THEGAYUK

Author: Ray Si

  • HOTEL REVIEW | Santiago Resort

    HOTEL REVIEW | Santiago Resort

    ★★★★★ | Santiago Resort

    The Californian TREAT in RETREAT

    Located in a highly desirable neighbourhood in Palm Springs, California sits a quaint resort that is the recently refreshed Santiago. The friendly and attentive staff welcomes you to this gaysclusive 24 room – awe-inspiring resort. Most rooms boast landscape views of the towering mountains that surround this swim suit optional resort. The long list of amenities includes TV, DVD, fridge, microwave, king size beds, ceiling fans, housekeeping, WiFi, heated oversized pool, and Jacuzzi that are all a stone’s throw away from the tropical exotic surroundings that light up this resort. Santiago is one of the very few resorts that also offer both complimentary continental breakfast as well as a healthy light lunch that varies daily. As this resort sits proudly near downtown Palm Springs you will be neighbours with the bustling areas that will cater for your retail, wining, dining and dancing needs.

    Sometimes when we travel we think that we have to go out and explore or else we feel as though we are missing out on something and Santiago has this natural pull to the resort that even though the area is waiting to be explored…so are the hammocks, the fire pit and the views that come with both. OK so one might think that there is only so many views that one can take – I stayed here in January and back home in London it’s not very often you get to look at a backdrop of snow-capped mountains behind a canvas of clear blue skies whilst drinking English Breakfast tea (of course). When dusk starts to creep in and you are backstroking in the warm pool it’s difficult not to get carried away with a number of stars that twinkle away from any light pollution. I left thinking is Palm Springs closer to the moon – it seems that way.

    Santiago is the treat in retreat!

  • Take A Good ‘Loft’ Around Berlin

    Take A Good ‘Loft’ Around Berlin

    Berlin is a principal political hub overflowing with history, monuments, and entertainment venues, and is highly regarded for its diverse architecture and high standard of living. Of paramount importance (to me) are the 24-hour train services, outstanding theatre, and the Friedrichstraße area (formerly East Berlin) that has an East Side New York feel.

    CREDIT: TTstudio-bigstock
    CREDIT: TTstudio-bigstock

    I frequently use Ryanair when flying to Berlin as the journey time of one hour twenty minutes from Stansted is sufficiently short for one not to realise the lack of comfort provided by an economy airline. Arriving at Berlin’s Schonefeld airport, one can get direct to the city centre in forty minutes. Purchase your travel pass at the airport tourism kiosks to save time (one-day, three-day or five-day passes can be bought). Berlin’s trains are easy to use and the lack of ticket barriers provides a feeling of trustworthiness and frees one from the obstacles such barriers can present.

    ADVERT

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    Turning to accommodation in Berlin, one is spoilt for choice. Ranging from five-star hotels to hostels and private apartments, these can be sought in prime locations. A prime choice of apartment for me would be Miniloft, which is located near Friedrichstraße, an area subjected to major rejuvenation in the downtown area of Mitte, noted for its upmarket real estate. Located in close proximity to the U-Bahn station and trams, Miniloft apartments offer accommodation in four authentic and eye-catching designs, prime location and a tailor-made guide for the tourist. Miniloft has fully equipped apartments with lift access, private entry control and comforting heated floors. There is a splendid light environment, complete with the convenience of blackout blinds. A ten-minute walk will find one surrounded by the chic wine bars and colourful eateries of the Mitte district.

    CREDIT: R.Babakin-bigstock
    CREDIT: R.Babakin-bigstock

    If one is looking for culture in Berlin, the theatre breaks offer an outstanding option, and entertainment features the Broadway likes of Chicago, The Blue Man Group, and Aladdin. One point of note is that dialogue and music are in the German language.

