# Gay friendly timeshare resorts



## Eric, (May 14, 2009)

Is there a list of gay friendly timeshare resorts?

This is a serious question and I am not sure where to post it, but would like to inquire about timeshare properties that are friendly to alternative lifestyles.


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## JonathanIT (May 14, 2009)

Good question!  I am a happy owner of HGVC, and I have never had a problem with any properties.  I go to Orlando a lot and feel very comfortable there. I am taking a group of friends next month for Gay Days at WDW (there will be seven of us), and I have a 3-Bedroom Penthouse reserved at HGVC SeaWorld  (WooHoo!).  It would _definitely_ make a difference if I ever felt that I was "unwelcome" at any property, but fortunately this has not been the case.

In fact, HGVC has a property in Miami right in South Beach.  It is two renovated art deco buildings across from the beach and they are fabulous.  It is hard to find a neighborhood that is more "gay friendly" than that!  There is even this disclaimer that pops up when booking, I thought it was funny the first time I saw it (the bolding is mine):



> Please note that there is important information regarding this resort. Please read the information carefully before continuing:
> Hilton Grand Vacations Club at South Beach is a non-smoking, boutique property with limited amenities, and no pool, *in a cosmopolitan, liberal environment*. This resort doesn’t have parking. Both self-parking (Public parking 1 black away from the resort) and valet parking at the resort are available for a fee. This is a non-smoking resort complex. We are pleased to offer shared laundry facilities on each floor. No pets are allowed.


I guess they want to warn any conservative family types that might be shocked... by what I'm not sure. lol

Now I maybe misinterpreting your question by taking it literally... if by "gay friendly" you mean "primarily gay clientele" then that is a slightly different, but equally interesting question.  The only one I know of off the top of my head is The Gardens in Orlando.  It's right next to Parliament House, the largest gay resort in the area (and a fun place to go on Sunday nights!).  

Oh, and Welcome to TUG!!


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## Cathyb (May 14, 2009)

Palm Springs has a bunch of timeshares and a large population of gays live there, so you might check that out.


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## Conan (May 14, 2009)

You may be interested in a prior discussion
http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46504&referrerid=260

Susan's comment there was


> I would hope that you would feel welcome anywhere. Please don't limit your choices to a narrow range.


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## Laurie (May 14, 2009)

My partner and I have been timeshare traveling for over 10 years, and have never had a problem at any resort. The total could be getting close to 100 at this point so I won't list them.

I agree with the comment above that hopefully you would feel welcome anywhere and everywhere. Your presence could make more places become newly "gay friendly".

But if you're asking about places where more clientele would more likely be gay, I'd suggest:

Anything in Provincetown. (There are 3 resorts there, and RCI's "further information" paragraphs refer to this. One, Harbor Hill, has a large percent ownership by lesbians.).

Anything in places like SF (there are several), Key West, etc.

And last year I noticed that Marriott set up a booth to solicit timeshare sales at our local annual LGBT pride event. The salespeople who staffed it seemed quite gay friendly.


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## JonathanIT (May 14, 2009)

Laurie said:


> And last year I noticed that Marriott set up a booth to solicit timeshare sales at our local annual LGBT pride event. The salespeople who staffed it seemed quite gay friendly.


If they're sending them to a Gay Pride event, I certainly hope so!  :rofl: 

Seriously, I think it's great that one of the big TS names is openly courting the GLBT community.  I would like to see HGVC do the same.


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## Carolinian (May 15, 2009)

I have never known that issue to make a big difference at timeshares.  At a resort I own at on the Outer Banks, a former HOA board member was gay, as is a woman who lives in the area and is very active in the HOA, serving as a chairman of serveral HOA committees over the years.  Their lifestyles were well known to the board and did not make a difference.

Where you would run into a problem is where the attitudes of the local people are adverse to that lifestyle, as in many places in the Caribbean.  I read an article about how some island governments would not let ships with gay themed cruises land on their islands, and at others where the government did not put up roadblocks, there were large ''no gay ships'' demonstrations by the local population.  There are some places in eastern Europe, where your lifestyle would encounter the same problem.


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## happymum (May 15, 2009)

TUGBrian. said:


> edited by moderator: this was posted by someone trying to confuse us by using a name similar to the site adminstrator. And was deleted



Um, how about a gay family?


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## IreneLF (May 15, 2009)

RE: the post by TUGBrian.  (as opposed to the administrator TugBrian without a period after his name)

While I agree that you have the right of free speech and theoretically should  be allowed to post this comment, I find the deliberate creation of this screen name for this purpose to be offensive to the original Brian, as well as  immature in general.


