Florida Agenda

By Paul Rubio Bordered by two of the world’s most popular GLBT cities, Hollywood, Florida, is often tossed aside as a sleepy side city, far removed from the queer Miami-Fort Lauderdale limelight. However, a burgeoning arts scene, an extreme beach overhaul, downtown gentrification and a booming restaurant scene has finally ushered in some much-deserved TLC [...]

Oceanfront and Country Extravagance on the Dominican Republic’s Southeast Shoreline “Casa de Campo” is a common term in Spanish, translating literally to “country house” or “cottage,” often referring to a second or third home for the Latin American bourgeoisie. However, in the Dominican Republic this term takes on a much grander meaning. Here, “Casa de [...]

Sandwiched between two major metropolises, “The City of Brotherly Love” has long suffered from middle city syndrome, taking a back seat to the “Big Apple’s” larger-than-life personality and D.C.’s historic and political magnetism. Combined with its tarnished reputation as a run-down, crime riddled wasteland, Philadelphia was far off the tourist map for those unwilling to [...]

By Paul Rubio Dream South Beach Photo: A Junior Suite at Dream South Beach Earlier this month, South Beach woke up to some new, fabulous crash pads. The Collins Ave. newbie, Dream South Beach (www.dreamsouthbeach.com; 305.673.4747), merges sexiness, eclectic modernism, historic preservation and a bit of South Beach big pimpin’ smack in the center of [...]

By PAUL RUBIO Photo: The gorgeous Presidential Suite at the Hilton Bora Bora Nui Resort & Spa is basically an island unto itself stretching out into the crystal clear waters of Bora Bora. With the recent gay marriage victory in New York, there’s no shortage of far and away locales to celebrate our new rights [...]

By PAUL RUBIO & NICK MOSS As the sun rises over the Pacific Ocean, we gather on the dive deck and peer down into the clear blue waters. Beneath the boat, large dark shapes swim ominously back and forth in anticipation. We had travelled from the U.S. for three nights to one of the most [...]

By Paul Rubio Photo: When relaxing in St. Maarten, you too can charter this luxury yacht to sail the high seas. With modern jetsetters looking beyond commercial cruises and traditional resorts for their next upscale vacation, private yacht charters have upped the ante to provide the ultimate bespoke vacation. Professional yacht charter brokers like Ulla [...]

By Paul Rubio I once dismissed St. Thomas as nothing more than another homogeneous cruise ship destination chock full o’ fanny-packed freaks, tax-free shopaholics and predatory tourist operators, littering the streets, the mountainsides and bays with their daunting presence. Yet late last year, on my third trip to  the island, I was introduced to St. [...]

By PAUL RUBIO Though Key West failed in its formal claim of independence from the United States, the iconoclastic “Conch Republic” never really took well to dictated conformity and authority. Distance and demure allowed the two-by-four-mile island to evolve as an isolated refuge for those who deviated from supposed societal norms, and by the late [...]

By Paul Rubio Photo: The Pool at the Ritz-Carlton, Puerto Rico Summer is the perfect time of year to give into your deepest pangs of wanderlust and fulfill your travel fantasies. As the debate lingers on whether the recession has ended or not, some hotels are still offering great discounts this summer, from a GLBT [...]