    CREDIT: PR Supplied
    CREDIT: PR Supplied
    CREDIT: PR Supplied
    CREDIT: PR Supplied
    CREDIT: PR Supplied
    CREDIT: PR Supplied

    Moving away from Berlin’s Broadway, stay at Minioft to explore the city’s East End, Berlin’s hip nightlife district. Europe’s largest show palace is located here, Friedrichstadt Palast, which contains the world’s largest theatre stage.

    With excellent accommodation, which can be found by visiting www.miniloft.com, and outstanding cultural, historical, and recreational attractions, a visit to Berlin is certain to provide maximum appeal.

    Why not treat yourself to a stay in one of Europe’s major cities, and absorb the atmosphere in Berlin, where there is an abundance of diverse attractions waiting for you to discover.

    Miniloft is from €113.30 in May

  • TRAVEL REVIEW | B-Apart of Brussels

    TRAVEL REVIEW | B-Apart of Brussels

    Brussels is still a modest yet highly spirited neighbouring city with an extremely active gay scene (more so than London).

    Ray_Si-Grand_Place_apartmentliving_room

    Attractive deals with Eurostar can take you from London to the heart of Brussels in 2 hours with fares from as little as £58.00 return (March 2016). With the gay scene in London becoming somewhat embarrassing, take an easy ride to this quaint, convenient and charming city where you can pelt yourself into their friendly and loyal gaybourhood.

    Accommodation options available to travellers used to be limited mainly to hotels and dare I say it hostels however in the last say 8 years we have seen an increase of shared accommodation services that entice LGBT travellers – they are all great and serve a purpose yet if you are in need of modernized surroundings with complete privacy in a generous spaced apartment and not a ‘bedroom sized’ hotel room then the option of B-Aparthotels should be high on your list.

    B-Aparthotels has 5 pristine properties in the Brussels city area and located close to the important fun things to do – especially their property near Grand Place. Instructions to enter this fresh and orderly establishment is very slick and whilst there is no reception desk staff you instantly receive a warm welcome with the cleanliness and sleek instructions on how to obtain your room key in order to navigate to your very own apartment.

    Ray_Si-Grand_Place_apartmentliving_room

    All B-Aparthotels are stocked with quality toiletries, kitchenware, appliances and has daily housekeeping service all-inclusive of the decent room rates that are available for their swank 1, 2, 3 bedroom, penthouse and duplex apartments.

    The thought of hotel rooms for business or leisure travellers, meant working, sleeping and eating in the one, often cramped space. It also made travelling for families and groups expensive, with multiple rooms required to accommodate everyone. Features, unique to apartment hotels, allow you to cook your own meals, do your own laundry, and relax with plenty of space. B-Aparthotels attracts guests who stay for days, weeks or months at a time.

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    Staying at this B-Aparthotel allows you to be in the midst of Brussels restaurant row. Rue des Bouchers is the gateway to a neighbourhood of food where there are more than 70 restaurants, one next to the other, on the street levels of the old step-roofed stone, brick and timber buildings in what is one of the oldest sections of historical central Brussels.

    Ray_Si-_VAU3015

    Rue du Marché au Charbon is a short and pleasant walking distance from the B-Aparthotel (Grand Place) and it’s this cobbled stretch that sits numerous gay bars, restaurants and plays host to the heartbeat of Gay Brussels – a place where you will want to B-Apart of.

    Find out more visit B Aparthotels

    Star rating: ★★★★★

    ALSO READ: East Canyon Hotel + Spa Review (USA)

    ALSO READ: Hotel Review: Hilton Cardiff

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Illusionist live at Shaftesbury Theatre

    America and Britain’s Got Talent has quite the same format and it’s this bi-coastal variety TV show that springs to mind and also celebrates the essence of The Illusionist.

    The Illusionist recently opened on Broadway in New York and currently running simultaneously with a different batch of Illusionist’s in London’s West End. I was accompanied by someone who was going to make this show her first Broadway experience and how rapid did any excitement dissolve and replaced with disappointment as the show came across as a highly, taut, expensive and stretched variety show.

