EDEN Pride Weekend is a 4-day event during Pride in San Francisco for women, queers, transfolx and friends and allies. Ten events over four days with “celesbians, hot musical performances, national celebrity DJs and dancers” performing. Annually, about 5,000 women come together for this amazing event.

Eden Pride Events is an organizer that keeps its regional, national and international lesbian travel constituencies in focus, believing that art, in any form, makes local and global communities better places to live.

Get all of the info at EdenintheBay.com

Rainbow Tourism Accredited places to stay.

Women’s Apres Ski Events Set for WinterPride

The Vancouver Dyke March Festival Society, which turns 10 in 2013, is partnering with WinterPride to co-produce women’s events for Whistler’s Gay Ski Week (Feb. 3-10).

Two après-ski events are speed-dating and an evening of “naughty games” and karaoke will be hosted by the Vancouver Dyke March Festival Society.

“We are thrilled with the value, passion and the excitement the Vancouver Dyke March will bring this coming season,” says Dean Nelson, executive producer of GayWhistler, which organizes WinterPride.

“The festival continues to evolve year over year, and we’re really excited about there being a new sense of rejuvenation for women’s programming at WinterPride and a boost in the number of women attending the event.”

Women of WinterPride 2013
Visiting Vancouver before or after WinterPride Gay Ski Week?
Rainbow Tourism Accredited places to stay

If New Zealand and its “adventure capital” on the South Island – Queenstown – is on your bucket list, you can make it happen. And participate in either summer or winter events when you get there.

Queenstown encourages women to be active with the annual Bike Run Tri event around Lake Hayes.  And the Central Otago Region also attracts lesbian skiers and snowshoers from all around the world for Gay Ski Week QT each August.

Saturday 2nd March 2103 will see the 21st Anniversary of the Fresh Choice Women’s Bike Run Tri.  This year, the event introduces a 8.1kms run around Lake Hayes. Starting at the pavilion, the run will go clockwise on the lake track back to the finish line.  Register to participate at your personal best.

Fresh Choice Women’s Event 

Gay Ski Week 2013

Lesbian welcoming accommodation in Queenstown

Wynn Hotel Spa in Las Vegas

The All-American Lesbian Vacay

Lauren Marie Fleming contributed this article to Curve Magazine.

Vegas, a town known for its frat boys and bachelorette parties, has quite the active LGBT community—and a lot to offer lesbian visitors.

Pool parties, shows and what else?

Lauren Marie wrote: “Head out to one of the many clubs that cater to the Sapphic scene. Booty Bar, a monthly event at the Bootlegger Copa Room, is well worth planning your travel around. However the most popular lesbian night is Saturday at Krave in the Planet Hollywood hotel.”

And when you’re ready to crash?

She recommends you do so at the Wynn hotel, or Wynn’s “little sister” Encore. With the most Forbes five-star restaurants in Vegas, Wynn and Encore offer special pampering packages designed for the gay woman traveler and a dedicated LGBT concierge to cater to your every decadent need.

Excerpts by The Rainbow Rambler voyeur. Read the whole article with names of places she visited – but no personal tales, because we all know “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” Best to go there yourself on a Vegas holiday.

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Other Vegas Gay Travel Stories

Stray Your Way & Places to Stay

The Challenge Wanaka Triathlon Festival (13-19 January 2013) is on track for its largest field ever -with over 1,100 athletes already registered across both the half and full distances.

Women are bucking the global trend at the Lake Wanaka Half, making up more than 50% of the field in the scenic half iron distance triathlon.   Registrations to date show 55 all-female teams have entered compared to 35 all-male teams plus there are 70 mixed teams.

Challenge Wanaka is considered “the world’s most scenic iron distance triathlon.” The courses includes swimming in the crystal waters of Lake Wanaka, cycling past Treble Cone ski area before heading back through Lake Wanaka, and running the course half of which is off-road alongside the lake and banks of the Clutha River.
Lake Wanaka is a must do on your  visit to the South Island.   It has a huge variety of women welcoming  accommodation to suit every budget, from backpackers to luxury lodges.
Did you know Challenge Wanaka in New Zealand’s South Island is the world’s most scenic iron distance triathlon and on the “must-do” list for triathletes around the globe? Part of the global Challenge Family series, Challenge Wanaka attracts professional and age group athletes from around the world, drawn to the world-renowned course on the edge of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Area.

See why: video

Canggu is a pastoral area north of Seminyak, close to the trendy new developments along Batu Belig Beach. It is a far cry from the concrete and chaos of the touristy spots – but definitely where the action is for touring, healthy eating and chillaxing. And yoga, of course. There are yoga villages and yoga beach classes at sunrise, not to mention horseback rides at sunset every day in paradise.

These are just a few of the reasons more and more women are taking vacations on the Island of the Gods – Bali. Couples, especially, are coming for romantic trysts, even getting committed in ceremonies created by woman-owned One & Only Bali Weddings.

My girlfriend and I used the FastTrack VIP Meet & Greet service from arrival to accommodation. Replete with gifted sarongs, we stripped to our swimming suits and immersed ourselves in the refreshing saltwater pool outside our bungalow at Villa Sanggah. (Means family temple). Later, we would walk to Batu Belig (means smooth stones) and find fellow gay travellers with rainbow towels on cabanas. We thought we were in paradise, after escaping the hectic streets of Denpasar, Kuta and Seminyak.

