Psst, don't tell anyone, but now is one of the best times of year to visit Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The water is warmer, there is still plenty of sun, and the hotel rates are lower than during the busy winter months. Hotel rates drop even more by June 1, but that is the start of the rainy season, although it generally rains in the evenings, so your day at the beach probably won't be rained out.

Gay Puerto Vallarta is showing no signs of slowing down. More and more tours, hotels, bars, and restaurants are actively courting the gay community. That trend is backed by a recent survey. A 2010 poll by San Francisco-based Community Marketing, a gay marketing firm, found that Puerto Vallarta is the most popular gay foreign destination in the Americas, narrowly beating Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal.

The gay scene in Puerto Vallarta is on the south side of the city in an area known as Zona Romantica, or the Romantic Zone. Some also call it the Old Town, but that is a misnomer since downtown Puerto Vallarta is much older.

Zona Romantica is also where the city's public beach is located. Los Muertos Beach starts near the Rio Cuale, which is the river that separates downtown from the Romantic Zone. The unofficial gay section of the beach is called Blue Chairs Beach. It is on the southern end of Los Muertos Beach in front of the Blue Chairs Hotel. But immediately to the south, the Green Chairs Beach is just as gay, and the section of the beach to the north in front of the Lido Beach Club is nearly as gay.

One of the best features of Puerto Vallarta is that everything is easily walkable. Don't think of renting a car here. There are a couple of dozen gay bars and about a dozen gay hotels within easy walking distance. And Puerto Vallarta is very safe. The city often gets painted with a broad negative brush after reports surface on drug-related violence mostly in border towns of Mexico.

Puerto Vallarta as a tourist destination has a long gay legacy. The 1964 movie, The Night of the Iguana, first put Puerto Vallarta on the map as a resort destination. That film was based on a story by gay playwright Tennessee Williams. Elizabeth Taylor, who died last week, was not in the movie but she tagged along with Richard Burton, with whom she was having an affair. Both Taylor and Burton were married to other people at the time and the paparazzi descended on the city, giving it priceless publicity.

Gays helped fuel a second renewal in Puerto Vallarta just over 20 years ago. That's when the city's gay founding father, Paco Ruiz, first opened his landmark gay bar Club Paco Paco. For a time, Club Paco Paco and Balcones were the only gay bars in town.

Ruiz stood up to regulatory authorities and refused to pay them bribes. He was eventually arrested after refusing to be closed by them after two lesbians were seen kissing in his bar. He publicly talked about his troubles during an international TV talk show that was broadcasting from the city. The additional media attention and public sympathy for Ruiz's plight eventually resulted in changes and more acceptance of gays in the city.

Gays are now entrenched in Zona Romantica, where you will find the rainbow flag everywhere. Olas Altas is Zona Romantica's main street and gays played a huge part in the resurgence of the street and neighborhood.

Daylife

A number of gay-focused tours are a must for any visitor to Puerto Vallarta. It is a good idea to take a tour near the start of your vacation. You will meet new friends that you will run into all week long.

For more than 10 years, Diana's Tours has developed a loyal following. It is run by Diana DeCoste, a gay woman and a fixture in Puerto Vallarta. Her daylong tour runs every Thursday and sometimes on Fridays if there is a big demand. The cruise books up early in the busy winter months, so book ahead if you are traveling then. Diana's Tours has the distinction of being the number one ranked tour, gay or straight, in Puerto Vallarta on TripAdvisor.com. The tour includes a continental breakfast, a stop at a beachfront restaurant and unlimited booze, soft drinks, and snacks. The first stop is the landmark Los Arcos, the huge hollowed out rocks through which you can snorkel. The tour guests are mostly gay male, but lesbians are welcome and it is straight friendly.

The Wet and Wild gay cruise is another way to spend a fun gay day on the bay. The eparts Puerto Vallarta twice a week with half-day sunset cruises on Wednesday and half-day day cruises on Saturday. The tour is almost exclusively gay male and although the staff maintains a fun atmosphere, it tends to be very sexually charged. Near the start of the cruise they announce that it is the goal for everyone to leave drunk and having gotten laid. The cruise includes a full complement of friendly strippers who work the crowd for tips.

For the more adventurous, several tour companies offer gay zip-line and ATV tour days. For a complete list check out GayGuideVallarta.com or when you get in town, visit the concierge desk at the Blue Chairs Hotel for information and tickets to all gay excursions. Jeff Scates usually works the concierge desk and is a great resource for all things gay in Puerto Vallarta. Beware of timeshare salesmen who promise free tours in exchange for viewing a presentation. I had two friends who wound up spending most of the day in a presentation that was supposed to take 90 minutes. In the end, they never got the tour they were promised and wound up having to pay the salesman $40 USD.

Nightlife

A new service called Gay Vallarta Bar-Hopping is a must for first time visitors or for returning visitors who want to know what's new in the city. The $40 USD tour includes five bars and two nightclubs with free drinks at all stops. The tour starts out at 7 pm on Thursdays and Fridays and begins with a stop at the Fuego Restaurant, where you can grab a bite for 50 percent off. Another tour on Wednesdays includes a longer restaurant stop and includes stops at gay local bars. The tour also includes a package of coupons valued at $40.

