Stockholm, Sweden: Photo Gallery

Story and photos by Jeffrey James Keyes

Above: Hey Mr. DJ StockholmThere's a reason Stockholm's Group F12 was awarded a Michelin-Star with flying colors. You can sit outside and listen to your favorite Scandinavian DJs, take in the full gastronomic experience of celebrity chef duo Danyel Couet and Paul Svensson, or head up to the terrace club and feel the body and soul of the Viking next to you.  This is Stockholm at its best. 

Stockholm 3AM
Head to the Patricia on Sunday night for the best gay club in Stockholm.  Head to the roof for the best crowd and a gorgeous view.  I stepped off the ship around 3AM and started to head back to the Hilton Stockholm Slussen and was surprised the sun was already rising.  By the time I reached the Hilton I was surprised with what I saw: the lobby had turned into yet another club.  Paris would be happy to know this was the place to be.  I had a nightcap and momentarily had a flashback to New York's Body and Soul in the late 90's.  

Millesgården
A visit to the Millesgården is an experience like no other.  Walk through the terraces, fountains, columns, and sculptures created by the master himself.  Carl Milles had the most spectacular view of the Värtan waters, and you can catch a RIB boat to explore the archipelago just steps away from the artist's house.  The staff at the Millesgården is extremely accommodating and hysterically funny.  I could have spent the whole day trading stories and enjoying the landscape and artwork. 

Drottningholm Palace 
I took a the steamer boat out to the Swedish Royal Family's summer residence.  On my arrival, I got a first-rate view of the Drottningholm Palace and spent the day exploring the baroque park surrounding this stunning masterpiece.  From the chinese Pavilion to the world-famous theater, it's obvious why this palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Eat your heart out, Versailles! 

Libra
It doesn't get much gayer then Stockholm on a Saturday night.  You can hop from bar to bar and the night (and music) gets better the later you stay out.  Libra is a good place to go when you just need to dance. Take a liking to a Viking, on the dance floor. 

Copenhagen, Denmark: Photo Gallery

Photos and story by Jeffrey James Keyes

Above: Rosenborg Soldier - Copenhagen, Denmark
What's better than day dreaming about the Crown Jewels at the Rosenborg Castle? Day dreaming about the sexy men who guard them, of course!  Denmark has some of the most attractive soldiers in the world.  I caught this one "off guard" by snapping a few pictures of him.  He tried to hide behind his gun but I still found him.

Tivoli at Dusk - Copenhagen, Denmark: 
Copenhagen's pristine Tivoli Gardens opened in 1843 and is the best place in town to kick back and relax. The park is fun by day, everything becomes magical at dusk when the sky gets dark and festive lights illuminate the rides and games.  I had a lovely dinner with some friends at the Divan 2 Restaurant in the park and they all went off to the Oscar Bar for drinks but I stayed in the park snapping pictures of everything at night.  

Kings Square - Copenhagen, Denmark: 
The luxurious Hotel D'Angleterre overlooks the bustling King's Square in the middle of Copenhagen.  Just around the corner you will find some of the best shopping in Europe.  Shops like Magasin du Nord and Illums Bolighus will give you a crash course in Danish design and nudge you to come back with a new sense of style.  

Copenhagen View - Copenhagen, Denmark: 
Views are easy to come by in Copenhagen with it's red rooftops and canals reaching out into the Øresund.  If you have some extra time, be sure to take a Canal Tour so you can see the city from every angle. Or, just sit back in a cafe with a Carlsberg and watch the city unfold before you.  

  Øresund Bridge - Malmö, Sweden: 
I took this picture just over the  Øresund Bridge  in  Malmö, Sweden.  You can sit outside in front of the healthy Salt & Brygga restaurant and watch modern-day Vikings park their bikes and watch the sunset over the Bridge. 

Value Watch: May Fair Hotel, London

Story by Olga Bas
Photos courtesy of The May Fair Hotel

The May Fair Hotel located in the heart of London's luxurious West End neighborhood has launched the Pay, Save and Stay promotion: a one-month sale for the holiday season. When you book your room by October 18 for stays between December 14, 2009 and January 10, 2010, you will receive 25% savings off the best available rate with rates starting from $225. The promotion also includes two-for one dining at each of the hotel's restaurants.

