The Gay Travelers

TRAVELING IN OUR FABULOUS GAY WORLD

By Donald Pile and Ray Williams

New Gay Resort opens in St. Petersburg, Florida

January 11, 2010 Think the West coast of Florida and then think St. Petersburg and you will find a brand new mega gay resort. The Flamingo Resort opened the last of August and is already finding a lot of repeat guests. It has 130 rooms plus three bars and a great restaurant. We visited the resort for a few days recently. Located just minutes from the famous beaches of St. Petersburg, this is certainly a much needed accommodation for those wanting to visit the west side of Florida. St. Petersburg is comprised of the city itself and then the beaches which are Treasure Island, St. Pete Beach and Madeira Beach. Drive over causeways to get to them. It is located between Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico and about 25 miles west of Tampa. With an average of some 360 days of sunshine each year, St. Petersburg is nicknamed “the Sunshine City.” The remarkable weather combined with shopping and fine dining makes the city a popular tourist destination all year long. With so much happening in south Florida, this is a great alternative where you will feel right at home. Even in January you can walk all over town visiting the shops and museums.

The Flamingo Resort has very reasonable rates for guests and their staff is extremely friendly and accommodating. They have a beautiful pool area, The restaurant serves lunch and dinner including Tapas, appetizers, salads, pizzas and sandwiches plus chef specials. Complimentary Continental breakfast is served for hotel guests. Monday is Sports night pool league, Monday Night Football in the Blue Room with Sports Games on Video Bar TVs. Tuesday is Piano Night or Live Music and Entertainment and Wednesday is Karaoke Night with Stormin’ Normie. Thursday is Fun & Games Night with Beer Pong, Cornhole, free Pool and Misc. Games, Alexis De La Mer with a Drag Show with Strippers and contests. Friday 80's Night with 80’s Themed videos and later, male dancers. Saturday night is Tampa Bays only exclusive After Hours Party, Club H/E featuring High Energy Dance Music Till 5 AM. Sunday, they have their Sunday Afternoon Tea Dance poolside which is always packed, and then a Flamingo Showcast and male dancers in the evening. As you can see there is always happening at the new Flamingo Resort. The Resort also has retail shops. In our travels from coast to coast we usually run into at least one person who works in a resort, bar or restaurant who is “beyond fabulous” and at the Flamingo Resort, that person is Joey, the bartender. He is fun, funny, interesting and professional! Why can’t all bartenders be like this?

St. Petersburg offers plenty of things to see and do. Visit www.stpete.com, www.stpetepride.com and www.floridasbeach.com. Their Museum of Fine Arts, 225 Beach Dr. N.E. has the only comprehensive art collection, extending from antiquity to the present, on the Florida west coast. And after visiting the museum, walk all around downtown which has dozens of restaurants and shops. For guests, there is a Supermarket within walking distance, a variety of other restaurants are within walking distance as well.

The Flamingo Resort is located at 4601 34th Street South. You can check out their website: http://www.flamingofla.com/ and their toll free telephone number is 727.321.5000. You can email them at info@flamingofla.com. For guests wanting to stay in a Bed and Breakfast rather than the resort, check into the Gay St. Pete’s Bed and Breakfast, www.gaystpetehouse.com. They are located at 4505 5th North Avenue. And then you can party at the Flamingo Resort. We wish the very best for the Flamingo Resort and we know that they will become one of the best gay mega resorts in the country. In our travels, we are always running into people that we have met before or friends of friends who we have met. At the Flamingo Resort, we met the vivacious Jim Zago who is a very dear friend of our New Jersey friends, the famous author, Robert Hofmann and his spouse Michael. He was visiting from the cold weather in New Jersey. A very special THANKS to our good friends, Ed Hayes and John Dunne in St. Petersburg for their gracious hospitality during our stay.

Always remember to have fun when traveling, meet new people and talk to everyone!

TRAVELING IN OUR FABULOUS GAY WORLD is written by Donald Pile and Ray Williams, Award-winning, Celebrity travel columnists who write for gay publications from coast to coast (And now legally married). Proud members of the IGLTA. You can email them at gaytravelers@aol.com and visit their website at http://gaytravelersataol.blogspot.com/