    Audience participation was relied on and the faces on the unlucky chosen were illusions of willing victims that seemed as though they were not embarrassed to be on stage but more so embarrassed to be associated with some of acts.

    Ok, so despite the show being a glamorised magic show (thanks to the heavy advertising and prestigious theatres that house these shows), there were a few steals to be had. The Anti Conjuror shocked the audience by regurgitating a few razor blades that were strung through a piece of floss, ‘’how did he do that?’’, muttered the audience whilst covering their children’s eyes.

    Technology was revealed on stage by The Futurist and his acts with bright technology and perfect timing were very welcomed – finally something decent and suitable for the kids in the audience.

    No magic show is complete without someone escaping from something – The Escapologist made sure that was served up whilst being hung upside down in flames (of course).

    The Trickster continued to blow fresh air throughout the whole show with his adult focused comical one liners and had the kids muttering ‘’what does that mean?’’. The Trickster certainly left the stage with the adults wanting more.

    Good seats are important to view this show so everything on stage is beamed onto a screen for everyone that sits say beyond the 10th row in the orchestra. What’s the point of sitting beyond this and more so what’s appealing with going to a theatre to watch a screen?

    The Illusionists create their standalone performances so don’t expect them to interact together. The show doesn’t offer anything that most viewers haven’t seen before.

    I did leave the theatre thinking ‘’how did they do that…how does a show like this become Broadway worthy?’’ – that’s magic!

    The Illusionist live at Shaftesbury Theatre, London & Broadway, NYC, 14/11/15 – 03/01/16

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Showstoppers show themselves up in the West End

    Long form improv is the high-wire act of this performing spectacle in this impromptu musical theatre delight.

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  • TRAVEL REVIEW | Hot In Palm Springs

    Why not revel in Palm Springs, where you are surrounded by some of California’s most breathtaking settings.

    Choose from an unparalleled array of hotels and resorts to stay at including this highly recommended East Canyon Hotel + Spa. Nestled in a quiet residential street this haven is a stone’s throw away from the bustling nightlife where the temperatures continue to rise after hours. Embrace luxury in one of East Canyon’s incredibly clean, lavish, spacious exquisitely stylish suites.

    Restore body and soul in their heated 24-hour pool and Jacuzzi along with their spa menu to compliment your relaxation. Enjoy the very height of excellent service, complimentary continental breakfast that is highlighted by the ultra-friendly environment that you cannot help but to embroil yourself in. Experience for why this inspiring haven is quite simply Palm Springs new level of supreme perfection for the professional gay clientele.

    Travellers that are staying in Los Angeles will find that Palm Springs can be a convenient getaway as a vacation from a vacation. The most convenient way to get to Palm Springs from Los Angeles is to drive.

    Driving time will take 2 hours with no traffic (approx 120 miles from Los Angeles).

    Palm Springs is also served by a small International airport, therefore continuing your journey by air within the USA from Palm Springs is possible.

    Palm Springs is a desert city, therefore, the heat here can be extremely over bearing, occasionally you will feel a breeze, however, it will be conditioned with high temperatures of heat!

    Many businesses (including the East Canyon Hotel + Spa) have water misters in the outer areas that will dust sprinkle mist to keep you cool. All venues have air conditioning.

    Don’t let the heat put you off, after you have soaked yourself in the hotel’s pool venture out to the local attractions such as The Aerial Tramway, Joshua Tree National Park, Palm Springs Air Museum, Palm Canyon Drive and the highly recommended Red-Jeep tour, where you will be guided by a local, transporting you in a red jeep discovering the gems that make Palm Springs a place that is blissfully manicured.

  • HOTEL REVIEW | Easton Mountain: Bit of camp for winter

    ★★★★ | Easton Mountain: Bit of camp for winter


    It’s startling that there are gay capital-dwellers who travel to New York City, Boston and Montreal and are yet to discover the nearby gem that perches on the edge of Albany that is Easton Mountain.