The most popular gay bars in town are Paco's Ranch, Club Mañana, and La Noche. La Noche recently expanded and took over the furniture store next door, more than doubling its space. People tend to start at La Noche or one of the smaller gay bars in Puerto Vallarta, before moving on to Paco's Ranch or Club Mañana, which are open all night for dancing (but you won't see anyone in there until after midnight and they don't really get going until after 1 am.) Paco's Ranch is open seven nights a week but Club Mañana is only open weekends, at least until the start of the busy winter season, which gets under way around Thanksgiving. (The smaller stripper bar, Tease, that is attached to Club Mañana, is still open every night.) Club Mañana is the largest gay club in the city and has an open-air dance floor, so if you are sensitive to cigarette smoke, this is the place for you to breath free. Smoking is still allowed in bars in the city.

There are no lesbian bars in Puerto Vallarta but both Club Mañana and Paco's Ranch are women-friendly. The smaller lesbian-owned Apaches bar on Olas Altas is always busy and is also women-friendly. The Chill Out Lounge is also owned by a lesbian couple and is known for attracting a very diverse crowd. Apaches and the nearby Sama martini bar are great places to stop and people watch along Olas Altas. Sama is known for its exotic cocktails, so check out the menu before ordering your same old. The Palm is a cabaret space right next to Sama. It is the spot where gay-friendly acts perform.

The bar on the roof of the Blue Chairs Hotel is a must-stop at sunset. Check out the schedule of entertainment first. Every night starts off with male strippers. Some nights also feature drag shows, karaoke, or gay bingo.

Strippers are a big trend in gay Puerto Vallarta. The newest gay bar in town is Wet Dreams. It features strippers who take it all off and shower in a glass booth behind the main bar.

Accommodations

Casa Cupula, owned by San Franciscan Don Pickens, is a gay boutique hotel and one of the finest hotels – gay or straight – in Puerto Vallarta. It is on a hill just a short 10-minute walk from Olas Altas and the heart of gay Puerto Vallarta. Amenities include a new gym, a pool, and two hot tubs. Continental breakfast is included in the hotel's fabulous Taste Restaurant. The restaurant is worth stopping by for cocktails or for a meal anytime. It's easy to see why this place consistently gets great reviews.

The Blue Chairs Hotel, under the direction of gay American sales manager James Berryman, is getting better than ever. A second rooftop deck and a new wading pool were added on top of the roof deck. Blue Chairs also has a couple of lookout decks on top of the top floor, complete with a replica Statue of Liberty. All the hotel's rooms have been remodeled and the hotel is fighting to repair the damage to its reputation during the rocky transition between the former owners, who had leased the hotel to the current owners, who are the longtime owners of the building.

Hotel Mercurio is a great choice in the heart of gay Puerto Vallarta, just a half-block from Olas Altas street. Its budget rates include a fabulous buffet breakfast. This is particularly a good place for anyone traveling alone. You will easily make new friends at breakfast or during the hotel's poolside daily cocktail hour.

The Hotel Amaca underwent a complete top-to-bottom renovation following its previous incarnation as the Descanso del Sol. The hotel is on a hill just a five-minute walk from the heart of gay Zona Romantica. It prominently displays the rainbow flag at the top of its upper deck.

Eating out

The Swedes Restaurant is owned by a Swedish couple who took over the old space occupied by the Picnic Restaurant. The space is built into a hillside on Olas Altas and features great street views and nice ocean breezes. While everyone is welcome, the owners boast that they proudly are a gay restaurant. The restaurant features dishes from different parts of Europe and yes, even a Swedish dish or two.

The gay-owned El Mole de Jovita Restaurant is known for its gourmet mole, the famous Mexican sauce.

The upscale beachfront Club Lido Restaurant opened in November and has already drawn a loyal following. It's just north of the Blue Chairs Beach.

El Arrayan, in downtown Puerto Vallarta, makes it to the top of everyone's list as one of the best Mexican restaurants in Mexico. It's owned by Carmen Porras, an out lesbian originally from Mexico City.

The aforementioned Taste Restaurant at Casa Cupula is a restaurant not to be missed for gourmet food with great views but with moderate prices.

Getting there and around

Alaska Air and United fly nonstop to Puerta Vallarta from San Francisco International. The flight is a little over three hours.

A taxi from the airport to Zona Romantica costs about $25 USD. It's about $10 cheaper to get a taxi back to the airport because taxis are accessed a fee to pick passengers up at the airport.

A much better way to go is to reserve a car through Diana's Tours. It only costs $20 USD for the same ride and you will be treated like a VIP with someone holding your name on a sign as soon as you exit customs.

You can also walk the pedestrian bridge across the highway to the yellow taxis on the other side. Fares are negotiable but expect to pay $5-$10 less than you would pay for a taxi from the airport.

Once you get in town, cab fares are set at 40 pesos, or about $3.35, for anywhere within the Romantic Zone or downtown. Taxi drivers don't expect tips unless they give you extra service such as helping you with luggage. As mentioned, Puerto Vallarta is very walkable but it's a good idea to take a cab back to your hotel late at night if you are alone or have had a lot to drink.

For more information, the excellent guide, "Gay Guide Vallarta," is published by former Bay Area resident Mark Page, and is a great resource. You can pick up a free hard copy in town or check it out online at GayGuideVallarta.com.

edwalsh94105(at)yahoo.com