and join the mailing list for new postings by emailing your request to info@purpleunions.com

We've redesigned our mainstream accommodations directory - Altraverse.com

Now with over 3,800 accommodations listed worldwide - see it at:

http://www.altraverse.com

Accommodations

On the Strip

Another favorite is the Forum at Caesars, which has an over-the-top free hourly show called Atlantis in one of the new courtyards, where there’s also a half-circle aquarium full of interesting fish (even mantas!). The mall is beautiful, with the regular diming and brightening of the cloud-and-sky ceiling along its length to suggest the passing of the day.

The Forum offers a wide variety of shopping targeted to average Americans (in fact, we picked up several USA shirts there for $5 and $12 respectively). And there are a number of restaurants, from Planet Hollywood on one end to our favorite, the Cheesecake Factory (which, though the name implies just desserts, has one of the largest lunch and dinner menus we’ve ever seen).

There's also a cool, little-known tour here - look for a sign posted by the aquarium at the back end of the mall, near the cheescake factory. They offer daily "backstage" tours of the aquarium, including a look at the fish nursery, the anamatronic characters in the cheesy Atlantis show, and more. It's low-key, but fun if you like to know how these things really work. And our guide was cute too. :)

An interesting side-note - a couple years ago, Ceaser's decided to build a new tower with more hotel rooms... in the photo below left, it was going to go just to the left of the foreground tower. In fact, they did go ahead with the project, but with the worsening economy, they've decided to just finish off the outer "skin" of the building so that it's not an eyesore, but to not finish the interior until things improve.

The bottom row of pics, below, show some of the Chinese New Year decorations at the Palace.

Our favorite place on the strip, though, is the Venetian, near the strip's current northern end.

In additon to having an absolutely charming atmosphere and great shops, the hotel also boasts two Gondola Rides - one outside and one inside. The rides have handsome (and pretty - they have women now too) young gondoliers who actually sing to you (ours sung Volare – I kept thinking of Ricardo Monteblan and Fine Corinthian Leather, for some strange reason) - we took a gondola ride in the real Venice in 2005, and our Gondolier did *not* sing to us, so this is a real treat.

The indoor rides are $15 a person (sharing a boat with four altogether); for $60 you can have the whole boat. Outdoor's a little cheaper, at $12.50 each. If you're in Vegas with your partner, give it a try - it's a romantic ride.

But the reason this is our favorite Vegas Strip hangout is all the life that goes on here – if you’ve ever been to a Renaissance Faire, you’ll know what I mean. There are several "statues" who are real people, but they stand so still you'd never know it.

There's a jester on stilts with a life-sized human puppet who will sneak up and surprise you when you're not looking. There are regular shows in St. Mark's Square with singing, dancing and music, all performed in historic costume.

The Venetian has a wide central plaza that's an homage to Saint Mark's Square in Venice - there's even a gelato stand decorated with Murano glass. There are also two restaurants here: Canaletto (so-so food, expensive prices, and snooty waiters brought to you by the folks behind the much-better Il Fornaio).

There's also Postrio by Wolfgang Puck (at right), one of our Vegas favorites, with great food, decent prices and very friendly staff. Sit down for lunch or dinner and imagine yourself in the heart of Venice - if you can get a seat by the rail, you'll be able to watch the musical shos and living statues that provide the entertainment for the square.

There are several other great restaurants here. Taqueria Canonita (at left) is a fantastic Mexican Restaurant overlooking the canal - ask for a seat by the rail, and watch the gondolas glide by every minute or two. The food here is always top-notch, and the service great - it' one of our must-see's every time we come to Vegas.

Tao (at right), just inside the main entrance to the shopping mall, draws you in with a beautiful circular entry, lined with stone tuns filled with water and rose petals. The inside is enchanting too, and the food was very good. At night, Tao also boasts a busy (though not gay) nightclub.

For an Italian breakfast, try Tintoretto, a small bakery with some fantastic dolci (Italian for sweets). They have a full sit-down area "streetside" in the Venetian's mall to the right of the bakery's entrance, but we prefer to order a cup of coffee and a little breakfast pastry inside, and then sit at one of the three tables outside the bakery's window on the left side of the door - it's very Italian to take your coffee and dolce and sit with the paper for some great people watching in the morning. See the pics below.

For one of the best selections of gelato on the strip, try Cocolini in San Marco Square - they even have my favorite, Green Apple!

