Puerto Vallarta, Mexico’s number 1 gay travel destination, has gradually begun re-opening since June 1, 2020. Most of Puerto Vallarta gay businesses and bars closed March 17, 2020 before the Mexican government declared a national health emergency closing the beaches and the Malecon April 1, 2020. During the pandemic, many PV expats and international LGBT performers organized many fundraising events raising thousands of dollars to give back to the local community. As you can imagine, the local economy survives almost exclusively on gay tourism where locals only make a few pesos per day and rely heavily on tips.
What is open now? Some of Puerto Vallarta gay bars reopened June 25, 2020 as restaurant/bars requiring the purchase of food to consume alcohol. Live entertainment and dance floors are still closed until further notice. Many of Puerto Vallarta’s popular restaurants reopened late May 2020 with limited capacity and social distancing for inside dining. Puerto Vallarta beaches and hotel common areas and pools can reopen with 30% capacity starting June 15, 2020.
So, If you are considering a future vacation to Puerto Vallarta, here are some things to know. Gay Puerto Vallarta is waiting for you! The government has developed safety and re-opening protocols and certification processes for each and every business. See that program in Spanish here. So beyond that, many Puerto Vallarta businesses are going above and beyond what is required to make you as safe as possible while you are in town. So discover for yourself just how beyond gay friendly Puerto Vallarta can be.
Brought into the tourism spotlight by famous Hollywood celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, and offering a broad range of gay bars and nightclubs, gay-owned restaurants, hotels, stores, services, and entertainment that established the destination in a league of its own, it is no wonder Puerto Vallarta has been a favorite among LGBT travelers for decades.
In recent years, the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board, the entity responsible for promoting the destination in the US and Canada has partnered with the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, GMHC and the International Gay Lesbian Travel Association to promote the destination to the LGBT market.
In 2014, Puerto Vallarta became the first Mexican destination to participate in a World Pride with its Noche Alegre event during the World Pride celebrations in Toronto; and in 2015 the tourism board became the first destination to sponsor the Human Rights Campaign on a national level.
Periodically we’ll feature one of our properties here to let our readers know about some great gay friendly places to stay:
Experience ultimate luxury in our large, 5,000 sf villa in the Conchas Chinas Hills. This new, five bedroom, five and a half bathroom villa is in the upscale Amapas area, where you’ll find some of the most beautiful vacation rental homes in Puerto Vallarta.
Villa Encantada is in the middle of a vibrant, tropical jungle, and has panoramic Banderas Bay views. It’s also a great place to watch the sun set from the wide pool deck. When the days are hot, you can cool down in our gorgeous turquoise blue pool, or relax with a drink at the outdoor bar under the shade of the palapa.
Villa Encantada is a great place for families or a group of friends, with 5 elegant bedroom suites, each with private bath, wide balconies, a large sitting room, and a complete staff that make this house a tropical paradise.
Villa Encantada is close to downtown Puerto Vallarta in the Amapas/Conchas Chinas hills. We offer an open air paradise where you can enjoy the warm ocean breeze and the tropical evenings.
The villa is filled with colorful, vibrant art, and the wide open spaces complement the house’s decoration, making this a fantastic vacation destination.
The home was just completed in 2006, and was designed by Arturo Ramos, a well-known PV architect. Three of the guest rooms have kingsized beds, one has a queen bed, and one has two queen beds.
The entire villa has beautiful, warm hardwood doors and windows, and the bedrooms all have a/c. The pool and spa are both solar heated, reducing electricity use and carbon output.
The villa also has satellite TV, telephones (with free calls to tyhe United States), and housecleaning, cooking, and house staff services six days a week. There’s also a fully equipped kitchen, Barbeque, movies, games and high speed wifi access.
For the perfect vacation in gay Puerto Vallarta, stay at Villa Encantada.