Gay nightlife in Puerto Vallarta has grown considerably over the past few years. Gay oreinted and gay friendly clubs, lounges and dance clubs have become prevelent with something for everyone.
There are 3 main areas where gay nightlife in Puerto Vallarta is concentrated: Olas Altas, Lazaro Cardenas and the Rio Cuale. In general, the larger area is commonly referred to as the Zona Romantica.
Olas Altas Area - Most of the Bars and Lounges in this area feature a mixed crowd of gay and straight clientele.
The Olas Altas area is 1 block off the main gay oriented beach, Los Muertos, where you will find the Blue Chairs, Ritmos Beach Club (aka the Green Chairs) and Blue Seas Resort and Beach Club. After the beach, there are plenty of gay friendly bars and lounges within a 5 mintue walk.
On the south end of Calle Olas Altas, you will find Sama Martini Lounge the only upscale martini lounge with both indoor and outdoor seating. Sama, recently completely renovated, features luxurious white leather indoor air conditioned seating along with a great street side patio. They have a comprehensive martini menu as well as a full bar. They play various music videos on a wide screen TV but the volume and ambience allows for great conversation without having to scream at one another. It is a great place to go alone or with friends and is frequented by locals and tourists alike and they have one of the nicest, cleanest bathrooms in the area.
Around the corner on Calle Pulpito is Garbo, a very nice, piano bar with live entertainment almost everynight. The entertainment is low key ranging from lounge style singers, piano players and guitarists. The ambience is elegant but not stuffy. The have a full bar as well and are frequented heavily by locals that are friendly and welcoming to tourists.
Just down the street on Calle Pulpito is Kit Kat , primarily a restaurant, but also a good place to go hang out and have a cocktail or two, with or without dinner. They have very good appetizers, reasonably priced, if you want a little something to eat while you drink. Their decor is contemporary, bright and vibrant. They have air conditioned indoor seating as well as outdoor sidewalk seating.
Further down the street, on the corner, is Choco Banana , a corner bar with all outdoor bar and sidewalk seating. They also serve a small menu of casual food and great chocolate covered, frozen bananas, strawberries and mangos. This is a very inexpensive and casual place, open all day and a great place to stop on your way back from the beach, bathing suit and all.
Apaches, on the more northern end of Calle Olas Altas is a local favorite as well as a favorite of returning tourists. They have a small, unassuming, unairconditioned interior bar and a very vibrant sidewalk patio. Their drink prices are some of the lowest in the area and they have the traditional daily happy hour. Friendly owners Marianne and Endra, who tends bar, are one reason the place is so packed night after night.
Also in the area you will find La Catrina, Bite Me!, Vallarta Cora Poolside Club and the Sunset Bar on top of the Blue Chairs hotel, a great place to have a drink after the beach, watch a beautiful sunset and hang around for the drag shows later in the evening.
Lazaro Cardenas Area - a heavy concentration of gay bars, lounges and dance clubs.
Calle Basillo Badillo is located to the south of Calle Olas Altas. It is an easy and safe 3-5 mintue walk between the two areas.
One of the first bars you will find is La Noche , a great indoor bar, airconditioned, video monitors playing a wide variety of music videos and photos of their clientele. The ambience allows for converstaion and the seating arrangement allows for groups of almost any size to rearrange the furniture to fit their needs. There is also a private corner sofa tucked away for more discrete conversations. It is frequented by locals and is a favorite for toursits before heading out to one of the dance clubs later in the evening. The drinks are large and very reasonably priced and the staff and service are terrific. Since smoking is allowed in bars in Puerto Vallarta, some nights the cigarette smoke can be a bit overwhelming. This is a completely enclosed bar.
Next door to La Noche, you will find two "sliver" bars, narrow but deep, typical to European style bars. Stereo is very popular amoung the young locals and tourists. They play a variety of music focusing on techno, electronic and popular music. The have airconditioned interior bar and table seating as well as sidewalk benches.
Next door to Stereo, you will find La Miseria, another "sliver" bar. La Miseria has a very contemporary yet somewhat Mexican feel to it. All of the tables are tall with high seating for a great view of the whole bar. They have a juke box that has a wide variety of contemporary music. Very popular with women and a younger crowd.
