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Exclusive | Letters to the Editor, Summer 2008

Exclusive | Letters to the Editor, Summer 2008

YOUR QUESTIONS, OUR ANSWERS
I'm planning to do an REI Adventures trip to Norway this coming June. The trip starts and ends in Bergen, but am considering a few days in Oslo. Any gay-only hotels or B&Bs? Any gay masseurs in the area? Thanks much.
Robert, via e-mail


MATT SAYS: Norway is so famously Scandinavian gay-friendly (it was way ahead of the curve by approving registered same-sex partnerships in 1993) that there is no need for a gays-only lodging -- any hotel or B&B in the country flings open its doors to LGBT tourists. Even so, if you are looking to stay in a place that is specifically gay-owned, an option is to book a room in a private home through Berlin-based Enjoy Bed and Breakfast (EBAB.com), the largest gay service of its kind in Europe. It has three gay homes with rooms for rent in Oslo, with one that offers on-site professional massage services as well. Rates are a reasonable $55-$95 a night. If you?ve been to Copenhagen, Oslo has roughly the same population (about half a million) but with less pumping gay nightlife than Copenhagen. Still, be sure to stop by Oslo's oldest (and largest) gay bar London Pub/Club (LondonPub.no) -- a mellow bar by day and groovy dance club by night. In Bergen (located on the mountain and fjord-choked western coast of the country) Fincken (Fincken.no) is the big established gay bar, with a streetfront caf?, and also a disco at night. Like most gay places in Norway, it?s happily populated by fun-loving and gay-loving straights as well.

Do you have any suggestions as to whom I contact/how I go about renting a houseboat (hopefully one of the more luxurious larger ones) off of Sausalito for about a week to two weeks sometime in May-July of next year? We live in Palm Springs and could easily drive up there.
Gary, via e-mail


LOANN SAYS:
Visit the Sausalito, Calif., section of the Vacation Rentals by Owner website (VRBO.com) and you'll find a variety of houseboat options, ranging from a two-bedroom, one-bath model for $150-$200 per night (three-night minimum) to a three-bedroom split-level floating home for $4,000 per month. We particularly like the 3,000-square-foot redwood-and-glass houseboat with a hot tub off the master bedroom, Asian accents, and a view of Mount Tamalpais ($300/night, one-week minimum); it's located two miles from the ferry that commutes across the bay to oh-so-gay San Francisco.

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YOURE-MAILS
Thank you for telling us about “Andy Warhol’s Pittsburgh? in your Spring issue. As a gay traveler I enjoy coverage about unexpected destinations. As a gay Pittsburgher I enjoy reminders about where to go when I am not someplace else.
Paul H. Hawkins, Pittsburgh

I am an out traveler as is my partner and we read your magazine voraciously every time it arrives. It is also one of the few magazines that we keep as a reference for future trips. We enjoy all the issues, needless to say, but [the Spring] issue was exemplary. I read it cover to cover and went back to highlight the many tips. Every page included information that was a must for gay travel. Thanks for a great read!
Donald Biglands, St. Pete Beach, Fla.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Spring 2008 "taste" article. I am a flight attendant for EOS Airlines, and you can imagine my surprise when I was flipping through my issue and bam! page 32 had a photo of our goat cheese and roasted vegetables appetizer. I just wanted to thank you for bringing a smile to my face as I sat down to yet another hotel breakfast in London. Keep up the excellent work!
T. Nequin III, New York City


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YOURTIPS
My partner and I visited the jungle ruins of Tikal on a Guatemala vacation in 2007 and were able to climb all of the pyramids to astonishing heights. After climbing down, we could grab a cold Gallo cerveza from kiosks throughout the jungle. Our entire group happened to be gay (by chance), and the natural beauty of the area combined with the wild animals -- the cute cat-like pisotes ate from our hands -- made this one of the most spectacular lost worlds left on our planet. Stay in the nearby island village of Flores in the middle of Lake Peten and have a stopover in Guatemala City and dance the night away at Genetic, the country's biggest gay venue.
Fred McLean, San Diego

Got a hot travel tip? Send toTips@OutTraveler.com

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