Gay.com Travel Awards -- Your Input Wanted!

 Calling all high-flying, train-riding, car-tripping, ship-sailing, vacation-loving gays! We're launching the 2009 Gay.com Travel Awards, and to help us decide on the nominees for each category, we're turning to the smartest, savviest travel experts we know -- namely, YOU.  After all, who says the "experts" know how to travel better than you do?

So look at the 11 categories and post your suggestions in the comments section below. Tell us about that little nightspot in San Diego that served the cheapest and best margaritas you'd ever tasted, or the cozy P-Town inn where you and your longtime partner rekindled your romance, or the hotel in South Beach so red-hot and over the top it just screamed sex.

Be specific -- make sure to tell us why you think this spot is the place to visit. (Were the town's boys hunky and the girls glam? Did the innkeepers make you feel especially welcome? Does the hotel chain take care of its LGBT employees?)

You have until the end of December to make your suggestions, and we'll announce the nominees on January 5, 2009. Send this link to as many friends as you can, because we want this year's Gay.com Travel Awards to truly reflect the many voices of the gay and lesbian traveler.

And always remember, contrary to popular belief, we seasoned LGBT travelers know that most of the time, the destination is just as important as the journey.

Categories open for suggestions/nominations:

Favorite Airline -
Favorite Place to "Get it On!" - (This can be as general [a city] or specific (a hotel or even hotel room number)
Favorite International Destination -
Favorite Romantic Getaway -
Favorite Domestic Destination -
Favorite Resort Town -
Favorite Hotel -
Favorite Guest House -
Favorite Casino -
Favorite Car Rental Company -
Best Bargain - (If there's a gay bar in Nashville that charges only $2.00 a martini, nominate it!  If there's a bed-and-breakfast in Cape May whose rates haven't gone up since the 1990s, tell us about it.)

Post suggestions below, or shoot us an email with "Travel Awards" in subject line to tips@gay.com.

(Photo: Getty Images/Todd Warshaw /Allsport)

Comments

[taili]

Forgive me, but isn't Gay.com an international web site? I live in China, so San Francisco would be my favorite International Destination... and I guess Shanghai or Beijing would be my favorite domestic destinations. I would like to say that my favorite Casino was in Macau, but that wouldn't be true, it is actually a very strange little place that I went to in Zimbabwae many years ago - probably not even there now!

[taili]

Sorry, I forgot to mention my favorite guest house is the International Guest House in Katmandu, Nepal - very special!

[Brian]

Favorite Airline - SWA
Favorite International Destination - Barcelona
Favorite Domestic Destination - San Francisco, CA
Favorite Hotel - W Hotel
Favorite Car Rental Company - ZipCar

[Ian]

Favorite Airline - Spirit

Favorite Place to "Get it On!" - Key West... during Tropical Heat.

Favorite International Destination - London

Favorite Domestic Destination - New York City

Favorite Resort Town - Key West, hands down. Key West is gayer than ever... more bars, big events (especially for playful guys), new piano bars, awesome guesthouses and gay men everywhere. The women seem happy too! The rumors about Key West's demise have been just that... there is significantly more gay nightlife there now than there was 20 years ago. The guesthouses are beautiful. Lots of gay college kids.

Favorite Hotel - W

Favorite Guest House - Island House. Not for uptight people. Great food, rooms, nice staff... sexually charged

Favorite Car Rental Company - Avis

[gidderguy]

I never git to go nowhere fancy schmancy. It ain't fair. You're all a buncha show-offs.