On the corner is Casanova's. This is one of the newest bars in the area and feature and sophisticated lighting system. small dance floor, high tech decor and a stage for various types of shows including drag shows. There is a velvet rope out front with a door man but don't let that intimidate you. The club is open to all although it seems to be attracting a younger crowd.
A new piano bar has opened in Vallarta. "El Pianito" is part of the Club Mañana (see below) family of venues and is located in the Zona Romantica behind Mañana at Basilio Badillo 284 (above Mañana's new "El Cabaret" restaurant and across the street from Steve's Sports Bar). Drink prices are very reasonable, and the atmosphere is relaxed and fun. The real draw are the bar's two piano entertainers, Ron and Bobbie, who take turns leading the crowd in a spirited sing-, clap-, and laugh-along night after night.
Also in the area, you will find Diva's, Frida's (new location!), Los Amigos, South Beach and Vanilla & Kinky each offering a different style of bar or lounge with varying age groups All are popular with locals and tourists alike.
Vallarta's 2 large dance club's include Club Manaña and Paco Paco. They are both located in the general area of Lazaro Cardenas and are 2 minute, easy and safe walks from the bars listed above.
Club Manaña is Puerto Vallarta's largest dance club with the vast majority of the space outdoors, built around a swimming pool with large waterfall in front of the dance floor. The dance floor is very big as is the stage. Club Manaña has many different shows featuring drag divas, famous female Mexican singers and famous Canadian singers. There is always something different happening at Club Manaña. This club is very popular for all age groups, locals and tourists, straight and gay clientele. They charge a cover which varies by day of week, holidays and special events.
Paco Paco is Puerto Vallarta's original dance bar. The three story building features different activities on each floor. The main floor has a bar, restrooms and is the big dance floor. It also has a stage where the feature drag shows, often with female impersonators performing their impressions of famous Mexican singers. The second floor has it's own bar, video screens and a pool table. The third floor is a roof top outdoor patio. It has it's own bar, restrooms and terrific seating around the edge with great views of Puerto Vallarta. The club is very popular with the locals and is typically, but not always, a younger crowd
Rio Cuale Area - On the North Side of the River
Another safe, easy 5 minute walk over the Rio Cuale Bridge will bring you to this group of clubs.
For something completely different, try Antroplogy , Mexico's only gay male stripper bar where the strippers take it all off, seriously. Featuring over 20 male strippers nightly from 9:00 p.m. until 4:00 a.m., Antroplogy is a great place for a different type of entertainment. The strippers are very attractive, very friendly and very entertaining. They dance on the bar, on the floor and table side. This is a great place to come alone or bring friends. They typically charge a cover but free passes are available from most of the gay or gay oriented hotels and they are passed out on the beach at the Blue Chairs and Ritmos Beach Club during the day. The clientele is a mixture of locals and tourists, all age brackets but typically 35+ years old. Men Only allowed admission although the club can be booked in advance, on a limited basis, for private parties, including bachellorette parties. Private parties are the only time women are allowed into the club.
Balcones is Puerto Vallarta's original gay bar. It is less than a 2 block walk from Antropology. Under new ownership, it has gone through an extensive renovation. It is now much lighter and expresses a true Vallarta style to it's decor. It has 3 levels with the first level being the main bar with bar seating, high tables with chairs, sofas dance floor and unique balcony seating, hence the name of the club. The middle level is a VIP lounge. Ask the staff or the management about becoming a VIP member and having access to the terrific, more private, space. The third level is an intimate outdoor, rooftop patio with terrific views. One the unique characteristics of Balcones is their revolvoing DJ's. They have a different DJ everynight of the week. Each DJ brings their own unique style to the music they play.
No Borders is located directly across the streetfrom Balcones. No Borders is a cowboy themed bar with very clean bathrooms, light food, a juke box and roof top patio. They feature Happy Hour daily from 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. This club opens earlier than most which is great if you want to go somewhere fun in the late afternnon that isn't a straight place on the Malecon or somewhere on the beach.
For more information on everything gay in Puerto Vallarta, please visit both Gay Guide Vallarta, and the Gay Puerto Vallarta Travel Guide for comprehensive on-line listings of gay and gay friendly hotels, restaurants, activities, bars, loungs and clubs.