So where do we go for Christmas? Any ideas?

On the basis that many of us like to avoid the cold and 'misery' of a UK Christmas by flying to Thailand for some R&R, I am guessing that there will be some, like me, concerned that Thailand may well be off the menu this Christmas, so, what does that leave us with in terms of an alternative warm, playful, value for money, gay-friendly location? Sibling Christmas is out of the question this year so being relatively free of ties (Thais) I want to try and get away somewhere. No, before someone recommends them, I'm not interested in Korea, Syria, the Gambia, Moscow, Bournemouth...!

Any recommendations/ideas without too many Covid complications (quarantine/ tests etc)? I can't think of any - I'm stuck!! I'm open to PM recommendations too if you want to share your favourite alternative destination privately!!:)

Isn't Covid a bastard? I blame the.........!

I've heard Portugal is nice. Easy to get into as well, and only requires a vaccination cert or PCRE test, that's it. No hoops, quarantine, et al.

One of the most progressive nations in the UE, and quite gay friendly from what I've read / heard. Wouldn't really expect to be able to pickup rent boys ala Thailand, but still, seems like a really nice country.

Many thanks cdnmatt. I've heard that Portugal is definitely worth a visit. The only thing that concerns me is the temperature at Christmas: warm enough? A gay friend of mine is off to Benidorm in the morning and I believe the temperature there is around 23 degrees. Minimum amount of fuss coming and going (unlike Italy at present)! In the SE of England we have enjoyed a lovely day: probably the last for a while?

I wish I had a time machine: I'd switch the date back to 1994 and book into Le Cafe Royale and allow Ian and Robbie to take care of me. Nostalgia ain't what it used to be! Mind you, the first hotel I stayed at on my very first visit in 1993 was the Penthouse in Pattayaland Soi 2. In those days it was VERY gay friendly: I understand it still is in terms of manager's welcome, although in more recent times it has catered for the breeders and their kittens. I wouldn't feel comfortable with that.

My last 2 trips to Europe included Portugal.

I was there was in September, just before Covid struck. It wasn't a sex trip so I didn't hook up with anyone; I went solely as a tourist. Plenty of eye-candy, though.

The food was horrible - unless you like cod - but there was plenty of interesting sites to see.

The only problem was the number of very steep stairs that you need to climb to go anywhere. Many places of interest are situated at the top of a hill and unless you are fit and do not suffer from knee or back problems, you may find it hard going. For example, the Alfama district in Lisbon was exhausting but it was so interesting that I just soldiered on. I gave it a miss on my second trip.

The 2 worst places for stairs were Porto and Coimbra. OMG! But both were well worth the effort.

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Originally Posted by poshglasgow

the Penthouse in Pattayaland Soi 2.

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I think it was closed with a for sale sign in the window.

As for where to go for xmas:
1 Southern Europe: Too cold & very few available boys that interest me
2 Latin America: Crime risk and according to the apps, only a low percentage of boys are likely to be interesting
3 Other ASEAN: Worse travel restrictions than Thailand

So the answer to the question is: Thailand.

I can't recommend Mexico City enough.

Very uncomplicated when it comes to the COVID rules and nightlife is buzzing. I'll be there during Christmas and the new year.

Marrakech, Morocco, it looks like. I was there for several weeks in October, almost no tourists but everything open, no restrictions. Also Tangier, Morocco, travelling in Morocco is fast and efficient.
Weather is similar to Malaga, Spain, warmest spot on continental Europe during Dec, Jan, and I'll decide on the go if it is warm enough to stay months at the time. I hope it is warm enough, because I have no plan B, Thailand this year is out of the question, with everything closed, I don't want to be there.

vnman brings up Mexico, maybe worth serious consideration, climate during Jan Feb seems perfect, and spending several months, climate becomes very important, no point of going to Spain or Portugal, when sit around hotel most of evening, and at +10C there is not much to do outside. Canary Islands is the only guaranteed warm place near Europe, but deadly boring so no go.

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Originally Posted by vnman

I can't recommend Mexico City enough.

Very uncomplicated when it comes to the COVID rules and nightlife is buzzing. I'll be there during Christmas and the new year.

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If you can recommend gay-friendly areas of Mexico city I'd be interested to learn of them. Thank you for responding.
PG

Colombia:

- Medellin: cheap, many things to do, excellent hotels, perfect weather, but you need to make arrangements with guys in advance (and probably stick to a couple instead of trying to be a butterfly). .
- Cartagena: more expensive, beautiful islands to visit, hot weather, excellent restaurants and hotels, same situation with guys as in Medellin.
- Cucuta: dirty cheap, hot, plenty of guys available if you know where to find them, but nothing to do in the city and not a tourist in sight.

If you want to pick up guys in these cities, basic understanding of spanish is almost a requirement. I never felt unsafe, just take the usual precautions.

Forgot to mention that there are no entry requirements regarding covid and everything is open (bars, discos, restaurants, ..).

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Originally Posted by DoubleDutch

Marrakech, Morocco, it looks like. I was there for several weeks in October, almost no tourists but everything open, no restrictions. Also Tangier, Morocco, travelling in Morocco is fast and efficient.
Weather is similar to Malaga, Spain, warmest spot on continental Europe during Dec, Jan, and I'll decide on the go if it is warm enough to stay months at the time. I hope it is warm enough, because I have no plan B, Thailand this year is out of the question, with everything closed, I don't want to be there.

vnman brings up Mexico, maybe worth serious consideration, climate during Jan Feb seems perfect, and spending several months, climate becomes very important, no point of going to Spain or Portugal, when sit around hotel most of evening, and at +10C there is not much to do outside. Canary Islands is the only guaranteed warm place near Europe, but deadly boring so no go.

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Hi DoubleDutch,

I have always had a soft spot for Morocco: my first trip to Tangier was in 1976, when it was still a city frequented by the literati and artists. It was a great favourite, for example, of Joe Orton and his partner Ken Halliwell, before tragedy overtook them both in Islington, London in 1967!! Kenneth Williams would sunbathe in his suit on the beach to the east of the ferry port and the Kray twins (not literati) would visit too; the town certainly had much to offer Ronnie in those days. I have enjoyed Marrakech and fought off much interest shown in me by certain locals in the Jemma el Fna.

I am aware, however, and heard of an increasing intolerance towards gay tourists. Indeed, if you are spotted in the company of a younger Moroccan man it could elicit official attention. I recall a middle-aged guy from Essex being imprisoned in Marrakech sometime during the past ten years for being openly affectionate with his 20+ years of age boyfriend. On the other hand, I understand that discreet behaviour can produce a pleasurable vacation and that the owners of many riads are often gay couples. Any recommendations re: accommodation/towns that I may not have visited, please PM me. I had a great time in Agadir in 1993 with a lot of interest being shown. Mind you, I was in my early forties then!!