[Stewart]

Favorite Airline - US Airways
Favorite Place to "Get it On!" - Toronto
Favorite International Destination - Paris, France
Favorite Romantic Getaway - San Diego, CA
Favorite Domestic Destination - Key West, FL
Favorite Resort Town - Mackinack, MI
Favorite Hotel - Avalon Bed and Breakfast, Key West
Favorite Casino - Mandalay Bay
Favorite Car Rental Company - Hertz
Best Bargain - Unclaimed Baggage in Scottsboro, AL

[Honolulu Bill]

Favorite Airline - Virgin America and American Airlines (big supporters of the gay community)

Favorite Place to "Get it On!" -
In your private bedroom on a MOVING AMTRAK TRAIN or alternatively on a rolling cruise ship at sea

Favorite International Destination - Italy
Favorite Romantic Getaway - a cruise to anywhere
Favorite Domestic Destination - Hawaii
Favorite Resort Town - Kaanapali, Maui
Favorite Hotel - The Taj in Bombay-beautiful even after recent events
Favorite Car Rental Company - AVIS. They are consistently fast, friendly, and efficient
Best Bargain - a 3 day cruise from Miami to the Bahamas Norwegian Cruise Line is only $99.00

[jamie rein]

It is great to hear all your opinions. Here are my nominees:
fave airline: ICELANDIC
fave get-it-on city: AMSTERDAM, the people, human scale
fave international destination: CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
best north american destination: MONTREAL
fave romantic getaway: MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY
fave domestic destination: NEW ORLEANS, BOSTON, SAN FRAN
best resort town: PROVINCETOWN after Labor Day and in the winter
fave hotel: HOTEL VICTORIJA in RIGA, LATVIA; HOTEL CONGRESS, TUCSON if it is still there. any hotel that hasn't had the charm gutted out of it to be replaced with boring, drab minimalism w/dead stick arrangements. The interior of the art deco classic Shannon Court with the most beautiful lobby in san francisco was bulldozed and replaced with beige, generic trendy-already-passe Adagio YUCKK!!
best bargain: QUITO, ECUADOR; PERU, BOLIVIA, CHILE
HOTTEST guys: AMSTERDAM, BOSTON, MONTREAL
fave guesthouse: ANCO HOTEL, AMSTERDAM..friendly, handy, relaxing, horny
nicest people: IRELAND, THAILAND, SOUTH AFRICA, MEXICO Cheers

[Tony]

Favorite Airline - American
Favorite Place to "Get it On!" - Ft. Lauderdale
Favorite International Destination - Buenos Aires
Favorite Romantic Getaway - San Francisco
Favorite Domestic Destination - Ybor City (Tampa, FL)
Favorite Resort Town - Key West, FL
Favorite Hotel - Westin Diplomat, Hollywood, FL
Favorite Guest House - Villa Toscana, Chicago, IL
Favorite Casino - Caesars Palace, Las Vegas
Favorite Car Rental Company -
Best Bargain - Tampa/St. Pete area of Florida

[Steve & Mike]

Best Hotel: Marriott (Gay friendly and best awards)
Hotest place to do it: San Francisco Marriott against window watching two other guys at the adjacent hotel doing it against the window.
Best Airline: United, best first class, and gay friendly.
Hottest Boys: Kauai, Donkey Beach
Hottest Men: Florence, Italy
Favorite International Destination: Germany Black Forest
Favorite Romatic Destination: Florence, Italy
Favorite Domestic Destination: San Francisco
Favorite Resort Town: Provincetown Mass.
Favorite Hotel: Grand Hotel Baglioni, Florence, Italy

[Jimi Jamz]

Favorite Airline - American! No Doubt! With Their "Fly Now, Pay Later" plan, it's easy to travel.
Favorite Place to "Get it On!" - The "Back Room" at the RAWHIDE in New Orleans! Did you know there is actually a Pool Table in there?
Favorite International Destination - Vancouver B.C. Lot's of Gay Bars and everyone is so friendly.
Favorite Romantic Getaway - Seattle, Washington.
Favorite Domestic Destination - No Doubt About It ... Southern Decadence - French Quarter, New Orleans every Labor Day weekend!
Favorite Resort Town - Las Vegas
Favorite Hotel - The Historic French Market Inn, French Quarter New Orleans. Only stayed there once but the bed was comfy, got a free cocktail every day, 42" flat screen tv in room and furnished with antiques. VERY Gay friendly!
Favorite Guest House - The Creole Bed & Breakfast in The Marinay district of New Orleans ... Memory foam matresses, Fresh baked french pastries every morning, hotel like atmosphere (No problems bringing in a Late Night Trick), Gay Owned and Very friendly.
Favorite Casino - Paris Las Vegas - They Cater to the LGBT Community.
Best Bargain - The Creole B&B! We got a 2 Bedroom Suite for $49.00 a night.

