As Puerto Vallarta's Season Winds Down, Plan Your Trip There For Next Fall or Winter

Admittedly, I don't always follow my own advice about planning trips early. It's hard to think about a summer trip to Provincetown when there's snow on the ground in December, or a winter adventure in Puerto Vallarta, when the weather is just starting to warm up. But in fact, it can make sense to plan early, especially when it comes to booking rooms at popular gay inns and resorts - some of these places, such as Puerto Vallarta's gay-chic Casa Cupula, sell out far in advance for busy weekends during the high season, which is late fall through early spring in on the Mexican Riviera. If you already have an idea about when you'd like to visit Mexico's hippest gay destination, save yourself some headaches and potential disappointment and book now. Here's my latest review of Puerto Vallarta's uber-cool gay dancing-and-schmoozing ground zero, Club Manana.

Puerto Vallarta's tourism season is tapering off now as we enter the middle of April, but keep in mind that many businesses do remain open in summer, and offering staggerlingly affordable rates. Other places do close for a few weeks - or even months - summer, however, and many airlines reduce or eliminate service from U.S. cities in summer, so plan accordingly if you're aiming for an off-season visit. Palm Springs, Fort Lauderdale, and Key West are also beginning to slow down as summer approaches, but don't count them out entirely - again, terrific off-season deals abound.

Meantime, other gay getaways are just gearing up for the season, among them Provincetown, Ogunquit, Rehoboth, Saugatuck, the Russian River, and New Hope. If you've got your heart set on visiting any of these charming summertime destinations during a popular weekend this summer, book ASAP. I'll be writing more about all of these destinations over the coming months.