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## AwayWeGo (May 15, 2009)

*Wide Range Of Things To Be Discovered Via T. U. G. - B. B. S.*

Not exactly my area of expertise -- I don't even _have_ an area of expertise -- but as it happens I think there is 1 like that in the Orlando FL area.  

Click here for the Internet link -- not that there's anything wrong with that. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## geekette (May 15, 2009)

Good catch, Irene.

To the OP, I think the list of ts that declare themselves gay-friendly would be short, because it is my belief that most resort staff really don't give a whop-finkle what the relationship among their guests is, and therefore do not feel the need to mention it at all.  All are welcome.  Or should be.  Perhaps the question should be, What resorts treated you badly because you're gay?  And I hope that would be a thread with Zero responses.

We took a trip to Las Olas Beach Club (near Cocoa Beach) last fall and there were 4 gay males travelling together.  This tiny resort does a lot of planned activities onsite and everyone was welcomed.


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## Carolinian (May 15, 2009)

There can sometimes be some difficult situations.  At the resort where I was on the board, there were two gay female Marines who came in as RCI renters and for about a day kept trying to flagrantly ''hit on'' the female resort manager.  After trying to ignore it, she finally had to tell them firmly and directly but politely that she was not that way and did not appreciate their advances, and then tried to act professionally toward them the balance of the week.  The resort also has an owner who is a gay female who lives locally and is often on the property, either using the facilities or doing volunteer work for the HOA and has never been at all out of the way with anyone and gets along well with the staff and other owners.  She respects other peoples space they respect hers.  The issue really comes down to the person, and one cannot stereotype.


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## TUGBrian (May 15, 2009)

ah, i see this gentleman is getting more creative with his name registration.

this is the same guy "vacationdude"  he keeps registering with more and more usernames to harass members.


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## wilma (May 15, 2009)

Carolinian said:


> There can sometimes be some difficult situations.  At the resort where I was on the board, there were two gay female Marines who came in as RCI renters and for about a day kept trying to flagrantly ''hit on'' the female resort manager.



I am sure there have been many more situations where heterosexual men have "hit on" female resort staff


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## laura1957 (May 15, 2009)

wilma said:


> I am sure there have been many more situations where heterosexual men have "hit on" female resort staff



I was thinking the same thing.  When I have my daughters with me I would much rather have a gay family, or couple next to me in my unit, or on the beach than many of the straight singles we have met 

Has nothing to do with being straight or gay - just the individual personalities.


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## Carol C (May 15, 2009)

happymum said:


> Um, how about a gay family?



   Exactly! And what about a family with openly gay family members who might wish to vacation together? Say, for example, what if Mary Cheney and her partner wanted to celebrate son Samuel's next birthday at a resort on the beach...and say they wanted to invite Mary's dad, former Vice President Dick Cheney? Do any TUGgers think resorts would turn away a former VP of the USA because there's a gay vacationer in their travel party?


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## tombo (May 15, 2009)

This thread was started by vacationdude as a joke, but since there is some real interest I will post the only gay resort I know of.


The Gardens in Orlando is the only one I have read about.

http://www.thegardensorlando.com/

This is from the RCI web site:


Type of Units 
Unit Type Sleeps Privacy 
1 Bedroom 4 4 
2 Bedroom 8 6 

Check-in 
Saturday  
Check-in:  1600 

Additional Information 
Your luxurious vacation home is air conditioned and features telephones, TVs with digital cable and HBO, DVD/VCR and high speed Internet access as well as a whirlpool tub. Units also include a patioor balcony. Units have full kitchens withdishwashers and microwave ovens. 1BR units OCC: Max 4/Pri 4 have 2 baths, 1 king bed and 1 queen sleep sofa. 2BR units OCC: Max 8/Pri 6 have 2.5 baths 1 king bed, 2 queen beds and 1 queen sleep sofa. The resort strictly adheres to the check-in time of after 4 PM and check-out time of before 10 AM. No pets allowed. A car is recommended. Resort provides 24-hour security. Coin- operated laundry facilities are on-site. Please be advised that the Gardens Resort caters predominately to Gay and Lesbian guests, however all guests are welcome. The resort is not recommended for childrenor families because the resort ammenities are located next door at the adult only gay & lesbian resort, Parliament House. The resort's pool is scheduled to open in June of 2009. Future phases will be available in late 2009 and will offer additional amenities. 
  This luxurious, alternative-lifestyle, lakefront resort offers spacious South Beach-style accommodations. It is located next door to the world-renowned Parliament House, featuring five bars, a disco, a theater, multiple shops, and dining, as well as a pool and beach. Please be advised that The Gardens caters predominately to gay and lesbian guests, however all guests are welcome. Please be advised the resort is not recommended for families and children because the resort will be sharing ammenities with the Parliament House located next door until late June of 2009.


