Looking for a place where romance and the exotic completely mesh, intertwined for one of the most magnificent vacations you’ll ever have? Look no further than Cape Town, South Africa. Located at the very southern tip of Africa, Cape Town has consistently been considered among the top out travel places. Its beauty is beyond breathtaking and will leave you in awe of the forces of nature.

Cape Town is bordered by the mountains on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other sided. The blue skies with fluffy clouds will lull you into a deep sense of relaxation. The beaches will make want to never leave.

If you’re looking for the perfect romantic place to stay, book your nights at the incredible Glen Boutique Hotel. Given that this hotel is gay owned and operated, it’s an exceptional choice for gay travel and you certainly won’t be disappointed by the luxurious bedrooms and marble baths. As Cape Town’s gay village booms, so do your options for renowned exotic culinary masterpieces — such as Ulwimi (steamed Ox tongue in mustard sauce) at Marco’s African Place — or you might head on over to the jazzy Off Moroka Cafe Africaine to indulge in some traditional African fare.

Looking for things to do won’t be hard, either. From romantic tours in South Africa’s wine country, try Lyngrove Country House; to historical museums that will leave you emotional and speechless, three to see: Bo-Kapp Museum, District Six Museum and National Gallery; to an amazing nightlife, your vacation to Cape Town is sure to give you the most incredible memories.

The Rhodes Memorial is built on the slopes of Devil’s Peak. This memorial is in honor of Cecil Rhodes, a gay entrepreneur from Great Britain and founder of the Rhodes Scholarship and the DeBeers company. After you have done all this, it will be time to head back to the beaches again to rest up a bit so you’re ready for the clubs again.

It has been said before, but please do not miss the wonderful South African beaches. Cape Town has wonderful gay travel deals, such as wildlife, beaches and nightlife. A great place for that special vacation for you and your partner.

Post about Cape Town authored by Howie Holben. Spirit Journeys presents gay couples travel and gay spirituality retreats.

Our lives can get very hectic. Job, family, commuting, health issues, etc can all weigh us down to the point of feeling lost. Our mental and physical health requires that we take a break from it all once in awhile. Luckily, we have countless vacation options these days.

You can vacation alone, with friends or family, or you can travel with a group. You can also choose to travel with a group of people that have similar backgrounds and interests. Spiritual gay travel is one choice for gay people.

On gay vacations, that fact that we are gay is one thing we all share. Knowing that we all have at one thing in common adds to our vacation and our time together. We can quickly create bonds within the group because of this commonality.

New acquaintances become fast friends and people with whom we find we can share things. This helps to make gay vacations a unique and wonderful experience. We know we are understood by those around us, at least on some level.

Being comfortable with the people in the group, lets us be more open and relaxed. When we’re more comfortable with those around us, the vacation experience can reach us more fully. This provides for a deeper recovery from life’s pressures and strains.

A vacation with men and women that also share our intentions for the vacation deepens our sense of recovery. Spiritually connecting to the world around us and to ourselves is one shared intention. Now we share two important things, being gay and a desire to grow spiritually.

Gay vacations that include an exploration of the world and also an exploration of ourselves, can be very powerful. With the support of the others in the group we are able to let our walls down even further and live a freer life. And that’s why we took a vacation in the first place, to be freer of life’s responsibilities.

This post about conscious gay travel was written by Howie Holben. Howie owns Spirit Journeys, a firm well known for their spiritual adventures. Learn more about spiritual gay tours at www.SpiritJourneys.com.

Hawaii provides a pristine paradise that attracts travelers from across the globe to its many-colored picturesque beaches. Because of a welcoming, warm population and a blend of Polynesian, Asian and white European cultures, this island paradise has long been a popular travel destination for both straight and gay vacations. The LGBT community in Hawaii is relatively low-key and not entirely outwardly visible, but a gay travel participant will find a welcoming level of acceptance that has come about, in part, from many generations of varied cultures living together with no specific dominant religious or cultural influence as an overriding factor.

Seventy percent of Hawaiis population resides on Oahu, the third largest island in the chain, which is also home to the state capitol of Honolulu and the popular tourist destination, Waikiki. When traveling to Oahu on gay holidays, the Mexican caf La Cucaracha is a must-see and offers authentic cuisine, music and margaritas. Oahus LGBT community can also be found at the community book, novelty and clothing store, 80% Straight Inc., located in the Waikiki Grand, or one of the LGBT bars and clubs, including Fusion Waikiki, Angles Waikiki, Hulas Bar & Lei Stand and In-Between. For those who want to head to the beach, a warm welcome will be waiting at Queens Surf and below the lighthouse at the world-famous Diamond Head beach.

Those who choose a gay tour to Maui might not find a vibrant scene, other than a small area of Little Beach in Makena, but exploring quaint villages, watching the sunset atop Mount Haleakala and sunbathing near waterfalls all make Maui an enticing locale for gay travel retreats. If exploring what is considered the most tropical and scenic island of them all is part of your plans, Kauai is sure to deliver no matter what time of year you visit. Kauai is home to a clothing optional LGBT-friendly bed and breakfast, as well as an LGBT-owned villa with a Japanese flair and a clothing optional lagoon pool, and is an ideal setting for exploring waterfalls, amazing cliffs and vast canyons.

The Big Island is another friendly option with plenty of LGBT-friendly lodging options, as well as several businesses and restaurants and one bar. Gay vacations on the Big Island include everything from visiting an active volcano or strolling on black sand beaches to exploring a rain forest and gazing in wonderment at the snow on Mauna Kea.

