Great High-End Getaways
Page 2 of 2

Single and looking?

Fort Lauderdale, Florida
There's a false notion out there that finding romance (or simply getting laid) is impossible in a gay resort town unless you stay at a cheap dive with tawdry rooms. Fort Lauderdale happily defies this assumption. In this booming beach community that has enjoyed a spectacular renaissance in recent years, you'll find a slew of classy, elegant hotels and gay resorts striking an unusually fine balance between the sophisticated and the sexy - the Royal Palms, Flamingo, and Pineapple Point are among the best. Many of these places are male-oriented, clothing-optional, and prone to late-night antics around the pool, hot tub, or wherever - and yet it's quite common at such establishments to find rooms with upscale antiques, a polite, low-keyed staff, and a respectable (but still wildly fun) ambience.

Vancouver, British Columbia
If you haven't been to Vancouver, no matter what your financial and social circumstances, put this jewel of a city at the very top of your list. And if you have the money to book a room at one of the several fine luxury hotels or inns - such as the West End Guest House or the Opus Hotel - go for it. Vancouver makes for a delicious city to indulge yourself in. Restaurants here are out of this world, conjuring up some of the best Thai, Japanese, Mediterranean, and regional Pacific Northwestern cuisine in North America. Nightlife options are relatively few for a city this size, but the clubs are lively, fun, and exceedingly friendly.

Boston, Massachusetts
Boston, like Paris or Florence, is meant to be appreciated on foot - no other city in America is more charming for strolling. Power-shoppers can walk along Newbury Street in hopes of scoring fashionable duds, and power-diners can saunter through the South End admiring the menus in the windows of the countless hot restaurants. Or you can just amble from the lobby of any of Beantown's many rarefied hotels - such as the Onyx and Marlowe - to the leafy Boston Common or the promenade along the Charles River. Wherever you walk, rest assured that you'll see plenty of gay men and women wandering the very same streets. And in Boston, a little eye contact goes a long way.

San Francisco, California
San Francisco is, among other great things, America's culinary darling, and it's also one of the world's great hotel cities, especially if you consider the many gay-friendly boutique hotels operated by the Kimpton and Joie de Vivre chains. New York is often awarded both such distinctions, but San Francisco maintains a level of consistency in these regards that is unrivaled. And the city's reputation for nightlife is legendary. It may be a cliche to include San Francisco on any list of top gay getaways, but this is one destination that can't be recommended often enough.

Dallas, Texas
Dallas is one of those cities where everything seems to exist on a grander-than-average scale, from margaritas (the frozen kind were invented here) to shopping malls. It has an extensive and varied nightlife scene that's a hit with both gay men and lesbians, and the most popular bars (plus a few fun restaurants) are within walking distance of one another, in trendy Oak Lawn. Nearby are several deluxe hotels (the Mansion on Turtle Creek, Hotel Zaza) and ritzy shopping in Highland Park, a neighborhood that feels not unlike Beverly Hills. It's the perfect place to pick up a new outfit to impress the locals with, as this is definitely a city where people work hard to look their very best.

Andrew Collins is the author of Fodor's Gay Guide to the USA and as well as numerous other guidebook.