Queer travel expert Jack Kenworthy turns 250+ city adventures into your guide for safe, vibrant, and inclusively fabulous global journeys.
Although many people have no idea that Puerto Vallarta exists, it’s clear that those who haven’t heard of this beachside paradise are missing out. This is especially true if you’re looking for a holiday spot that combines incredible sights, a colorful community, and a good gay hotel on which to base your traveling antics.
Situated along Mexico’s southwestern coast in the state of Jalisco, Puerto Vallarta is an ocean resort city with a rich history and a thriving tourist atmosphere.
The sands are stunning, the sun is almost always out, and travelers who spend time there are sure to have the experience of a lifetime, no matter what they prefer to do in their free time.
There are excellent walking routes that take you both along the coast and through the city’s colorful streets, snorkeling tours out in the sparkling ocean, and an amazing amount of museums and other attractions to absorb yourself in.
But if you’re wondering how Puerto Vallarta shapes up regarding the quality of the gay traveling experience there, then boy, do we have a surprise for you. The city is widely known as the ‘gay capital of Mexico‘, and is one of the most beloved queer traveling destinations in the world.
In the south of the city, there’s the Old Town, also known as the Romantic Zone. The Old Town is the home to an amazing queer community and nightlife scene, with some businesses and cultural areas having been established for many decades.
But the fun doesn’t stop there, nor are the available possibilities limited to activities centered around the seaside. Even outside of the neighborhoods we mentioned above, there are countless niches and openly queer businesses in Puerto Vallarta where one can fully express themselves and feel entirely relaxed.
Take a couple’s massage in any of the well-outfitted parlors on the beach, relax with some good food in any of the many romantic restaurants, or put up your feet in your luxurious hotel room. It’s all there, and positive surprises await curious minds around every corner.
Although the gay hotels in Puerto Vallarta are much more open in their state of LGBT-friendliness than those in other tourist destinations thanks to the city’s open reputation, not all of the hotels on this list will be specifically intended for gay travelers alone, and thus our usual disclaimer still applies.
In most cases, there aren’t going to be hotels out there marketed directly towards gay people or queer people in general. We know that, and therefore we’d like to note that the hotels on this list follow the same logic.
Most of them have been listed as accommodating, friendly, and unjudgmental to, for, and by queer people in general, as well as being highly rated in general. After all, the whole experience counts!
So, with that accounted for, let’s set out and explore the beauty and wonder that Puerto Vallarta’s best gay hotels and landmarks have to offer!
In this article we will cover...
Hotel Mousai
It’s a strong statement to begin this list of Puerto Vallarta’s best gay hotels with a hotel that has such a large price tag, especially with all of the more affordable, LGBTQ-specific options on offer, but we promise that it’s worth it to start this list with a luxurious bang.
For starters, there is nothing quite like the Hotel Mousai in the rest of Puerto Vallarta. Proudly bearing five stars and views directly out into the Banderas Bay, this hotel captures what makes beach accommodation wonderful and distills it into a trendy, upper-class experience of mixed relaxation and wonder that is sure to knock the socks off of even the most experienced traveler.
With the mountains behind, the sea in front, and the amazingly decorated and tended rooms of the Mousai about your head, you can either chill in the hotel’s attached pool or take the paltry six-minute walk down to the shore, depending on how you’re feeling at the time, and the same goes with the eating situation.
Not only is the Hotel Mousai’s in-house restaurant a truly wonderful experience in itself, warranting more than its fair share of mentions in the reviews of guests who have stayed at the hotel in the past, but the building is also in direct proximity of both a well-honored Italian restaurant and a grill place for those who are looking for a bit more of a raw taste.
Suppose you’re worrying about how you’d get between the nearby airport and Hotel Mousai upon arrival. In that case, you needn’t think any further than the hotel’s included shuttle service – prepared at all hours of the day to bring you straight from the terminal into the arms of the luxurious stay that awaits on the coast.
Almar Luxury LGBT Beach Front Experience
The title of this wonderful resort establishment says just about all that you need to know about the Almar. There’s the beach, the queer atmosphere, and wonderful times to enjoy everywhere you look.
It might seem a bit odd for those that haven’t visited Puerto Vallarta in the past to see queer themes taking up such a position of pride in the backbone of a hotel, let alone the very name of that hotel, but when you start to settle into the warm arms of the Almar, it won’t take long before you aren’t able to imagine a world without an experience like this.
But how does the Almar Luxury LGBT Beach Front Experience shape up on paper, except for its extraordinary, eye-catching name? Well – it goes without saying that staying at the Almar provides visitors with unobstructed and unparalleled access to the wonderful beaches of Puerto Vallarta, particularly those right in the center of the wide Banderas Bay, facing out into the blue abandon of the Pacific Ocean.
Another thing that the Almar Luxury resort excels at is the sheer comprehensiveness of its services – stretching from the sheer courtesy of the staff when dealing with guests to the individual amenities that one can find about the resort’s well-maintained, sunny grounds.