    Created by gay men, Easton Mountain is comfortably a sanctuary and retreat with a unique experience that unites and takes a step back from the surrounding cities hard-partying tribes – set in a quaint corner of Hudson Valley, Easton Mountain’s positive spirit is drizzled by the collection of men that embrace the land and everyone within their adopted brotherhood.

    Easton mountain is host of the warm welcoming ‘Winter Camp!’ Where you’ll find fun winter activities, new friends, community and warmth.

    Freely surrounded by acres of land and way below the towering snowy mountain sits the guest house where accommodation is en suite and semi-private. Branching from the guest house we see the Lodge and Temple both sharing the pulse of 175 acres of land.

    If it’s possible to be tiresome with the backdrop then discover a range of indulgent in-house workshops that focus to revitalize, replenish and hydrate your mind. The workshops are available for you to select freely to participate in and are all run by dedicated and volunteered facilitators who all create and provide personal attention to everyone attending.

    Restore your bodies glow on the premises outdoor pool and indoor Jacuzzi along with massage rooms to complement your relaxation. Nestled a few feet away from the guest house is a yurt-style sauna where the atmospheric temperatures continue to rise after hours.

    Enjoy the very height of tasty nutritional home-cooked meals – breakfast, lunch and dinner can’t arrive fast enough with the most lavishly catered generous spread that awaits each meal time.

    Experience why this gay inspiring haven is quite simply New York State’s level of supreme perfection for the spoiled for choice gay voyagers.

    The most favourable way to get to Easton Mountain is to arrive in Albany’s train or coach stations and then driven to the land via volunteers at Easton. Albany Airport is served by numerous national airlines, therefore, continuing your journey by air within the USA and afar is convenient.

    Whether you travel from near or far, any strains from long flights, drives or rides will rapidly dissolve when you begin to discover the colourful gems that make Easton Mountain blissfully manicured in this land of many ‘campers’.

  • HOTEL REVIEW | The Pineapple Point, Fort Lauderdale, USA

    ★★★★★ | The Pineapple Point, Fort Lauderdale, USA

    Fort Lauderdale, Florida makes an impressive POINT!

    Many gay travellers tend to head to Miami for its busy South Beach area that offers a gateway to its swanky bars, famous nightspots, sandy beaches, exclusive shopping, numerous tanning products and ridiculous diets to compliment that cocktail that you have in hand – oh, and if it’s not a low-calorie cocktail you may be looked at as if you were drinking CONCENTRATED orange juice!

    Yep, this is ‘SoBe’ (South Beach for short) or a more polished ‘SE’ (Southend, Essex) that definitely has its characters eyeing tourists from behind their velvet rope.

    Thankfully there is a ticket out of this hot mess and the ticket hero that is Fort Lauderdale comes to the rescue. Just 45 minutes north of Miami sits a very patient area of Florida that has an increasing gay population in the Victoria Park and Wilton Manors gaybourhoods.

    Numerous gay hotels line these areas with easy access to the calm and powdery white beaches. The Pineapple Point Guesthouse and Resort claims that over 90% of their business is from returning guests and really I am not surprised. This resort is tucked away in luscious heaps of palm trees and boasts spacious bedrooms to three-storey villas with private splash pools and decadent furnishings. The beds are so ridiculously comfortable like where on earth did they buy these from!

    If you choose to be social their repeat guests will offer you their non-attitude company and if you choose to be private then the friendly breeze from this resort will tempt you to relax. The Pineapple Point’s only downfall is you will have trouble deciding whether to stay in the quarters of your room, suite or villa or go outside on the grounds of the resort where a number of pools, Jacuzzis and hammocks are all inviting you with their silent persuading whispers – tempting you to their haven. Best to hire a car in Fort Lauderdale (with Sixt car rental) or jump on one of the bikes that the resort provides. Before heading out to dinner to the walking distance of the Las Olas Boulevard area (go to BAO Bar Asian Kitchen – so good!) the social hour by the pool in the evenings are hosted by the generous staff who are the lovely ones that promote a point to make you feel very welcomed at The Pineapple Point.