Located in a former coconut plantation, with lush tropical gardens and a river running through it, Villa Sanggah was a private residence until its recent conversion to B&B&B – Bed & Breakfast Bungalows. The owner, a gifted orchid grower, artisan trader, photographer and hostess with the mostest, has opened her home to short-term visitors and long-stay yoga instructors and writers-in-residence type travellers. (Georgeanne is an ex-pat American, living in Bali a dozen years on this estate.)

Staying at Villa Sanggah gives you a chance to observe the daily rhythms of Balinese village life. It is the perfect haven for all types, even short-break holidaymakers like ourselves.

Check out these reasons why this gay welcoming place is a true “find”.

1. Luxurious Bali-style Garden Bungalows, perfect for guests wanting privacy.

• Bungalow Bunga Kecil – One Q bedroom with garden bath, almost secluded at far end of gardens.
• Bungalow Melati -Two Q bedrooms with garden bath, indoor and outdoor showers and Japanese bathtub.

2. Sanctuary-like environs, with water and flower gardens, orchids and pool and a traditional family temple.

3. Daily massages in the pool bale or in your room.  Facials and other beauty treatments can be arranged, but don’t miss the remedial massages by local healers.

4. Excursions with English-speaking tour driver arranged for your convenience, including shopping and restaurant runs. But you can walk to the beach and eat at the trendy or traditional eateries like La Lucciola (which is lesbian managed) and Biku Tea Housse (which is woman owned) – both ranked in Top 5 Restaurants in Bali.

Play & Stay: Bali: Outside the Box Experiences

Why use Rainbow Tourism.com (the publisher of Lesbian Travel Net)?
For expert suggestions for traveling “outside the box” when looking for alternative accommodations and original and unique experiences (like whitewater river rafting on the Agung or getting committed on Bali).

See why Villa Sanggah is a Rainbow Tourism Accredited accommodation and gay welcoming for couples, singles and friends travelling on the Canggu coast of Bali.

The regional site, Rainbow Tourism Bali, has information on all the Rainbow Tourism accredited accommodation, attractions, adventures and operators mentioned here.

This annual event on the South Florida lesbian calendar (May 15-19 2013) keeps getting bigger and better. This year, there will be 14 major events and many more sponsors and their stalls at the pool party in South Beach, the lesbian and gay hotspot.

Time to pack those bikinis and bags, girls. The event is produced by and benefits the Aqua Foundation for Women.

Read more

Where’s your favorite travel destination?

Australian women prefer to visit international landmarks over local ones, according to a recent study.
The tourism operator report found that 55 percent of women prefer to head overseas to see London’s Buckingham Palace, 52 percent want to tick off Paris’ Eiffel Tower – but only 25 percent want to venture to Uluru (near Alice Springs in the Red Centre of the Northern Territory).
Despite the desire to head overseas, the study of 5,000 Aussie women travelers revealed that Melbourne was the clear favourite of Australia’s domestic destinations, with one in two women picking the capital city of Victoria as their number one place for a city break.

PS.  The editor picks both destinations for pink tinges, culture and adventures.
Melbourne
Alice Springs

A year ago in October 2011, Lick Entertainment created history by exclusively signing Whitney Mixter and Sara Bettencourt, the two most popular personalities from US reality TV series, The Real L Word, and toured them along the eastern seaboard of Australia.

With sold-out events Whitney, Sara and the Juicy Club LA girls will be back in OZ in November due to popular demand. They will host and DJ at LICK in Brisbane on 16 November, play in Sydney on the 17th, and wrap up in Melbourne on November 23rd – with lucky Melbourne the only city to host an exclusive ‘Up, Close+Personal Q&A Day Session.

LICK. It’s is Australia’s biggest and most popular all-girls event that runs in three of our major cities, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane – and soon to launch in Perth in late 2012.

• Website: www.lickentertainment.com
• Lick Entertainment Facebook Page
• Read about gay bars and venues in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.

Can “Happily Ever After” begin in Bali for “Engayed” lesbians?

Yes, thanks to One & Only Bali Weddings & Events, a bespoke event planning firm that is Rainbow Tourism Accredited and gay-owned. They have perfected the art of “I Do” by providing concierge services for the perfect venue, the best entertainment, and all the romance this breathtaking and exotic island has to offer.

No surprise, Bali is a wedding wonderland, with venues set against picture-perfect backdrops and beaches. From the laid-back to the luxurious, there’s something to satisfy all romantics.

You might be surprised, however, to learn there’s a new company with years of prior experience in Bali-style weddings and events that is creating ceremonies for “engayed couples seeking the truly unique and exotic experience to celebrate their union.”

One & Only caters everything from barefoot chic to beachside elegance, from underwater vows to traditional ceremonies in chapels and Balinese-style affairs at private villas.  Wherever and whatever you desire, your event will include stunning sets – sometimes with Arabian lamps and customised sand creations, and often with dazzling sunsets and star-filled nights, courtesy of the Island of the Gods.

For example, commitments at a safari parks with elephants and monkeys as witnesses, same-same brides riding astride white horses on a black sand beach, couples floating on infinity pools overlooking the Indian Ocean, and gourmet reception dinners amidst sun drenched rice fields.

The team has learned a thing or two about staging unforgettable events in breathtaking environs.  Perhaps for your engagement, wedding, honeymoon, anniversary or other romantic event – they might even be able to arrange a double rainbow on the date.

One and Only Bali Weddings & Events

More info about your bespoke Bali celebration