The 406-room May Fair -- the official hotel for London Fashion Week -- features a private theater, spa, two restaurants, and bar on the premises. In addition to 12 hotel suites, the May Fair also boasts a rooftop penthouse with a 360 degree view of London. Each room comes equipped with Catalan-designed furniture and a Sicilian marble bathroom complete with power shower, and Bang & Olufsen digital systems. Special Breatheasy rooms are also available for travelers who suffer from allergies; only hypoallergenic bedding and sensitive non-perfumed environmentally friendly cleaning products are used in the rooms, which have been treated to protect against pollutants.

A range of women's and men's spa treatments are available in the comfort of your room as well as several other services, such as professional make-up and hair styling. Fine British dining can be had at the hotel's Amba Bar & Restaurant, after which you may wish to visit Bond Street for some shopping or the hotel's gym facilities for a session with a personal trainer. Both offer some aerobic activity, the latter's just cheaper.

Designing Helsinki

Story: Nikko Lencek-Inagaki; Photos below: Courtesy Companies

Although Helsinki's gay nightlife, restaurants and cultural offerings are well-worth the trip on their own -- at least in summer! -- the city is also an emerging design capital, marked by its current finalist bid to be 2012's World Design Capital.

There are also plans for a new design university to accommodate all the talented young Finns who are building on older international A-listers like Eero Aarnio -- remember this chair? -- and Alvar Aalto.

Of course, the best place to see chic new Finnish design work -- famously simple, eco-friendly and functional, but still statement-worthy -- is at the annual international design fair.

Barring that, downtown Helsinki's Design Forum combines showroom, shop and café into a stylish multi-use space where you can see (and purchase) work by both established and University-fresh designers.

At the top of the rising star list (look for his watch work with Issey Miyake) is Harri Koskinen, whose elegant but pleasantly whimsical glasswork for Iittala is simply beautiful. His furniture can be harder to find -- and transport -- but will be online soon.

Dotting Helsinki's Design District, you'll also find a handful of cool boutiques stocking the wearable version of new Finnish design. IvanaHelsinki, for example, the first label invited to Paris' main catwalk, has their flagship womenswear shop in the heart of the neighborhood. Beam and Tiger are the best places to start for menswear by Scandinavian designers, but neither carry Finnish labels. A few can be found, along with everything else one needs in life, at Stockmann, Helsinki's massive department store.

For something funkier -- but still very Finnish -- check out Secco, a small shop on Fredrikinkatu that specializes in recycled streetwear and accessories by forty or so local designers.

After a long day of the new Finland, unwind with one of the culture's oldest traditions: the dry sauna. A beautiful, central sauna -- and, built in 1926, perhaps Helsinki's oldest -- can be found at Yrjönkatu alongside a huge pool and a Turkish steam room. Check for mens' and womens' days and be comfortable sweating nude with a bunch of Finnish men of all ages.

Nikko will be reporting from his travels in Helsinki, Stockholm, Paris and Berlin this month. If you have a tip on a new place he should visit, e-mail him here.

Sunny, summery Helsinki

Story and photos by Nikko Lencek-Inagaki

Although Helsinki's weekend gay nightlife might keep you up (and sleeping in) late, the days in between can afford a useful opportunity for sight-seeing and sampling the amazing restaurants that have popped up in the last few years.

The best way to spend a morning is at the open-air produce, knick-knack, flower and antique markets. They're impromptu, weather-dependant affairs but thankfully dependable if you have a clear-skied day to bring the local farmers, fishermen and attic-cleaners out in force.

Just west of the Design District, at the end of Boulevardi street, you can unearth occasional gems at the lively, ragtag flea market known as Hietalahti. The main show, though, is the adjacent indoor antique market where you can pick up anything from a 19th century English birdcage to vintage Iittala glassware.

