Rampy Camp
For years, developer Phil Rampy was ubiquitous in the Thornton Park neighborhood he developed just east of Downtown Orlando. But lately he and partner Rob Scheiwiller have been more absent than not— and who could blame them? In 2002 they purchased Hawkesdene Mountain Retreat, a private estate with a main house and four cabins nestled in a private cove on 26 acres adjoining the Nantahala National Forest. Just an hour west of Asheville, and two hours north of Atlanta, Hawkesdene is perfectly situated for a summer getaway. Rates for the cottages are $119-249/night, or $699-1,299/week. The 9,000 sq. ft. seven bedroom house can also be rented for $2,995-$4,495/week.
Trading Spaces
Love travel but hate hotel rooms—and rates? Thought about earning a little extra income with your Florida home while you’re away, but want to keep it in the family? Several services offer the opportunity to exchange homes with like-minded gays and lesbians, some in locations even more desirable than Tampa Bay and Orlando. A recent search revealed offerings like “large one bedroom in heart of gay Chelsea, Manhattan,” “remodeled Edwardian apartment with great view in San Francisco,” “20th floor high-rise condo on Lake Michigan in Chicago,” and “4,000 sq. ft. penthouse with indoor pool, rooftop terrace in historic London.” Most services offer opportunities for home exchanges, hospitality exchanges, room exchanges, home and room rentals and house sitting. Some of the best are: Home Around The World, Gay House Exchange, Me Casa Su Casa and One World One Family.
Vacation for the Gay Soul
Need to recharge your spirit and feel like a week at the beach or visiting family won’t do it? Spirit Journeys offers extraordinary LGBT vacations and retreats throughout the world. “Journeys” last two to three weeks and involve travel to exotic locales like Egypt and Thailand. “Retreats” are seven days in length, less distant, but more spiritually focused, involving activities like naked yoga, shamanism, trance dance and tantric exploration. “Workshops” last a weekend and focus on a single topic like gay spirituality, coupling and meditation. Upcoming offerings include “Tantric Tribes—Naked Yoga for Men” in Asheville June 17-20, “Transforming the Search for Happiness” in Pennsylvania July 23-25, and Grand Canyon Rafting Aug.-Sept. 7. Also, the respected Omega Center for Sustainable Living in New York’s Hudson River Valley offers several retreats for lesbians and gay men.
No Cruise, You Lose
If you’re looking for motivation to shape up, then ship out. There’s nothing like booking accommodations on an all-gay cruise to get you to the gym. That said, frequent cruisers swear that body Nazis are the exception at sea, and that friendliness and laughter are the most prized commodities. Atlantis has several good ones coming up, including: Copenhagan to Amsterdam Gay Pride Baltic Cruise, July 29-Aug. 8; Venice to Athens Mediterranean Cruise, Aug. 16-24; Athens to Barcelona Mediterranean Cruise, Aug. 24-Sep. 2. Olivia cruises for women are legend, and their upcoming lineup features: Provence to Burgundy Riverboat Cruise, July 20-27; Greek Isles and Turkish Coast, Oct. 3-10; and Caribbean Sun Cruise (for 2,000 lesbians!), Oct. 20-Nov. 6. Finally, it’s not too soon to reserve space on RSVP’s 25th Anniversary Cruise of the Western Caribbean (for 2,100 gay men!) on Holland America’s newest and most modern ship, Feb. 13-20, 2011.
Off-Season Pride
If you’re looking for an early—and off-beat—taste of Pride, next year jet out to Las Vegas for the nation’s only Night Pride Parade, held annually in late April/early May. If you can get up in time, attend the huge Pride Festival at the Clark County Government Center the following day. And if you can’t wait until then, see how a local CVB that actually wants LGBT business promotes that fact.