    Book a stay at The Pineapple Point with Booking.com

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Between, Kings Head Theatre

    ★★★ | Between, Kings Head Theatre

    Like the majority of plays featuring gay men – this one too has nudity… SURPRISED?

    BETWEEN opened recently at the King Head Theatre Pub and can be seen as a 55-minute monologue adapted to fit the six characters that are played by two male actors. Loosely directed however vividly acted BETWEEN invites us to experience snippets from the portrayed lives of two childhood friends (exploring sexual activity), a couple in a relationship (suffering from sexual dysfunction) and an actor and tutor (where the actor falls for his tutor).

    The three stories are relevant to each other and it’s not that difficult to figure out the outcomes, especially when it feels as though some of the stories have not been fleshed out or evenly concentrated on.

    This short play has a few twinkling moments that these committed actors shine in nicely and I fear that these moments are not being received with the attention it deserves (as I look around the space and see the first three rows of men beaming at the boy’s semi-naked bodies).

    Constant transformations into the different characters demand the actors to change and take their shirts on and off and not tautly done this can be quite distracting; however, it has to be done as the director chose this manoeuvre. To make this play more gripping and to compliment the small performance space perhaps the capable actors should have been allowed to show an emotional change in each character rather than displayed through a physical item (t-shirt).

    May not be off the hook funny, emotional, surprising or unique but intelligence made an appearance when the impressive sonnets did – definitely a highlight and something to look out for.
    I had to go and see BETWEEN after reading the rave reviews and feel this play has so much going for it that you never stop hoping that it will get better.

    BETWEEN
    Directed by: Geoffrey Hyland
    Performed by: Nicholas Campbell and Oskar Brown
    Kings Head Theatre
    until 14th March 2015
    http://www.kingsheadtheatre.com

  • HOTEL REVIEW | The Out NYC

    Hell’s Kitchen in Manhattan is New York’s right hand that throws the glitter in its Cousin Chelsea’s face! As an ex New Yorker, I often wonder around Chelsea and have withdrawals from the energy Hell’s Kitchen famously oozes.

    Regardless of budget head straight to 9th Ave (between 42nd & 52nd Street) and trip over gay bars such as Posh, Flaming Saddles and Mickey Spillane’s – all offering warm welcomes and steering you away from the capitalist aroma of NY by drawing attention to their generous happy hours! New York’s real estate is hands down one of the most lucrative in the world therefore accommodation can flare a hole in your tutu unless you stay at THE OUT NYC.

    Described as one of the most high energy, full service hotels in the area this urban resort in Hell’s Kitchen at 510 W. 42nd Street is not too far from 9th Ave – it’s probably the same walking distance from London’s Astoria (RIP) to the Candybar.

    THE OUT NYC predominantly welcomes the LGBT community on diverse travelling budgets. This hotel offers plush Quad rooms featuring 4 full size bunk beds with full amenities including individual TV’s – the bathroom is shared but relax as you don’t seem to care when you have to share a powder room at a bar or on a plane and if you do like your own space and travel on helicopters instead of the tubes then without the hefty price tag THE OUT NYC also offers private bedrooms listed as deluxe, studios and one bedroom suites all draped with particular mirrors and comfortable lighting. They also offer dog house suites (where you might find your clothes from the night before or an ex). All visitors are welcomed to use their Spa that has a sauna, steam room and Jacuzzi.

    The staff all headline gorgeousness inside and OUT – you will have a hard time not asking them to join you for a drink at the hotels KTCHN bar and restaurant. THE OUT NYC is deep in Hell’s Kitchen but far from Hell on earth.

    REVIEWED BY: Ray Si
    ADDRESS:
    PHONE: +1 212-947-2999
    WEBSITE: http://theoutnyc.com
    RATING: ★★★★★
    PRICE: from $110 per night