 Nearby, No. 9 is a relaxing gay-friendly café that serves a popular, tasty lunch. The Atkins salad is recommended, but make sure you want a whole steak with your greens.

Catering more to souvenir needs is Kauppatori market, located at the small harbor at the end of the Esplanade. Weekends are packed with stalls, but you'll find deliciously fresh seasonal produce, local fish and a variety of kitschy Lapland Reindeer-based handicrafts every day.

From Kauppatori, it's easy to take an afternoon trip to Suomenlinna, a small UNESCO heritage-classified island 15 minutes from the market by hourly ferries. This hilly former fortress has plenty of history -- some Finnish, some Swedish, some Russian -- but its chief appeal is picnic-ing amid grassy knolls and sea breezes. Cafés dot Suomenlinna, in case you don't port around lunch yourself, and there's a cute shop selling works by the Finnish artists who inhabit it if you need a souvenir.

Back on the mainland, don’t miss Kiasma, Helsinki's Museum of Contemporary Art. The institution's  stunning permanent collection of Scandinavian and Nordic artists is full of clever, often funny and surprisingly edgy work -- like this neon, flaccid Darth Vader.

To 'finnish' -- pun! -- off the day, I recommend Juuri, a five-year old restaurant run by two women chefs who are as warm with their patrons as they are talented in their profession. Mid-range by price thanks to their stellar seasonal 'Sapas' or tapas menu, Juury is decidedly top tier by taste.

Modern riffs on traditional Finnish cuisines combined with intimate, unpretentious décor make Juuri popular with small dinner parties and dates alike. Dress decently, make a reservation and take the chefs' recommendations -- it's a dinner you won't regret.

Nikko will be reporting from his travels in Helsinki, Stockholm, Paris and Berlin this month. If you have a tip on a new place he should visit, e-mail him here.

Helsinki by Night

When summer inches north in June to Finland, put sleigh-bells, reindeer and naked ice swimming out of your mind. When the Nordic summer sun rises it stays out exhilaratingly late, a formula Finns seem to mimic with their nightlife.

Long hours of daylight notwithstanding, pack a raincoat! And, if you are in Helsinki, make sure it is stylish. The seaside capital, long a cozy alternative to neighboring, jet set Stockholm, is shedding its  famously shy exterior and seeking deserved attention for its top notch design industry, chic hotels and lounges, and unpretentious -- but surprisingly edgy -- art.

 Located in the heart of the city’s Design District, the Klaus K hotel (where I've been staying this past weekend) is a good example of this new Finnish face. Exceedingly hip but pleasantly friendly, this design hotel includes two restaurants -- one Italian (Toscanini) and one more traditionally Finnish (Ilmatar) -- alongside Ahjo, a cool, all-white lounge with a streetside terrace and an intimate, similarly high-design club in back.

Late into Saturday night, well-heeled young Finns in designer suits and dresses poured out of taxis and  into Ahjo's live, pounding house. Thankfully, I couldn't hear a thing from my room when I, too, finally called it a night.

A small city, it still helps to stay near Helsinki's center and -- if you're going to frequent the gay nightlife -- as close to the Design District as possible. Around the corner from three of the city's most popular gay spots, Klaus K is hard to beat for this.

Two blocks south of the hotel is Hugo's Room , Helsinki's newest gay lounge. Impeccably cool -- although somewhat pricey -- Hugo's Room is great for dressing up, claiming a window-side booth and watching the busy street outside.

Crowded by 10pm (especially on weekends), folks tend to drift out of Hugo's Room by midnight, either  going directly across the street to Don't Tell Mama -- DTM for short -- or stopping by Hercules first, a dance club one block north of the Klaus K hotel. None of these venues charge a cover, but entry is supposedly restricted by age -- 20 at DTM, 22 at Hugo's Room and 24 at Hercules. Local Finns, however assure me that no reasonably-aged young man is denied entry.

By 1 am, the crowd really picks up at Hercules, a fun and well laid-out club that spins roaring pop remixes and dance tracks. There's a spacious back lounge where conversations can actually be heard, too. Until recently, when the city closed them all, Hercules maintained an appreciated dark room, but its absence hasn't dampened the club's popularity or the mixed patrons' forwardness!