If you’re into fitness, you’ll love spending time in the fully-equipped gym, and if you’re a fan of a more relaxing kind of daily experience, you’ll most likely find yourself spending many hours in the attached spa parlor.
No matter your interests and what you’re hoping to see from Puerto Vallarta, the Almar is the perfect gateway to trying out an LGBTQ-specific beach stay and is more than certain to leave you wanting for yet more.
Casita Mia de Mita
Here we are again with a five-star establishment and a grasp at finding Puerto Vallarta’s very best in the world of luxurious gay hotels. Does this hotel offer to bring to the table? An all-inclusive, all-expenses-spared tour through the very best of the holiday paradise’s offerings, all from what has to be the closest property to the sea on this list.
Although the Casita Mia de Mita doesn’t have the step-up of having a dedication to queer tourists in its name like some of the other establishments on this list, that doesn’t mean that it’s any less friendly and optimal for gay wanderers through the city, especially those looking for a more general take on what the city has to offer as a whole rather than just that confined to the neighborhoods and areas most densely populated by gay hotels.
Including no more and no less than eight luxury suites – each with its balcony with perfect sea views and separate sitting areas to make your area feel spacy and relaxing.
The Casita Mia de Mita is the very definition of an exclusive beach resort turned uptown hotel and provides the perfect perching spot for those who love the beach but hate the sand between their toes and having to make to and fro in sandals all day.
All of the best without any of the hassle. This effect is compounded and improved upon even further thanks to the hotel’s easily accessible outdoor pool and swim-up bar, both of which offer an edge of sophistication and simple indulgent pleasure that the other establishments on this list will find it quite difficult to match.
There’s even space here for events and business, so if you’re planning a wedding in beautiful Puerto Vallarta, this is the place.
Piñata PV Gay Hotel
Located just across the Río Cuale from where Jay’s Gay Youth Hostel – the next hotel on this list – touches out onto the sea, Piñata PV Gay Hotel fills in the holes that that establishment does not by branching out to more customers and focusing more on providing a wonderful experience for both couples and solo travelers looking for the time of their lives.
Many of the hotels on this list appeal to gay and queer crowds specifically, but not one of them is better at hooking into Puerto Vallarta’s nightlife and casual queer culture than the Piñata.
Suppose you’re the type that likes wandering the streets in search of your next dive or the next bar to put up your feet in. In that case, this is the perfect hotel for you – located right in the center of the city’s bar and club scene and also just close enough to Puerto Vallarta’s art galleries and cultural sites to make it interesting during the day and evening while you’re resting off the exhaustion of the night before.
The actual rooms of the Piñata are far beyond merely clean and serviceable, and the hotel’s strengths in the location are backed up well by its included pool, the hot tubs in its rooms, and the spa facility made available to all guests. All those things sound like the perfect recovery tools for hangovers to us, but it’s up to you how you use them during your visit.
Your stay at the Piñata is all about you, and thanks to the open, accepting, and loving nature of the staff and the well-loved owner, you’ll be able to spend your time there doing exactly what makes you happy, no matter what that is, and no matter where it takes you through Puerto Vallarta’s sunny and colorful streets.
Jet’s Gay Youth Hostel
Situated right at the point where the Río Cuale makes its way out into the ocean, where the waves are fine, and the neighborhoods are buzzing with the hubbub of normal life and the comings and goings of the cities people, Jet’s Gay Youth Hostel is a true diamond in the rough when it comes to Puerto Vallarta’s hotels.
This hotel’s selling point is its atmosphere, energy, and the open arms of its staff and rooms reflect directly onto the shining reviews and the loving memories of those who have spent time there.
If you’re a young queer student looking to take their first holiday abroad, or if you’re looking for a place where you can feel welcome while making your way along on a touristic journey, then the Jet’s Hotel is the place for you to rest your head and cast your worries away.
Although it may not attempt to be as glamorous as some of the other five or four-star hotels on this list, Jet’s embodies none of the occasionally negative images that the word ‘hostel’ brings to mind and instead focuses on providing a quality, safe experience to those that need it most in the best way that it can for each guest.
That’s not to say that Jet’s doesn’t pack a punch when it comes to factors of tourism and excellent location, though.
Even though Jet’s mainly serves as a functional base for young queer people in search of a place to stay, it certainly doesn’t skip out when it comes to going that extra mile in the name of beach vibes and glamor, enhanced to be an even better experience by the close-to-heart and grassroots accommodation nature that Jet’s has as a larger whole. Just try Jet’s – you’ll love it.
Pilitas Rainbow – LGBTQ Hotel & Suites
Yet another gay hotel in Puerto Vallarta dedicated to serving queer guests – what a joy and a difference from the rest of the world! As we’re sure you can see by now, we weren’t kidding around when we said that Puerto Vallarta is a true haven for queer travelers and that your experience as a gay visitor there will be different than anything you could expect.