There are many reasons to travel to Hawaii, which is the most remote island chain in the world and a must-see paradise. In a single trip to the islands you can scuba dive or snorkel among coral reefs, explore a volcano, visit a pineapple farm, ride horses on black sand beaches, learn the hula and attend an authentic luau. To make sure you do not miss anything that Hawaii has to offer, use a gay holidays tour, or enlist the assistance of a travel agency well-versed in planning gay tours.

Germany has long been a LGBT stronghold, with thriving communities in all of Germany’s metropolitan areas. This is one reason why gay vacations to some of Germany’s LGBT hotspots, such as Cologne, Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt and Hamburg are well known with travelers from around the world. Germany is home to several Pride festivals of world-renown and offers an accepting gay travel destination throughout the country. Like in any country, city dwellers are often more accepting than rural villagers; however, as a whole, Germany is a safe, accepting destination for a gay vacation.

Cologne is often referred to as Germany’s LGBT capital and is a wonderful choice as a gay travel destination. Perfectly poised on the shores of the Rhine River, Germany’s oldest large city draws eager visitors from every corner of the globe to experience this beautiful citys rich history and culture, commune with its friendly, jovial inhabitants and take part in its thriving arts and culture scene. Cologne is home to the world-renowned Cologne Cathedral, Kolsch beer and more LGBT restaurants, clubs, cafs, bars and establishments than anyone could visit in just one gay vacation.

Cologne is also the proud host of the 2010 Gay Games, has a very visible, well-established LGBT community and is quite comfortable with all types of couples holding hands or showing affection in public. As another way to show just how welcoming Cologne truly is, visitors can purchase a Pink WelcomeCard from the KolnTourismus Service Centre, which is good for free public transportation, discounts on museums, theater, opera and river cruises, and great discounts for local LBGT establishments, including saunas, bars, clubs and shops.

The cosmopolitan city of Berlin is also home to a strong LGBT community and numerous LGBT establishments. Travelers that partake in gay travel to Berlin may want to consider visiting during Pride season when Berlin holds the annual Lesbisch-Schwules Stadtfest, or Lesbian and Gay City Festival, which is the largest event of this type in Europe. The following weekend, the Berlin Gay Pride Parade and Christopher Street Day Pride Festival draw hundreds of thousands of LGBT participants and friends of the community, making this a great time for gay vacations in Germany.

No matter how you travel to Germany, alone or in a group, your Germany gay vacation will undoubtedly be full of many wonderful experiences. In order to make the most of your Germany vacation, consider exploring this intriguing country as part of a professionally arranged gay travel tour or planning your trip through a travel agency well-versed in planning gay travel to Germany.

South Africa has had a tumultuous human rights history, but even before reversing course with the elimination of apartheid, penning the worlds first constitution to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and being among the first nations to legalize same-sex marriage, South Africa was a popular gay travel destination. Since these history-making events, South Africa has become even more popular with both straight and gay travelers. As Africas most gay-friendly country, South Africa enjoys a thriving gay culture that spans the country from Gauteng with its exhilarating nightlife to the exquisite beaches of Western Cape and continues to grow as an enticing gay vacation destination.

Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria are popular stops during South Africa gay vacations and each offers a variety of gay-friendly and gay-centered activities, establishments and events. Gay men who enjoy the scene will be particularly pleased with the vast array of establishments that cater exclusively to gay men, such as luxury guest houses that provide lodgings exclusively to gay men, the famous bathhouses found in Cape Town and the private, all-male nude bar, Camp David, in Pretoria. Gay culture in South Africa revolves largely around the gay male community; however family travelers and lesbians will also find a plethora of exciting opportunities for gay vacations in this country that is rich in history, culture and beautiful landscapes, including several organized tours that are gay-friendly or cater specifically to the gay and lesbian community.

Gay travelers interested in designing a gay vacation around pride celebrations and gay events may want to plan their trip for September, which is South Africas gay pride month and offers a full calendar with multiple gay pride events, as well as the Out in Africa South African Gay & Lesbian Film Festival in both Johannesburg and Cape Town, which draws over 16,000 attendees from around the world. Those visiting in December will have the opportunity to experience Cape Towns Mother City Queer Project annual costume party, which draws more than 10,000 visitors. Gay men who enjoy a beach lifestyle will also want to check out Cliftons Third Beach and Sandy Bay nudist beach, which are very popular spots among gay men in Cape Town. There is also a gay area in Cape Towns Green Point where travelers will find a selection of gay-owned and gay-friendly eateries and establishments, as well as local gay publications like Outright and Exit, which list events and goings on in the area.

No gay vacation to South Africa would be complete without experiencing authentic South African cuisine and taking the opportunity to dine in some of South Africas many welcoming restaurants. When visiting Johannesburg, travelers will not want to miss Bellgables Country Restaurant offering delicious meals in a renovated farmhouse sitting on 21 acres of farmland. In Cape Town there are many dining options, including Lolas, a gay-owned vegetarian restaurant, and Emilys an award winning fine dining restaurant featuring South African cuisine, a wine bar and a beer bar.

Working with a travel agency that is accustomed to planning gay vacations to South Africa will help ensure that you get the most from your gay travel experience and that you have the information you need regarding where to go, what to see and which areas may have certain safety concerns for gay travelers.