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## Keitht (May 15, 2009)

As long as they don't make it compulsory, and people don't flaunt their lifestyle (straight or otherwise) I couldn't care less what people do behind closed doors.
I don't like it when I see a couple eating each other alive whatever gender(s) they are.


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## DaveNV (May 15, 2009)

Given that the timeshare industry is all about getting people to spend money, and the gay community is known to have more discretionary income than just about any other social group, I'd be surprised if there were any timeshares that were NOT gay friendly.

As to the female Marines mentioned earlier who kept hitting on the female staff member at that resort:  There are inconsiderate people everywhere.  That sort of behavior by anyone is out of line, and I hope the staff member was able to set them (ahem) straight.

As to a list of gay friendly resorts, (if anyone really wants to see one) I just did a test search on RCI's website under the Travel Resources tab.  entering "gay" as a keyword returned five resorts:

Harbor Hill (#2164) 
Provincetown,  MA  02657
USA 

Mullingar, Westmeath (#B066) 
Mullingar,    
Ireland 

Sandcastle Resort (#0126) 
Provincetown,  MA  02657
USA 

The Gardens (#7549) 
Orlando,  FL  32805
USA 

Villa Mykonos (#5540) 
Cathedral City,  CA  92234
USA 


Hope this helps,
Dave


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## Laurie (May 15, 2009)

tombo said:


> This thread was started by vacationdude as a joke


Is that true? How'd you know?

So if we see posts from other recently-registered TUG guests with punctuation in their TUG names, could be vacationdude eh?


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## ScoopKona (May 15, 2009)

Eric said:


> Is there a list of gay friendly timeshare resorts?
> 
> This is a serious question and I am not sure where to post it, but would like to inquire about timeshare properties that are friendly to alternative lifestyles.



You can never go wrong with Key West.... the town where your plumber is gay, your hairdresser is straight, and your kid's teacher has a nosering and is named "Breeze."

And now, for some dancing bananas...


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## tombo (May 15, 2009)

Laurie said:


> Is that true? How'd you know?
> 
> So if we see posts from other recently-registered TUG guests with punctuation in their TUG names, could be vacationdude eh?



Because he sent me a PM making one of his smart aleck comments, and he referenced this thread. He has sent me several rude PM's using several different names. He has used vacationdude, eric c, and now just plain old eric. I feel sure he will PM me again in the future with a new "guest name". He either loves me or hates me, but either way he loves to send me private  messages.


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## Bruce W (May 15, 2009)

tombo said:


> Because he sent me a PM making one of his smart aleck comments, and he referenced this thread. He has sent me several rude PM's using several different names. He has used vacationdude, eric c, and now just plain old eric. I feel sure he will PM me again in the future with a new "guest name". He either loves me or hates me, but either way he loves to send me private  messages.



How sad this person has nothing better going on in his life. I would expect that from a teenager.


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## AwayWeGo (May 15, 2009)

*Don't Feel Like A Lone Ranger.*




tombo said:


> I feel sure he will PM me again in the future with a new "guest name". He either loves me or hates me, but either way he loves to send me private  messages.


Hey, I got 2 or 3 of those as well -- but I didn't read anything into it.

Then again, I'm not the sharpest scalpel in the operating room. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## Sir Newf (May 15, 2009)

The Four Seasons-Aviara in Carlsbad, CA, or FS Troon in Scottsdale attract tourists from all around the globe.  The staff and fellow vacationers are very 'inclusive'...
also consider locations like San Fran, NYC, Vegas, most of CA, Northeast, Orlando, etc...enjoy where ever you go..


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## ScoopKona (May 15, 2009)

Sir Newf said:


> also consider locations like San Fran



I don't really care about the alt. lifestyle aspect, but I've found San Fran is impossible to get. My Key West week is certainly a "tiger trader" but so far no luck. II never spits back any availability. Is SFO one of those places you just have to request, waitlist and pray?


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## ricoba (May 15, 2009)

tombo said:


> Because he sent me a PM making one of his smart aleck comments, and he referenced this thread. He has sent me several rude PM's using several different names. He has used vacationdude, eric c, and now just plain old eric. I feel sure he will PM me again in the future with a new "guest name". He either loves me or hates me, but either way he loves to send me private  messages.



Is "he" married to gin gin?


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## tombo (May 15, 2009)

ricoba said:


> Is "he" married to gin gin?



I don't know who gin gin is, and by "he" do you mean that eric is a woman?