DTM is Helsinki's most iconic gay place. A friendly café with an outdoor patio by day, a bar by evening, and a busy club later on, DTM is more or less open 24 hours a day. Locals grumble a bit that it's cool factor, multiple dance floors and good music have begun drawing a sizeable straight population, but all agree that it is still the place to be seen, to bring your female friends, to dance all night, or just to have a quiet afternoon coffee.

Nikko will be reporting from his travels in Helsinki, Stockholm, Paris and Berlin this month. If you have a tip on a new place he should visit, e-mail him here.

Value Watch: Axel Hotels in Barcelona & Berlin

Photos courtesy of the Axel Hotel Berlin and Barcelona
Story by Olga Bas

The gay Axel Hotels chain, with its whimsical "hetero-friendly" branding, has two affordable, fun vacation packages for its properties in Germany and Spain.

The seven-day holiday package includes an Air Berlin flight from the U.S. to Berlin, three nights at the Axel Hotel Berlin with breakfast, flight from Berlin to Barcelona, three nights at the Axel Hotel Barcelona with breakfast, and a flight home. If traveling from New York, the package runs $1,399, from Los Angeles, $1,599. The second option sticks to Berlin and includes roundtrip airfare on an Air Berlin flight and four nights at the Axel Hotel Berlin with breakfast ($1,099 when flying from NYC, $1,299 from L.A.). All taxes and fees included.

Besides being located in thriving gay scenes, both hotels are outfitted for comfort and a measure of luxury. The Axel Hotel Barcelona, voted the Best Gay Hotel in the World by Out Traveler readers, has 66 air-conditioned and, more importantly, soundproofed rooms featuring Vitra, Kartell, and Swan furniture, a king-size bed, and city views. Every superior room has a Jacuzzi. The hotel rooftop is outfitted with a terrace, a pool, and the Sky Bar -- a lounge serving cocktails and views of the city.

The 86-room Axel Hotel Berlin, the newest of the Axel branches, also has air-conditioned and soundproofed rooms, which boast garden views. A hydro-massage shower or Jacuzzi stars in each superior room, junior suite, and suite. Nightlife can be experienced right at the hotel's Urban Bar on the ground level or at Sky Bar, the open-air top-floor lounge, offering a panoramic view of the city.

Travel tip: Make sure your passport is valid for at least 90 days from your return date as some countries (like Denmark) will not allow you to cross the border with an almost-expired passport. Others, like Indonesia, require a more extreme 180 days before expiration to enter the country. Visit http://travel.state.gov/travel/travel_1744.html for country-by-country entry requirements.

The 7: Hotel Missoni, Edinburgh

Story by Doug Wallace. Photos courtesy of Hotel Missoni.

The 7 Reasons I Love Hotel Missoni Edinburgh

1. The Fabric!  Known the world over for its unique, multi-coloured knitwear and string bikinis, the Italian fashion house of Missoni has become an icon for its luxurious, hand-crafted fabric, which is absolutely everywhere in the brand’s first-ever hotel in the Scottish capital. It is used to brilliant effect propping up a mostly black and white backdrop. A kaleidoscopic feast for the eyes.

2. The Design.  This little piece of paradise is chock full of heavy-hitters from the design world, including Marcel  Sandes, Eero Saarinen, Arne Jacobson and Hans Wegner. In the rooms, gadgetry such as Jacob Jensen telephones and a Bang & Olufsen TV system amp things up.

3. The Romantic History. Ottavio and Rosita Missoni, head of this family-run empire, first met in London when he was competing in the 1948 Olympic Games (he also designed the Italian team’s tracksuits) and she was studying English. (Sigh.) Their children and grandchildren continue to contribute to the success of the business.

4. The Gorgeous Streetscape.  The thoroughly modern, six-storey structure at The Royal Mile and Georve IV Bridge is square in the middle of some of the most breathtaking Old Town architecture, including Edinburgh Castle, which is just a walk away.