The entire hotel is full of beautiful architecture - the mall has many venetian touches in the store facades and in the great square, and the hotel lobby is stunning.

The shopping entrance also has some fantastic features - check out the beautiful arcade that runs along the front of the Venetian (below) and the amazing ceilings just inside:

The hotel also has a Madame Tussaud’s wax museum, but the Gugenheim-Hermitage art museum that used to be there has now closed.

Next to (and attached to) the Venetian is the Palazzo (below), a brand new hotel that opened in 2007, with huge suites that are very similar to those offered at the Venetian. The Palazzo extends the Venetian shopping level, with some new restaurants (stand-out here that we visited was Table 10, by Emeril, which served a fantastic lunch).

Paris (below) has a cute shopping area, but it's rather small compared to the others, and nothing there caught us for very long – the coolest thing is the overall architecture, which makes for some great pics, and in particular, the legs of the Eiffel tower that descends from the ceiling of the casino.

New York New York blends the shopping area with the casino floor, mostly successfully. The restaurants, by and large, were in a small area off to one side that felt like the streets of NYC – Gonzalez y Gonzalez in particular has great food, including fresh, hot tortilla chips and good mango and raspberry margaritas.

The picture below, center is the mural over the reception desk, taken two weeks after 9/11. We published it in our original Las Vegas newsletter, and as we look back more than seven years to that time when we were united as never before, it seemed fitting to include it here again.

New York New York also has the Coney Island roller coaster.

Bellagio (below) has a fantastic water display every night in front of the hotel. Inside, Bellagio is a little too opulent (in a sort of grandma-meets-Bill-Gates sort of way) for us, but they do have an ever-changing indoor garden that can be quite stunning - see the entertainment section below. When we were there earlier this year, they were celebrating the Chinese New Year, and had a beautiful display heavy on red, cute little bridges, pandas and water buffaloes. There's also a nice (oppulent but rather bland) shopping mall here.

We also had some FANTASTIC gelato here - didn'ty get the name of the place, but the gelateria is just inside the Bellagio's shopping entrance at the corner by the Strip.

At the northern end of the strip, sharing the corner with the Wynn, the Palazzo (coming soon), and Treasure Island, is the Fashion Show Mall. An older mall, Fashion Show has been recently updated, with a futuristic UFO thingy in the front and a huge flatscreen running constant commercials.

But this is a fairly cool mall, with two Starbucks and an Apple Store, and occasionaly actual fashion shows. The picture of the mannequin below is one of their Christmas season decorations - very Erte - there's a gay man on staff there somewhere. And if you need regular mall fare (run out of underwear?) there are several department stores here too.

Entertainment

Vegas has lots of free entertainment - see the section above about the behind-the-scenes look at the Aquarium at Caesar's Palace (and the cheesy animatronic Atlantis show), and the section above on the Venetian.

There are also shows along the strip itself - the first of which was the erupting "Volcano" at Mirage (on the hour, hours vary - click here for more details).

This was followed by the pirate battle called the Sirens of TI at Treasure Island next door - watch the Sirens battle the Pirates at 7 PM, 8:30 PM, 10 PM and 11:30 PM.

We used to think that the best free show on the Strip was the Fountains of Bellagio - an energetic water show that takes over the whole lake along the front of the Bellagio Hotel, choreographed to music. This is a GREAT place to be on a hot Vegas afternoon or evening - shows are every half hour, 3 PM-8 PM m-f, every 15 minutes from 8 PM to 12 AM, and from noon forward on weekends. The big picture at left was an accident - I captured it just after the lights shut off - but I love the textured, haunting feel of it.

But we now have a new favorite. In the beautiful atrium between the Venetian and the Palazzo, there's a show three or four times a day that features three stunning women done up as Roman statues, and beautiful background music.

Unlike the other living statues, these ones move with the music, at one point touching a fount of water and then spraying water from their fingertips.

It's very cool... see the pics below and the videos here and here (better quality but sideways - if anyone knows how to turn an mpg file 90 degrees, let us know at wheretostay@purpleroofs.com).

Also free are the musical performances and the (still) living statues at the main square at the Venetian. Performed all day long - check the sign by the stage for a description of performances and times.

It's right next to Cocolini, a great Gelato place, so stop by and grab a scoop of gelato, and then take a seat to watch the show. There's a pic at left, or click here for a short video.