[brian_in_sf]

Hotel Rex and Galleria Park, near Union Square, are charming and highly-recommended for out-of-town guests. Another hotel, one of SF's best new hotels, is BW Americania in SOMA (near hotspots there and one MUNI stop from Castro). All are part of Joie de Vivre Hotels, my favorite boutique hotel company.

[Prooz]

Favorite Hotel - Joie de Vivre Hotels -- the whole California collection especially Vitale, Ventana, Hotel Los Gatos, Galleria Park, the Phoenix

Favorite Place to "Get it On!" - Circular Suite at the Hotel Vitale, a Joie de Vivre Hotel

[Dave]

Favorite Airline - Virgin America

Favorite Place to "Get it On!" - Just returned from San Francisco where we splurged at the Hotel Vitale and got upgraded to their infamous Circular Suite (OMG!)

Favorite International Destination - Barcelona (eye candy everywhere!)

Favorite Romantic Getaway - Santa Fe, NM during winter months

Favorite Domestic Destination - San Francisco

Favorite Resort Town - Puerto Vallarta

Favorite Hotel - Joie de Vivre Hotels (stayed in several of their properties and they're always friendly and fun to sleep with)

Favorite Casino - The Palms, Las Vegas

Favorite Car Rental Company - National (I can pick the car I want to be seen driving!)

[Robert Banovic]

Favorite Airline - Virgin America
Favorite Place to "Get it On!" - The Hotel Vitale in San Francisco... Room 816 the circular suite!
Favorite International Destination -
Favorite Romantic Getaway - Zihuatanejo, Mexico
Favorite Domestic Destination - NYC
Favorite Resort Town - Napa Valley
Favorite Hotel - Any Joie de Vivre Hotel. Especially, Hotel Vitale in San Francisco, Ventana Inn and Spa in Big Sur, Hotel Los Gatos in Los Gatos... they are all amazing!
Favorite Casino - Bellagio
Favorite Car Rental Company - Enterprise... very friendly service!

[Paul Frentsos]

Favorite Airline - JetBlue
Favorite Place to "Get it On!" - one of the circular suites at the Hotel Vitale in San Francisco, CA. it's a Joie de Vivre Hotel
Favorite International Destination - Italy
Favorite Romantic Getaway - The Amalfi Coast
Favorite Domestic Destination - San Francisco
Favorite Resort Town - Provincetown, MA
Favorite Hotel - Joie de Vivre Hotels! The Vitale, Hotel Adagio, The Angeleno
Favorite Guest House - Parker in San Francisco

[Christopher Meck]

Fave Airline- Virgin America
Place to get it on- the Circular Suite @ the Hotel Vitale in SF
International Destination- Island of Malta
Romantic Getaway- Costa Rica
Domestic Location- Provincetown, MA.
Resort Town- Ogunquit, ME
Hotel- Joie de Vivre Hotels... the Citizen in Sacramento, the Hotel Angeleno, or the Dream Inn in Santa Cruz are 3 of my fav's... Check these hotels out for an amazing peronalized experience! www.jdvhotels.com

[Max]

Whenever I'm in California, I will ONLY stay at a Joie de Vivre Hotel. They offer an incredible variety of luxurious, hip and/or classic "style" to match whatever mood I might be in. The Galleria Park and Adagio in Union Square (SF); the Carriage Inn and Americania in SOMA (SF); the Vitale on the Embarcadero (SF); the Angelino in LA; the Acqua in Marin; Wild Palms, Moorpark, Hotel Los Gatos and Avante in the Silicon Valley; the Dream Inn (Santa Cruz) and their newest creation in Sacramento, the Citizen are just a few of the 40+ hotels that JDV now has in it's Golden State collection. These are NOT just hotels: they are the ultimate in style, service, and experience and each is a treasured memory of my travels. JDV has truly touched on something special and their philanthropic efforts (both on a Corporate level as well as at each individual hotel) reflect a truly caring company that, in addition to being Gay friendly, is Human friendly.

