Puerto Rico Journey: A Caribbean LGBTQ Haven
Many components of the Caribbean are harmful locations for LGBTQ vacationers, with anti-sodomy legal guidelines on the books, in addition to different laws that criminalizes homosexuality.
Queer vacationers can actually journey to those locations however should be vigilant about native legal guidelines and customs—and will should chorus from any type of public affection.
That’s one motive that Puerto Rico has flourished as a queer vacation spot on this area, because of its progressive legal guidelines and vibrant homosexual tradition.
Luz Gonzalez, Director of Gross sales and Advertising for the Renaissance La Concha Resort, defined that the LGBTQ market is a crucial one to her lodge, which sits on the favored Condado Seaside, a vibrant vacationer space.
“Our island is thought for its pleasant and welcoming individuals, with a vibrant persona and wanting to have a good time range throughout the board—from vigorous leisure to social occasions, weddings and extra,” she stated. “We have a good time the actual fact we’re an immersive tradition, and this additionally extends naturally to the LGBTQ group. We would like everyone to really feel welcome, to have a good time collectively. At La Concha we have a good time a number of weddings, and now we have a licensed wedding ceremony professional devoted to the LGBTQ market.”
Gonzalez defined that they proceed to deal with U.S. vacationers, in addition to different areas which have direct airlift accessibility to Puerto Rico, as these are key to their enterprise. “We’re assured that each one the pure assets and locations to go to safely on our island are precisely what a traveler is on the lookout for in a Caribbean retreat,” she stated.
Out in town
There are many LGBTQ-friendly golf equipment in and round San Juan, and it’s greatest to ask locals what’s the latest or most fun place when you’re on the town, as institutions have a tendency to come back and go. In the event you’re staying close to Condado Seaside, the Oasis Bar Tapas & Lounge is a good place to begin. It’s an intimate bar and restaurant with each indoor and outside seating and it appeared busy each time we handed it.
Oasis bartender Joe Dunn runs his personal “straight-friendly” tour firm, as he calls it, Triple G Excursions, which stands for Homosexual Gringo Information. His private excursions embrace rainforests, pure waterslides, cliff leaping, seashore excursions, ferry rides, and extra. E mail him at [email protected].
Whereas Oasis has its regulars/locals, it additionally will get loads of vacationers, as properly, because of its common location in between the Condado lodges. Different golf equipment which might be value investigating embrace Sx (go Thursday-Sunday however after midnight, when the crowds arrive—it’s a dive bar filled with nooks and crannies, a few of which felt a bit creepy), Circo Bar (which claims to be the most important on the island), Purgatory (not on among the maps, however throughout the road from Circo), and relative newcomer Kweens Klub (which options an enormous dance ground, massive stage space, a second degree that overlooks all the pieces, and drag reveals).
Plus there’s Chueca, a pleasant, small good homosexual bar that additionally serves tapas, La Sombrilla Rosa (which attracts a really queer clientele), and El Cojo, and Tia Maria’a Liquor Retailer, stated to be the island’s oldest homosexual bar. Coqui Del Mar is an adults-only homosexual, clothing-optional visitor home.
If you wish to actually hang around with the locals and get away from San Juan, there’s a implausible homosexual Satisfaction occasion each June in Boqueron, on the southwestern aspect of the island. Cabo Rojo Satisfaction usually takes place per week after San Juan Satisfaction, and it mainly takes over this little seashore city; Boqueron is filled with smaller lodges and Airbnbs, and one native instructed me that it’s the a part of the island the place most Puerto Ricans go to trip.