For paid entertainment, there are now six (sort-of - more on this below) Cirque du Soliel shows in town. If you haven't seen one, you HAVE to go. It's hard to explain them to someone who hasn't been, but they are a mix of amazing acrobatics and feats of brillance, colorful, bizarre costumes, audience participation, creative and wild storylines, and so much more. Choose from:

Mystere - at Treasure Island - the first Cirque show we saw, and still our favorite.

O - at Bellagio - this one's all about the water, and was amazing too.

Ka - at the MGM Grand - about two twins who embark on a desperate journey together - simply fantastic - in a huge theater custom-built for the production. This one is the most epic of the Vegas shows.

Zumanity - at New York, New York - the late-night Cirque show, full of sexual innuendoes and a gay couple who do the most amazing things. But if you're a gay/lesbian couple and you sit up front, be ready to be called out! Very adult themed.

The Beatles - LOVE - at the Mirage - the only Cirque show in Vegas we haven't seen - not big Beatles music fans.

Believe - Criss Angel - at the Luxor - we tried this show because it was done in conjunction with Cirque du Soliel - big mistake. This is the first Cirque sdhow that let us down - overpriced, bloated, and boring - and our friends, who saw it the next month, felt the same way. Save your money.

But whatever you do, see at least one, if not two or three, of the other Cirque shows while you're in Vegas.

The Venetian now has a production of The Phantom of the Opera in a custom-built theater. If you've seen the play before, you might miss the couple minutes they snipped out of the plot, but they're not really that noticeable (and wee've been three times before in other venues), and the production is well done and lavish.

Over at Caesar's, Cher is now performing in the Coliseum, where Celine Dion used to perform. If you like Cher, go - we do. But if you're just so-so about her, see a Cirque show instead - they're a great package of singing and amazing content.

There's also a great little drag show here - La Cage, the female impersonator review at the Riviera. Frank Marino was very entertaining, and yeah, you may have heard some of the jokes before, but it's still a lot of fun. Plus, it's SO important to support our community, and Frank has been doing this gig with grace and a huge (ahem) talent for so long.

The theater also cut prices, making it a better value in this tight economy. But get there early (we suggest an hour or so) to get decent seats.

At right, Mark poses with Frank after the show (we'll let you guess which is which).

Gambling

We stick mostly to nickels, but there are many of these machines around. Even penny machines have made a bit of a comeback over the last few years.

But the major casinos have phased out coins at most of their machines - instead, you put in a dollar or a piece of paper, play the game without ever hearing those coins crashing into the bin, and when you're done, you get another piece of paper. They're also doing away with the pull-levers on many machines.

The net effect is a much less fun game, where you just push buttons, and watch as the machine eats your money. And because you don't wait for your winnings to come out, it goes even faster.

The last couple of trips to Vegas, we haven't even bothered to gamble, because we've blown through twenty bucks in *nickles* in 15 minutes - that used to keep us busy for an hour or two. The casinos have gotten greedy(er) and we've cashed out.

Fortunately, there are many other things to do in Vegas, and if you play the card games, these are pretty much the same, from what we can tell.

The Art of Vegas

Vegas as an art town? Most folks see just the gaudy excess, and don't get us wrong - that's there in spades.

But Las Vegas also has some subtle art, if you know where to look - some of it plays out in the architecture of the casinos, some shows up unheralded in store windows, and some of it is just a matter of perspective.

And of course, there are many greta sculptures hidden all alog the strip - check out atlas at the MGM Grand at right.

Here's some of the art, both intentional and accidental, that we found in Vegas:

Vegas at Night

Vegas, of course, really shines (literally and figuratively) at night. Below are some of the night shots we took this last trip. First off, a few pics of Fashion Show Mall at night:

Next, a few shots of the Palazzo, an elegant tower that looks even better at night:

Getting Around

If you plan to do anything outside the strip, get a rental car. But if you plan to stay near or on the strip, there’s a $2.00 bus that goes up and down the strip every 15-20 minutes, and many hotels also offer shuttle service.

If you enjoy walking, you can make it from Palazzo/Wynn down to the Luxor in less than an hour (assuming it's not 117 degrees outside)

There are also a number of trams between the hotels, a great way to avoid the heat. We rode on the Monte Carlo to Bellagio tram.

