Friday, February 15, 2008

Gay Resorts

Sunday, Feb 10 was the husband’s birthday. To celebrate we had a gay get-a-way weekend to Palm Springs. We both have lived in California 30-plus years and had never been there. Researching gay resorts in Palm Springs was quite a feat. There must be about 30 gay places in the area. We finally settled on one, All Worlds Resort, and booked a room. We had a great time even through it was a quiet weekend with no major events happening in town.

The Fabulous Palm Spring FolliesBy the way, if you are a fan of musicals and theatre, be sure to see the Palm Springs Follies. It is a three-hour, song and dance extravaganza that recaptures the glorious days of vaudeville, the Ziegfeld Follies and showgirls. What makes it amazing it the talented cast members that range from 56 to 84 years "young"! They still can kick up a storm on stage doing splits, lifts, taps and other Broadway chorus moves. And they can still belt out a song.

Our weekend in Palm Springs marked the fourth gay resort we have visited this last year. Here is a quick recap in order from best to worst.

Reviews of Gay Resorts:[updated May 2008]

Room at Pineapple Point Resort in Fort LauderdaleGrade A: Pineapple Point in Fort Lauderdale in Florida. Incredible pampering in beautiful setting…We were blown away by the staff, the beauty, and the fun at Pineapple Point. Our room was beautiful and large. The details and attention of the staff were incredible. Particularly appreciated were things like cold towels/pop cycles/ice tea re-fills at the pool each day. Happy Hours were really fun. The staff was always around and always helpful (reservations for dinner, ordering out lunch, etc.). We were struck that most people did not leave each day but hung around all day. The place is located a couple miles from the beach. But we didn’t mind because we just hung out around the pool.A couple minutes away is the beautiful Las Olas Boulevard that has many wonderful restaurants and shops. A mile in the other direction is the gayborhood, Wilton Manors. We have already made reservations to return next December for a longer stay.

View from one of the pools at All Worlds Resort, Palm SpringsGrade B+: All Worlds Resort in Palm Springs, California. Located on the Warm Sands gayborhood of Palm Springs. The rooms are comfortable and clean, the amenities are very good (4 pools, 3 hot tubs, dry and steam sauna, nature area, all clothing optional), the staff is helpful, and the adult randiness was playful and plentiful. The place is comprised of several small resorts that were joined into a larger compound. There are over forty rooms priced at several price levels. Don’t go for the cheapest rooms. They are noisier and not as nicely furnished. The mid-priced rooms are very nice. The resort is only a 15 minute walk to Palm Springs gay area on Arenas Rd. and Indian Canyon Dr and is only minutes by cab from the airport. We would go back again.
Out Traveler.com rated a bunch of the Palm Springs resorts in Spring 2007.

The Blue Moon Resort in Las VegasGrade B: The Blue Moon Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. The resort has a lot of good attributes and one major negative. The rooms are nicely decorated with a comfortable bed. The grounds, pool and sundeck are attractive. Amenities include 10-man Jacuzzi enclosed in a poolside cave with waterfall, heated pool, steam room, showers, locker area, video room and a break/internet lounge. They offer a typical nice motel continental breakfast and Sundays feature an afternoon BBQ. Both the overnight and day pass guests were diverse and friendly. The staff was helpful when you tracked them down.
The depressing part is the location. It is located in the industrial district about 4 blocks west of Circus Circus. There is nothing around other then warehouses, light industrial businesses and a couple seedy hetero strip clubs. Nothing. No fast-food, sandwich shops, convenience or liquor stores. And it is 45 minute walk to the Strip or a $12 cab ride.
Despite the location, we had an enjoyable and restful time. We especially enjoyed sitting around the pool all day reading and watching the guys go by. We would stay there again or visit with a day pass.

Grade B-: Highlands Resort in Guerneville (Russian River), CA. The resort offers private cabins with bath, kitchenette, and sitting area. They are clean and well maintained. The amenities are good (clothing-optional pool, hot tub, homemade breakfast muffins) but no wifi and spotty cell coverage. There is a meadow where you pitch your own tent for a fee. It is located on a hill above the rustic town of Guerneville, about a 5 minute walk down a steep hill. The place was nice but it is unlikely we would be back. The whole area was more of a rural experience then we like. But if you are a bear in the woods, go for it.

Typical room at San Vicente Inn-Resort in West HollywoodGrade C: San Vicente Inn-Resort in West Hollywood, CA. We have been to this place twice. Not because it is beautiful or has great service, but because of its location. It is the only resort in the West Hollywood area and a couple of blocks from the gay district on Santa Monica Boulevard. The nicest words to describe accommodations are that they are “pretty clean” and sparse. It has a clothing optional pool, hot tub and steam sauna. Would we go again? Maybe. But it is definitely a walk on the more seedy and divey side of resorts.

Anybody what to share their favorite resorts? On our resort list to visit someday are: Provincetown, Fire Island, Key West and Las Vegas.

2 comments:

Aethlos said...

okay, i went to hair school and worked in the saks fifth ave salon, then i went to university of chicago and moved to asia to work with mother teresa and the dalai lama, then i went to film school in florida, and then i went to le cordon bleu cooking school. Plus i'm now learning spanish. SO... if ever you guys want a full service, hypereducated, cook, chauffeur, secretary, UberButler extraordinaire... i would like to be the first to be considered for adoption. ;) but alas, my current butlering keeps me here in chicago. perhaps someday i'll go west!... dear old vilanch is still trying to lure me to nichols canyon, lol. MISS YOU GUYS. love to see you're staying busy! xox -spencer

Shephard said...

I'm going to try to remember The Follies when I visit PS again. It looks fun. Thanks for the heads up.
~S

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