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## JonathanIT (May 15, 2009)

Wow, this thread sure took a strange turn.  I have no idea what's going on!  

Of course, that's not unusual for me.  lol


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## Carol C (May 16, 2009)

ScoopLV said:


> I don't really care about the alt. lifestyle aspect, but I've found San Fran is impossible to get. My Key West week is certainly a "tiger trader" but so far no luck. II never spits back any availability. Is SFO one of those places you just have to request, waitlist and pray?



Are you in II or RCI? I think RCI has more San Fran availability than Interval does.


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## Laurie (May 16, 2009)

ScoopLV said:


> I've found San Fran is impossible to get. My Key West week is certainly a "tiger trader" but so far no luck. II never spits back any availability. Is SFO one of those places you just have to request, waitlist and pray?


A few years ago I got an excellent trade to SF (Xmas week at the Donatello) thru DAE. At the time, they seemed to get frequent deposits, relatively - don't know whether that's still the case. You can request first with them, and since you can also do that with II, you could give your week to whoever gets you the exchange first.


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## wackymother (May 16, 2009)

SFX definitely gets more exchanges into San Francisco than the big companies. (It's in their name--the San Francisco Exchange Company!) If you have a week they will accept, give them a try. 

http://www.sfx-resorts.com/


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## RIMike (May 16, 2009)

*Not so worried about the TS itself...but the larger community*

I would not be so worried about the TS itself but the larger community in which the TS is located.  For instance, Escapes in Alabama might be just fine towards gay people, but the great majority of people in Orange Beach/Gulf Shores Alabama are not very accomodating to Gay people.  

Whereas, in KW nobody cares if a person is gay or not....

Some locations LGBT travels need to be more careful than others.  Jamaica is VERY antigay and I would not recommend it to any LGBT members!


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## ricoba (May 16, 2009)

tombo said:


> I don't know who gin gin is, and by "he" do you mean that eric is a woman?



Sorry, gin-gin was a long term member here a few years back who was banned for similar behavior.


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## Carolinian (May 16, 2009)

wilma said:


> I am sure there have been many more situations where heterosexual men have "hit on" female resort staff



May well be, but the board never heard complaints about those, if they happened.


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## AwayWeGo (May 16, 2009)

*Getting Around T. U. G. - B. B. S. Exile.*




ricoba said:


> Sorry, gin-gin was a long term member here a few years back who was banned for similar behavior.


So, how hard is it to slide past a TUG-BBS ban ?

I mean, can't anyone just change Internet companies & pick a new user name, then sign up all over again via some totally new made-up identity ? 

Not exactly rocket surgery, eh ? 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## Steve (May 16, 2009)

*Let's get back on track...*



AwayWeGo said:


> So, how hard is it to slide past a TUG-BBS ban ?
> 
> I mean, can't anyone just change Internet companies & pick a new user name, then sign up all over again via some totally new made-up identity ?
> 
> ...



Alan,

While it is possible to get around a BBS ban here at TUG, we have ways of detecting those who do so.  However, it's a hassle for those of us who volunteer our time to help keep TUG a pleasant and informative place to visit on the web.

I'm not sure what the point of your post is.  Are you trying to encourage people to create more bogus screen names, post more antagonizing topics, and create more work for the volunteers?  Posts like this are not only completely off the topic of the thread, they are not helpful.

If you have something to contribute regarding the topic of gay friendly timeshares, then please don't hesitate to post it in this thread.  If you have further questions about the workings of the BBS, please contact me or one of the other volunteers via private message.

Steve
TUG Moderator


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## AwayWeGo (May 16, 2009)

*Nobody's Perfect.*




Steve said:


> I'm not sure what the point of your post is.


Just wondering whether banning folks has any lasting effect. 

As for me, I try to play by the rules & not ruffle any feathers needlessly. 

Sometimes that works out, sometimes it doesn't. 

So it goes. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## ace2000 (May 17, 2009)

Steve said:


> If you have something to contribute regarding the topic of gay friendly timeshares, then please don't hesitate to post it in this thread.


 


There's several of us holding our breath, waiting for Alan's reply post on this matter...



:hysterical:


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## rickandcindy23 (May 17, 2009)

ScoopLV said:


> I don't really care about the alt. lifestyle aspect, but I've found San Fran is impossible to get. My Key West week is certainly a "tiger trader" but so far no luck. II never spits back any availability. Is SFO one of those places you just have to request, waitlist and pray?



You should use SFX, San Francisco Exchange Company, for your trade to San Francisco.  It was about the only thing I could get through them, after requesting Maui for a huge span of time, which they couldn't do for me.  Now I have a wasted Platinum Membership, but hey, if I want San Francisco, they're the best.


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