5. The Shopping.  Multree Walk is mere minutes from the front door, where you can indulge in all the serious retail therapy your wallet can take.

6. The Food.  Cucina is a tiny taste of Italy occupying the whole mezzanine, with the recipes of many dishes coming directly from the family cookbook.

7. The Good Company.  Not only are the Scots a delight to both listen to and hang with in this enticing town, but the list of other cities preparing for their very own Hotel Missoni reads like a James Bond film call sheet: Kuwait City (Kuwait), Cape Town (South Africa), Jebel Sifah (Oman) and Ilha de Cajaiba (Brazil). Rooms from $355.

Hotel Missoni Edinburgh; 1 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, U.K.; 011 44 131 220 6666; hotelmissoni.com

 

Austria's Pink Lakes

Images Courtesy Pink Lake Festival
Story by Joseph Alexiou

A whole weekend lounging around a pristine Austrian lake is nothing short of paradise for lovers of the European vacation. In the southern province of Carinthia—a beautiful sunny region made up of a thousand lakes and mountains—Lake Wörthersee and the town of Pörtschach will be host to the second annual Pink Lake Festival—an international LGBT event from September 10 through 13.

In what is essentially a gay pride weekend without the parade, Pink Lake is an opportunity for the region to invite queer travelers to experience a quiet and remarkably picturesque part of Europe. With borders near Italy and Slovenia, last year's festival saw visitors from myriad destinations in Europe and beyond. Pörtschach, a spa town full of tradition (from architecture to bakeries), classy restaurants and boutique shopping, is "ideal venue for the Pink Lake Festival."

Highlighted events start with the Almdudler Folkwear Party at the beautiful Parkvilla Wörth—guests wearing Lederhosen or Dirndl (the traditional lady's peasant dress, although being a lady is obviously not a requirement) get a present, and additional prizes to the most creative outfits. Friday's big event is the dragtastic Sissi Ball at the Congress Center Pörtschach, presented by Villacher Bier and featuring the ladies from Vienna's Herr...liche Damen calls for Baroque, "eccentric" costumes. On Saturday the main event is the Schlumberger Boat Cruise, a nighttime dance cruise with live DJs and beautiful views of the lake.

Additional events include Welcome Speed Dating on Thursday for those looking for some weekend romance, a bicycle toure around the lake at 10 a.m. on Friday, numerous happy hours, buffet dinners, and the free "banana cruising," a sports happy hour at the Pink Lake Hausboot (a daytime bathing suit party, if you will). Check out the event website for full scheduling details and locations.

All-inclusive event tickets cost 20€, although most events are no more than 10€ individually.

Value Watch: The Cadogan Hotel, London

Photos courtesy of The Cadogan Hotel
Story by Olga Bas

The Cadogan Hotel in London recently underwent a complete refurbishment in celebration of its 120th anniversary and guests are benefiting with special deals -- including one that gives a nod to our queer history. The Green Carnation package honors gay playwright extraordinaire Oscar Wilde who was arrested for "gross indecency" (i.e. gay sex) while staying in Room 118 at the hotel in 1895.

 This exercise in decadence includes a one-night stay in an executive suite, a bottle of Pink Perrier Jouët chilling on ice upon arrival (Wilde's favorite on-site drink), a book of Wilde’s famous quotes, a three-course dinner at Langtry's restaurant -- which serves modern British fare -- accompanied by a steady supply of wine, and breakfast the next morning. The package also features late checkout (until 4 p.m.). The rate is $657. Thankfully, a police raid is not part of the deal.

The 65-room hotel's swanky Knightsbridge address places it on the doorstep of fashion boutiques such as Fendi, Gucci, and Prada and less than 10 minutes' walk from Harrods. Its civil partnership license makes it a fitting choice for a same-sex wedding -- a far cry from the days when Wilde was a frequent guest.

Travel tip: If you're only stopping over in a city for a day, consider storing your luggage at the airport, bus, or train terminal. Most have manned storage areas, while some bus and train depots also have dedicated storage lockers; the fee (though not always cheap) is usually less than the headache of lugging it around.