Willemstad, Curacao
Queerty has announced the results of GayCities’ Best of 2012, and the results may shock you. Paris was voted the most Romantic, and best Food & Wine City, while New York was voters’ favorite City That Never Sleeps. Pretty unpredictable, right?
Other favorites included P-Town for its beach, and San Fran for both Scenery and Pride.
Also, as part of the promotion, one lucky queer won a trip for two to the Caribbean paradise of Curacao. Because any country that is synonymous with a rainbow-colored liqueur is just destined for gay tourism greatness.
According to Queerty, the lucky winner is some New Yorker named…
Travis Sacreman. Hold up a second.
So, yeah. That’s me, with a superfluous S. I won. Please don’t hate me. Because as super excited as I am to take the trip, I’m just as excited to share the experience with QL.
Curacao is a little piece of paradise in the southern Caribbean, not far from the coast of Venezuela. And thanks to its membership in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, it is a beacon of tolerance in an oft-hostile Sea. The Curacao Tourist Board recently launched a big official push to make the island the tropical destination for gay travelers around the world, and their sponsorship of this contest is just one part of that. The Floris Suite Hotel, also a sponsor, has recently rebranded to appeal to the gay boutique jetset. They’ve even added a gay bar onsite, complete with drag shows and, of course, the ever-present curacao liqueur.
And that’s just one piece of what looks to be a fabulous nightlife scene, and an island full of arts, culture, beautiful beaches and unbelievable food. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to go, to write a queer travel blog for QL, and to spread the Biba i laga Biba (live and let live) love from a hot new queer hotspot.
Um. WOW! OMG. Congrats!
Congrats! Sad to see Portland didn’t show up on with the best-ofs.
Unfortunately I don’t know much about Portland’s scene – actually, most of what I know about Portland is from the TV show, and I certainly don’t take that as authoritative. But I’d love to get up that direction. What are the highlights? Which category do you think PDX should have won?
It’s sometimes a little freaky and sad how accurate Portlandia can be. But anyhow, we could do well in the Food & Wine category seeings how we’ve been voted one of the best cities in the world for beer (USA Today, Esquire, etc.) and food carts (Esquire, Fox, Smithsonian). Oregon also has 450 wineries (which I only know that because I looked it up, truth be told). Those are only a few of Bridgetown’s perks – you should check it out if you get the chance. But anyway, congratulations, Travis.
Holy Toledo! Congrats! That’s so exciting!
Wow…that’s awesome. Can hardly wait to hear your tales.
Congrats! If you need a designated wingman, let me know!
Thanks for the well-wishes everyone! Didn’t want to brag (too much) but I am super excited to share the experience with everyone here.
God speed and safe return Mr. Sacreman.