If you start in San Diego, you can easily add its infamous neighbor Tijuana to your itinerary. Take the Blue Line trolley for a few bucks from downtown San Diego for the 40-50 minute trip to the border crossing.

Walk across the bridge, take the first right and follow the signs to avenue Revolucion. Go into Plaza Santa Cecilia and check out El Ranchero and Villa Garcia for local information and all the wild foreign flavor anyone can hope to have in a single dose. Use your passport at gay bars and they will generally waive the cover charge. Muchos Gracias, amigos and amigas.

We don’t recommend driving through Mexico - too many banditos on desolate stretches of highway - but you can take one of the cruise ships for smooth sailing along Mexico’s Riviera, stopping for day-tripping and some overnights at popular Pacific ports that welcome gay visitors.

Norwegian Cruise Lines (www.ncl.com) seems to have the best prices of the major companies and offers delicious international cuisine, staff (incredibly friendly), entertainment (highly talented performers) and beautiful, clean interiors add up to great value and comfort. Gay men and women will love the daily Friends of Dorothy (FOD) get-togethers, which are posted in the ship’s daily newsletter!

For the lowest rates, check all the cruise line Web sites (inside cabins are the best buys) and compare them to the discount prices posted on www.VacationsToGo.com as well as other online discounters for rock-bottom prices. Be sure to read the small print regarding port taxes, security charges, fuel supplements, and gratuities as well as on-board perks such as free vouchers worth hundreds of dollars and upgrades. These leader items are sometimes used as sales incentives if a particular cruise is not selling well. They want a face in every porthole. So it pays to check.

If you are going to a specific Mexican destination for a getaway or an extended visit, flying is the way to go; all the major resort towns have airports and good local transportation. Always bargain with cab drivers; $3 to $6 seems to be the usual negotiated price to a local hotel. But do haggle! In English! They expect it!

The most popular gay-friendly destinations along Mexico’s Pacific Riviera are Acapulco, Zihuatanejo/Xtapia, Puerto Vallarta, and Cabo San Lucas. They have established communities (some small, some large) of gay men and women who own, manage, or work in many of the hotels, inns, bars, clubs, restaurants and other travel-related businesses in these truly friendly places. Stay tuned to your gaydar at all times.

Cancun and Cozumel Island along Mexico’s Caribbean coast each have a few gay bars and inns, and there is a long-established gay community in colonial San Miguel de Allende (140 miles northeast of Mexico City). The easiest way to get to these idyllic towns is by air. Cruise ships stop at the latter two, but that’s only for day-trips. Air/land packages are better for longer stays.

Acapulco: It has been a favorite of gay men since the 1940s and later with Hollywood’s leading men, many whom are now known to have been gay despite having wives and children — just enough to complete the cover story. Acapulco is still a great gay favorite and has gay bars, clubs, a gay beach on Costra Miguel Aleman between Beto’s restaurant and the Condesa Hotel. Strong swimmers (rough currents!) head for the ‘Rock’ for Show and Don’t Tell with the local males. You can party till the early morning hours at the gay clubs: Demas, Relax and Picante. As places open and close and new ones open, check with the wait staff for current happenings and directions. And don’t miss the famed cliff divers. It’s one of the most thrilling sights in Mexico! Norwegian Cruise Lines makes an overnight stop here so you can enjoy the glamorous nightlife of a 1950s jet-setter.

Zihuatanejo/Xtapia: its original name, Cihuatlan, means ‘place governed by women.

Zihua:as it’s called by locals and frequent travelers has been able to preserve its sleepy village vibe because buildings can be no higher than four stories. Adjacent Ixtapa, however, has high-rise hotels and upscale shopping. Zihua offers views of humpback whales and Green Ridley sea turtles. And it’s home to fishermen, artisans, waterfront bars and cafes. One block from downtown is Wild’s Club, the local gay and lesbian hangout that offers female impersonator shows and male strippers along with the usual fare.

For a taste of tropical luxury life, we highly recommend a stay or at least a fine lunch or dinner at The Tides (www.tideszihuatanejo.com), a 5-star resort on Playa La Ropa. It blends the casual elegance of a glamorous beachfront lifestyle with the seclusion of a lush garden retreat. Seventy-two stunning guestrooms and suites afford jungle and ocean views across a tranquil private beach. It has both indoor and outside, award-winning Mexican-Pacific cuisine, four swimming pools, an intimate spa and superb service. It is the perfect place for gay and lesbian luxury seekers.

Puerto Vallarta: This is the gay-capital of Mexico and the old town is the place to spend leisure hours. It’s got old-world charm with lots of open-air cafes, including gay bars, clubs and other cool places. One of its unique features is a very long and wide esplanade along its Pacific beachfront. It’s colorful, tree-lined, exceptionally clean, and has a vast collection of spectacular modern sculptures that are truly original. Bring a camera!

The recommended first stop is the Blue Sunset Rooftop Restaurant and Bar on the gay beach of Los Muertos. It has magnificent sunset views of Banderas Bay and during the day you can check out all the action on the beach. Cabo San Lucas: The harbor is filled with pleasure and sports fishing boats of all shapes, sizes and nationalities. A casual jaunt along the wide, well-landscaped pedestrian harbor-front walk reveals the best in tourist-oriented development we’ve ever seen in the world.

There are two gay bars: The Hangover bar/restaurant is in downtown on the Plaza del Sol on the second Floor and is open Tuesdays through Sundays. The other one is the Rainbow Bar, Cabo’s only alternative nightclub popular with gay men, lesbians, and cool non-gays. This is the new Mexico of diversity in places where young people party. The waiters are gorgeous, the drinks are fun (try the mango magico margarita and very serious martinis), and the crowds are friendly.

Visiting Mexico: Whether you go for a short or extended visit (Google ‘gay Mexico’) there’s no better reason to visit now than the current affordable prices. It’s one of few ‘foreign’ destinations that still offer good value for the Yankeed dollar!

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