The last two hotels we’ve covered on this list have proved their dominance in the night scene and with catering for young travelers making their way through the city’s culture, but what does the Pilitas Rainbow offer?
The answer to that question is quite simple – an edge up in luxury, a different angle on the city’s most popular queer neighborhood, and a far better level of included services to pack a bang for your buck. Reviews commend the hotel’s sheer comprehensiveness of service, clean rooms, and closeness to public transport, most highly out of all.
Not only does staying at the Pilitas offer nearly the same locational advantages as we explored with the Piñata, but it also turns that location into a colorful, lively background to the enjoyability of the Pilitas suites themselves.
Although it might be a little more expensive than most of the other hotels on this list, this price factor, coupled with the fact that it is a queer-targeted establishment, means that you’ll be truly in for the time of your life while staying there.
The Pilitas Suites’ perfect mix of trendy, hip culture and a loose approach to luxury makes staying there so intoxicating and addictive, and by the time you leave, you’re sure to be wishing that you could come back and start your visit all over again.
Casa Kimberly
The hotels in Puerto Vallarta are so strongly performing and closely tied with a queer culture that it’s almost hard to believe that we’re already at the seventh and closing in on the end of this list! Nonetheless, Casa Kimberly is the perfect establishment to press on with and does not disappoint even with the hotels we’ve already taken a look at fresh on our minds.
While we spoke the absolute highest praise about the Casita Mia de Mita, there is one thing that Casa Kimberly has over that hotel that remains to be said.
Casita Mia de Mita has an excellent location underneath its foundations, yes, but it remains a little separated from Puerto Vallarta’s strong queer culture, and that is the slight gap in which Casa Kimberly swoops in to take the lead when it comes to Puerto Vallarta’s most luxurious gay hotel.
After all, if you are an adventurous nightclub and bar type but still want a sparkling room to return to for a night so that you can wake up in luxury come morning, you don’t want to have to take a taxi back to your hotel.
Casa Kimberly is located just as much in the heart of the city’s queer-culture-laced downtown area as the Pilitas Rainbow and the Piñata PV Gay Hotel before it, and – if anything – is offered an even higher vantage point over the slope of the residential and commercial districts around as they slowly descend to the coast.
Suppose you’re looking for a little greenery to escape from the blue of the sea. In that case, there’s also the Isla Río Cuale just down the road – a bistro and restaurant-laden island in the middle of the Río Cuale river that makes up the stream’s last dip before it too vanishes into the Pacific.
Casa Cupula Boutique LGBT Hotel
Although it is the fifth establishment on this list to have a queer title, it’s the other word – Boutique – that you should be paying attention to when considering staying at the Casa Cupula.
While the other hotels that we’ve skimmed through on our search for Puerto Vallarta’s very best have found their home on the line between luxury hotel accommodation and beach resort glamor, when it comes to the Casa Cupula, there is no such confusion to be made. This four-star hipster joint is here to provide luxury and stunning views, and that’s exactly what you’ll get from it.
Like several other establishments on this list, the Casa Cupula has spa and fitness rooms to fit the specific needs of guests, as well as a restaurant and bar for all your food and drink needs.
Whether chilling out with your partner or meeting new faces with familiar interests, one is sure to have a great time in any of the hotel’s wonderful lounges with their idyllic views. It’s pretty hard not to enjoy yourself with such stunning surroundings, after all.
If the lapping waves of the Pacific just beneath the balconies of the Casa Cupula’s rooms weren’t enough for you, you’d be glad to learn that this hotel has an attached pool, which means that you can take a dip and stay cool under the sun even if you’re not feeling like going down to the beach at the moment.
If you are feeling adventurous, though, you needn’t fret. Just a slight stroll down the street running along the coast will bring you to a strong variety of eateries and clubs, all the way until the sands kiss up against the shore and your feet make their way down through the water.
Gay Hotel Map Of Puerto Vallarta
Feeling a bit lost while planning your journey to Puerto Vallarta? No worries, darling! Our detailed LGBTQ+ tailored map is here to guide you. We’ve pinpointed all the vibrant gay-friendly bars, exhilarating clubs, extravagant parties, cozy hotels, relaxing saunas, and soothing massage parlors to ensure you find the perfect spot.
And these aren’t just any spots; we’re talking about the creme de la creme of locations in the heart of the city’s vibrant gay scene. Think panoramic views, easy access to nightlife, and all the amenities to make your stay as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.
But hold on to your feather boas! These hot spots are fabulous; they vanish quicker than a drag queen’s five o’clock shadow. Don’t delay; book now to secure the best deals and locations. Remember, the early bird catches the best deals in Puerto Vallarta! So, pack your rainbow flag, and get ready to experience the ultimate gay-friendly holiday in Puerto Vallarta.