[Karlene Holloman]

Favorite Place to "Get it On!" - Circular Suite at Hotel Vitale

Favorite Hotel - Hotel Vitale, a Joie de Vivre Hotel

[Manny Melo]

I nominate Joie de Vivre as the Best in Gay Travel. I went to California in October & stayed at one of their hotels in L.A, The Muir Woods, & in San Fransisco. THEY ARE TRUELY THE BEST... Highly recommended!

[Meredith Austin]

I nominate Joie de Vivre Hotels as the best hotel for Gay travel! I recently stayed at the Hotel Durant in Berkeley and had the BEST experience! The hotel is super cool, and the staff are extremely courteous and friendly all around!
Can't wait to check out others in CA!

[Jacob]

Fave Airline- American.
Place to get it on- Rio de Janeiro
International Destination- South Africa
Romantic Getaway- San Juan Puerto Rico
Domestic Location- NYC.
Resort Town- P Town
Hotel- Oberoi Udaivillas in Udaipur.
Casino- not into casinos.
Bargain- Zoom Vacations-- best value of any tour operator. You get a lot more than you expect, and their tours are really high end and fabulous at low prices.

[Miles]

Favorite Airline - Jet Blue
Favorite Place to "Get it On!" - circular suite, Hotel Vitale
Favorite International Destination -
Peru
Favorite Romantic Getaway - islands
Favorite Domestic Destination - San Juan mountains
Favorite Resort Town - princeville
Favorite Hotel - Hotel Vitale, Hotel Los Gatos, Ventana Inn, Hotel Rex
Favorite Guest House -
Favorite Casino -
Favorite Car Rental Company -
Best Bargain - (If there's a gay bar in Nashville that charges only $2.00 a martini, nominate it! If there's a bed-and-breakfast in Cape May whose rates haven't gone up since the 1990s, tell us about it.)

[PJMSF]

My favorite hotel is the Hotel Vitale in San Francisco. It’s got the location, the feel and the vibe of an unpretentious in the know place to be and stay. Most rooms have great views and all the amenities one could ask for. It’s the service that keeps me coming back. Joie de Vivre manages this hotel, spa and restaurant. They take personal care in everyone that walks through the door. I love their Golden Gate Greeter program where they have locals meet visitors and show them their personal view of the city. It’s amazing! I also love the fact that they’re so involved in the community and give to so many charities. They just opened a new hotel called the Good Hotel. It’s all about being good and doing good. Everything is green and recycled and the staff actually has to volunteer in the community. They’re getting a lot of great press which is well deserved. Joie de Vivre also has a couple hotels in southern California. The Angeleno is really cool. They take old hotels and reconcept them with style and personality. They do the same with restaurants. I love what this company stands for. I became a fan when I saw them participate in the AIDS Lifecycle and Gay Film Festival. You see their name everywhere.

[Tony Moraga]

Favorite Airline - Southwest Airlines
Favorite Place to "Get it On!" - Barcelona, Spain
Favorite International Destination - Barcelona, Spain
Favorite Romantic Getaway - Paris, France
Favorite Domestic Destination - San Francisco
Favorite Resort Town - Cancun, Mexico
Favorite Hotel - Any Joie de Vivre property
Favorite Guest House - Island House, Key West
Favorite Casino - Paris Casino, Las Vegas
Favorite Car Rental Company - Zipcar
Best Bargain -