La Avispa, San Jose, Costa Rica

Since the late 1970s, La Avispa (250 m. sur del Banco Popular, 506-2223-5343) - which means "The Wasp" in English - has been thriving as San Jose, Costa Rica's favorite gay and lesbian bar. It's in a central but scruffy section of downtown San Jose, and it doesn't look like all that much from the exterior, but inside you'll find a quite grand and beautifully decorated bi-level space with a pulsing dance floor, a great sound system, and a friendly, youthful (though all-ages-welcome), and stylish crowd. You get the best sense of the place if you stroll around the second-floor catwalk and look down at the dancing masses. This is one of the liveliest and most enjoyable gay discos in Latin America.