we did not visit so have not covered in this guide.

Indonesia’s Jatiluwih Rice Terraces – Keep Calm and Wander

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Indponesia's Jatiluwih Rice Terraces - Keep Calm and Wander

Jatiluwih Rice Terraces is really beautiful. I mean, it won’t be called Jatiluwih if it’s not really stunning, right? I was told that “jati” means real, and “luwih” translates as beautiful or good. You see, Jatiluwih Rice Terraces is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You might wonder why but when you are standing there, you’d understand why.

Its five rice terraces are interconnected with a brilliant water irrigation system, known as subak, that goes through canals and low head dams. These water management systems mirror the philosophical belief of Tri Hita Karana, which brings all together with the balance of nature, of the spirit, and the human world.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Indonesia Gay Travel Resources

The Iceland Bubble Hotel – Once Upon a Journey

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The Iceland Bubble Hotel - Once Upon a Journey

Have you always dreamed of sleeping under the stars? And sleeping under the northern lights? Then we have amazing news for you, it’s possible if you stay at Buubble: the Iceland bubble hotel! And the best part is, you can watch the stars and northern lights comfortably from your warm bed. You just have to look up, as the bubbles are see-through.

There are many unique places to stay in Iceland, but when you visit Iceland you have to add staying the night at the bubble hotel to your Iceland itinerary. Sleeping at the ‘5 million star hotel’ is an experience you will never forget.

Yes, of course, you need to be lucky weather-wise to see the Aurora Borealis (the northern lights). And visit during the right season (late August to mid-April), but to sleep in a bubble, surrounded by nature, is magical anyways.

If you aren’t a fan of glamping yet, be aware, we fell in love with it! In this article, we will tell you all about Iceland’s bubble hotel, our experiences, what to expect and what to bring. It’s a one of a kind experience like you are sleeping in a fairy tale.

Full Story at Once Upon a Journey

Cliff Cottage Inn – Eureka Springs Gay Friendly B&B

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Cliff Cottage Inn - Eureka Springs Gay Friendly B&B

EUREKA SPRINGS GAY FRIENDLY B&B, HEART OF TOWN

Location! Location! Location! Award-winning Cliff Cottage Inn is the only B&B right in the very heart of Eureka Springs’ Historic Downtown, just 17 steps to Main Street and all the best restaurants, clubs, galleries and shops.

Plus, you have your own pre-assigned reserved parking space at the inn – no need to walk a mile or more to get downtown or to drive around and around hunting for non-existing parking. Most guests arrive at the inn, park and never have to drive again until ready to leave our magical village.

A National Historic Registered and Arkansas Historic Preservation landmark, our Eureka Springs Gay Friendly B&B features three elegant beautifully restored historic homes all right next to each other with two suites per cottage.

Suites all have two-person Jacuzzis and showers, and their own living rooms or sitting areas – no dinky little bedrooms here! Lots of original art and antiques with a blend of the contemporary grace all the inn’s rooms… no tired frou-frou here!

See the Cliff Cottage Inn Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

Eureka Springs Gay Friendly B&B’s, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals

Gay Palawan – The Nomadic Boys

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Gay Palawan - The Nomadic Boys

The Philippines have occasionally been called the treasure islands of the Pacific, but if you were to ask us, we’d say that the largest gem of all can be found within gay Palawan!

As adventurers, we’re always on the lookout for the most exciting destinations to share with the LGBTQ world. So, what if we told you that Palawan is a top-of-the-line oasis where you can find the softest and whitest sand? The deepest and most mysterious caves? Mountains, covered by vast and verdant jungles? Well… It’s true! Palawan has everything that explorers could ever want from a thrilling vacation.

And while there is no primary hotspot for gay activity amongst the various islands and municipalities throughout Palawan, there are still several LGBTQ-owned businesses to be found. Also, just based on our own personal experiences from traveling across the seas to the Philippines, we have met a lot of queer folk flooding into these gorgeous islands. Filipinos are incredibly welcoming and gay friendly, many of our friends have even weighed in on why the Philippines is so gay friendly.

From our perspective, Palawan is not only a safe place for both local and foreign travelers, but it is also a must-stop, bucket list-worthy location. We want to help you plan the best possible island holiday, which is why we’ve created this all-inclusive, gay travel guide!

Full Story at The Nomadic Boys

Gay Palawan / Indonesia Travel Resources

Stockholm Gay Bars – The Globetrotter Guys

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Stockholm Gay Bar - The Globetrotter Guys

Stockholm is an incredible destination for gay travellers with so much to offer – it is a very liberal and welcoming city. As a result, the bars (and scene) here are quite unique.

Given Stockholm is such a progressive city, you will find yourself welcome as a traveller in bars all across the city. However, whilst this is great to see, we were very keen to check out as many ‘actual’ Stockholm gay bars as possible during our visit.

Best Stockholm Gay Bars: Club Backdoor

Club Backdoor markets itself as ‘the best gay club north of Ibiza’. Backdoor is open till 5am Friday/Saturday and naturally becomes the final stop for everyone on a night out in town. On Fridays it plays hits, hip hop, RnB and 90s, Saturdays plays dark house and techno (check Facebook for updates). This club can tend to attract more of the circuit crowd and can be found just outside the city centre.

By Sion & Ben – Full Story at the Globetrotter Guys

Indonesia’s Kelingking Beach – Keep Calm and Wander

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Indonesia's Kelingking Beach - Keep Calm and Wander

Yes, Kelingking Beach in Nusa Penida is your ultimate hiking trail down to the white seashore. That is, I assume, if you are into a treacherous hike and reward yourself by frolicking in the white sandy beach and the turquoise salty water.

Perhaps you’ve seen this area on many tourism promotions for Bali and Indonesia.

Pantai Kelingking in Nusa Penida, according to the Traveler’s Choice Awards in 2019, grabbed the 19th spot of the best beaches in the world.

Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Indonesia Gay Travel Resources

Best of Gay Spain – The Globetrotter Guys

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Gay Spain - The Globetrotter Guys

As a gay couple, Spain is our number one country in the world to travel to. We have visited and lived in gay Spain and the level of comfort as a same-sex couple has consistently been incredible. We have never felt discriminated against, never felt uncomfortable and never had to second guess ourselves no matter where we have travelled to – for us, this is a priceless feeling.

In 2018 we lived in Madrid, Barcelona was one of our very first holidays together 10 years ago, Sitges is one of the best prides we have been to and we have been to Gran Canaria more than 7 times – this country has a special place in our hearts. There is an inherent feeling of safety, acceptance and normality when it comes to being gay here.

In our ‘Best of Gay Spain Guide’ we want to celebrate all the amazing destinations we have travelled to and share our best recommendations with you. First, let’s take a quick look at gay rights for some context:

Gay Spain: Rights and Culture

When it comes to LGBTQ rights in Spain, these are all very positive. Same-sex intercourse has been legal here since 1979, unsurprisingly this happened the year after democracy came to this country and they said good riddance to their dictator Franco. It was also the third country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage in 2005 and discrimination protections run nationwide.

Full Story at The Globetrotter Guys

Gay Spain Travel Resources