There’s one between Excalibur, the Luxor, and the Mandelay Bay, and there's a new one that runs up the eastern side of the Strip from the MGM to the convention center. It's kind of sad that they couldn't get together to build one tram system - we waited for 15 minutes to board the tram at the Luxor, and, we kid you not, then rode about 100 feet to the Luxor Station where the line eneded. We could have crawled there faster.

Anyhow, this is a great time to go - have a great time in Las Vegas!

Considering moving to Gay Las Vegas? Click Here for Agents.

Planning a Gay Las Vegas Wedding? Click Here for Vegas Wedding Vendors.

Traveling in Our Fabulous World
Our Major Thoughts About Traveling in 2009
By Donald Pile & Ray Williams, Gay Travelers

With the economy getting so bad,  most States, cities and tourist destinations are doing anything and everything they can do to get more dollars coming in. Several States are even thinking of approving same-sex marriages so that they can get more travelers coming to spend money with them.  Many are predicting a 60% drop in tourism in general this year alone as a result of the current national economic crisis.  Is that what same-sex marriage is about?  Obtaining travel dollars rather than giving civil rights to all Americans because it is the right thing to do?

Hawaii has been playing the game for quite a while and Iowa is toying with the idea however neither one looks as thou anything will become of it.  A couple of cities in Iowa have taken it upon themselves to redefine marriage as being between a man and a woman.  What right do cities have to do this?  In reality they are merely showing their ignorance.  Maine is one of the latest States to consider same-sex marriage.  But NOT for civil rights!  Oh no!  They received some recent information saying that extending marriage to same-sex couples would boost Maine’s economy by $60 million over three years, which in turn would generate increases in State and local government tax and fee revenues nearly $3.6 million.  In addition, over 15,000 same-sex couples from other States would come to Maine to marry.  Thousands would come from New York where they are likely to have their marriages recognized and from States in the immediate Northeast region.

Several major cities are noticing a significant impact since they have started their own Gay tourism campaigns a couple of years ago with more and more gays visiting their cities.  Even some States now have a gay tourism campaign right on their State’s website.  Try going to different State’s tourism websites and many will now have a link for gay tourists.  Are they doing this because they support gays or is it just because they want our gay dollars?  If they approved of gays, then each of the States would have better civil rights laws on their books!  It is obvious that they just want our money.  We of course usually always drive from coast to coast.  When stopping at a Visitor’s Center or anyplace, we always list ourselves as a “gay couple” and if there is not place for that, we go to the front desk and explain that they should have an option for that information.  Why does everyone think that you to have a wife and 2.5 kids when traveling?   We are NOT two single men traveling, we are a gay couple traveling and spending our money in these places. 

Always remember that civil rights in this country has never, NEVER been decided by a vote of the people.  It has always been decided by the Courts!  We are  happy that these cities and States want our travel dollars however we would be happier if they wanted to give us our civil rights merely because that is the  right thing to do!  We wish that the  people would lean to appreciate gays for who and what we are rather for only the money that we bring to their cities and States.    Are we happy with this scenario?  Not at all, however we are intelligent enough to know that we have to do anything and everything to get our civil rights!  If this is one of the only ways to obtain it, then it is better than not getting our civil rights at all.  This should of course not be a State’s issue but a national issue.  Women’s rights as well as black rights were fought in the courts.  They won and we will win, perhaps not this year, but we will win!

Strange, now that the economy has gone down the tubes in traveling, how many straight owned accommodations, restaurants and national chains are begging for our money.  In the past they would never have even thought about advertising in gay publications or websites, and now they are coming out of the woodwork trying to get our gay dollars (or any dollars)!  We remember when the comedians on stage in Las Vegas were telling gay jokes all the time and it really was uncomfortable.  Today, when Las Vegas is hurting so much, they are embracing gays and many of the major hotels are placing ads in the gay media.  Many cities and States now have their own gay section in their websites to get gays to visit them.  Some however, use a third party website so no to offend their citizens of their city or State. 

We are fortunate to be able to visit the two major gay resort cities in the country, Palm Springs and Ft. Lauderdale on a regular basis.  We just returned from Ft. Lauderdale and even thou business was down, it is still flourishing both in the resorts but also in the restaurants and bars.  Both restaurants and bars have re-adjusted their prices to weather the storm. The great thing about these two gay resort cities is that they do not have to rely on the locals for business.  However locals do want to come to the bars to meet new visitors to their city.  Palm Springs has weekend visitors coming in from all over southern  California and Ft. Lauderdale has visitors coming in from all over the east coast.

Here in the Midwest a couple of bars are bringing back $1 bottle beer, wine and mixed drinks during the middle of the week to get people to come out and that is CHEAP!   But as long as there is a crowd, then guess somehow they can make some money.  But the cost of running a business is so much greater on the east and west coasts, that they can hardly afford to do that.  In most major cities, there are only one or perhaps two gay bars that are still getting a good crowd everyday.  The others are just barely making expenses.  Bars now, HAVE to have good, friendly bartenders to get customers into the bar and to keep them there.  In our travels, the number one complaint that we hear about bars is the bartenders who are not friendly or even courteous.   Give us a smiling, friendly bartender and just watch their tips go up.  The ones who are not, always complain about not getting enough tips. 

Auto rental companies all of a sudden are advertising for our business as they know that gay travelers still have a lot more money to spend than straights.  National chains such as Avis, Budget and Enterprise proudly advertise in the gay media however on a local level when renting autos, it is quite a different proposition.  We have heard horror stories from gay travelers in Ft. Lauderdale telling us about the problems and un-friendliness at Avis.  Many of the gay resorts there do not recommend using Avis at all and the same goes for Budget which is owned by the same company as Avis.  All national  chains whether they are rental cars, hotels/motels or restaurants say one thing in the ads but when it comes to each individual property that is not all that friendly to gays, they are very quick to point out that most all of their properties are “franchised” and all have individual owners who can have any policy they want.

If your not getting service you think you deserve, then COMPLAIN !

Most all Americans remember 9/11/01 and will for years and years to come however only gays will remember 11/4/08 and on our last 5 week driving trip to Florida we were thinking about it EVERY TIME that we spent money.  Starting here in Kansas and going thru Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida and back thru George,. Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Illinois, Missouri and back home we couldn’t help thinking about 11/04.   Where were we to spend our gay dollars?  What restaurants and hotels/motels donated money to take away our civil rights?  Every time we walked into a restaurant, we looked around at the customers, the waitstaff and wondered, “are these people for us or against us?”  We always send emails to different places in the cities where we are visiting to get more information about them.  We are talking about museums, art galleries, historical homes and places like that.  We only got a 10% return on our emailing.  Do these places not want our gay dollars?  Or do they want just our dollars and not want gays to frequent them?  There are a lot of national companies that like to advertise in national gay publications yet they do it very quietly.  Many do not want their heterosexual customers to know that they do it.  Many national companies like to act like they are helping us however in reality they are not. 

There are several individuals from coast to coast who are preparing lists of national businesses who have donated money and time for Proposition 8 and as those come in we will certainly be listing all of them.  Congratulations on these individuals who are doing this.  Since our travel column runs in many publications from coast to coast, we are aware that many individual gay publications are listing those companies in their cities and States who contributed to Proposition 8 however when traveling we need to know the ones in all the States.  A boycott is the ONLY answer to deal with our defeat of Proposition 8 except for it being over-turned by the California Supreme Court and we certainly are in hopes that will happen and in the very near future.

It is all about CIVIL RIGHTS !  It is just that simple.  When the Denny’s Restaurant chain took advantage of some Afro-American’s, they in turned boycotted Denny’s and Denny’s paid big time.  Can you just imagine what Jews, the Irish or any other group would do and boycott if this happened to them?  NOTHING is more important than our civil rights!  As for us, being a gay couple for nearly 38 years, we have seen so much progress but until all Americans have full civil rights, we must continue the fight.  As it stands now, illegal immigrants have more civil rights than most gays do.

We generally only stay at gay owned resorts and Bed and Breakfasts in our driving trips so it is not a problem knowing that they want not only our money but they want us to be there.  If you do your research ahead of time, you can locate many gay owned restaurants and cafes to dine at.  Many cities have their own gay websites which gives a listing of gay owned businesses.  But, we must also remember when traveling that there are thousands of our straight allies who are standing behind us and standing right beside us in our fight for our civil rights. 

Very simply, why should gays spend money at businesses who have contributed to Proposition 8?  It is just that simple!  Just “google” around the places where you are traveling to and you might be amazed at what you find.  We certainly were!  The one thing that we want all gay travelers to remember is that we have literally thousands and thousands of straight allies who are helping and assisting us in every way possible.  Most all of them advertise and list themselves in gay publications and on purpleroofs.com because they truly want us to stay with them and enjoy us and believe in us.  Be sure and always give your dollars to these businesses.  We have stayed at dozens of straight owned accommodations and the owners certainly went out of their way to make us feel welcome.  Just know where to spend your gay travel dollars.

We get asked so often in our travels from resorts and B and B’s how to attract the gay audience and we always tell them to get on purpleroofs.  It is just that simple!  We will continue using purpleroofs forever!

---

If you are seeking a unique and affordable vacation experience far from the world of all inclusive hotels, where you can enjoy exploring gorgeous tropical beaches; dining on abundant fresh seafood and papayas and mangoes that you can pick right off the trees in the neighbourhood.

Experience authentic Mexico where a bottle of beer still sells for $1.50 and one can enjoy an extravagant seafood lunch or dinner for two for just $20-$30 including cocktails or wine, head right on down to the Riviera Nayarit.

The beautiful Mexican state of Nayarit is Mexico’s newest travel destination, and stretches along 100 miles of pristine Pacific coast beginning in Nuevo Vallarta and ending in the historic, colonial town of San Blas.

The Riviera Nayarit is commonly referred to as one of Pacific Mexico’s precious hidden corners where the jungle meets the sea, and for good reason.

The region is a Pacific Eden of flowery tropical forests and pearly palm shaded beaches, and features surfing, snorkelling, diving, horseback riding, kayaking, whale watching, a few professional golf courses, rare native wildlife including sea turtles and tropical birds, mountain and island adventures.

There are also charming towns where you can buy fresh fish, prawns, oysters and lobster directly from the local fisherman each morning, and miles of serene beaches.

Our favourite towns along the Riviera Nayarit include the bohemian and hip surfing town known as Sayulita which offers great shopping, dining and surfing lessons at the beginner to intermediate level.

There's also peaceful Lo de Marcos for its wide gorgeous beach resembling Hawaii, and Chacala where the beach is so pristine locals still eat oysters right off the rocks.

Or try Playa San Francisco for its spectacular and wild beach; colourful La Penita for its’ true Mexican flavour and weekly market with its’ abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables, and great deals on Mexican handicrafts, pottery, silver and leather jewellery.

Rincon de Guayabitos is known for its’ three kilometre long flat beach and variety of great restaurants, and the miles long beach of Boca de Narjana (translates to “Mouth of the orange”) for its sheer beauty and isolation - to us, the most beautiful tropical beach of all, Los Ayala. 

Tranquil, Los Ayala remains one of Mexico’s best kept secrets and offers a kilometre long stretch of beach.  Los Ayala is a true Mexican beach town, and although it is usually very quiet and tranquil during the week, on weekends the beach comes to life when Mexican families arrive by the busload in order to enjoy a weekend at the beach.

The beach is stunningly beautiful, and a true tropical oasis lined with palm trees and crystal clear, warm ocean waters - calm enough for children and non swimmers.  Just a ten minute hike from the beach of Los Ayala takes you to the secluded beach called “Playa del Beso” - which translates to Beach of the Kiss.  We enjoy daily walks  along Los Ayala beach and take particular delight in the fish & shrimp vendors, abundant pelicans and frigate birds, and dining in bare feet at one of its many beach front restaurants.

Whale Watching is spectacular in this area from December through March; pods of orcas and humpback whales are easily spotted just off shore and on any whale watching tours.  Recently we hired a private boat and driver to take us on a tour the coastline and its pristine and remote beaches at a cost of just $90. 

We packed a picnic lunch, explored the coastline and its many hidden beaches many which are accessible only by boat including spectacular Punta Raza; and enjoyed swimming and snorkelling in crystal clear waters. We were absolutely delighted to spot a pod of large Orca whales actively breaching just a few meters from our boat. Truly a magnificent sight, and a once in a lifetime experience!

Experience Mexico as it was intended to be… lush jungles, palm fringed mountains;  beautiful long, palm lined beaches, crystal clear ocean waters and a variety of great beachside seafood restaurants, quaint sand streets, friendly locals,  and music with heart and soul. 

Submitted by Christina Stobbs, owner and operator of Tropical Manor House, a unique and exclusive B&B providing ”Personalized Vacation Experiences” in the quaint and authentic  Mexican beach town of Los Ayala.