One amenity that gay Fort Lauderdale’s Cabanas Guesthouse & Spa offers is the use of kayaks.

Kayaking is easy to learn, a challenging exercise and a social activity all rolled in to one.

To move the kayak at approximately 5mph requires about 0.1 hp of effort.  Basically, all that means is that you’re going to use up about 40 calories per hour.  Four hours of kayaking burns almost 1600 calories!

Paddling is a great way to incorporate every muscle in your upper body, and some lower body muscles, into one workout.  This allows you to tone almost every muscle in your body.

Beyond the physical benefits of kayaking, this is a stress relieving sport also.  Watching your own boat move by your own effort is relaxing and rewarding.  Some people believe that time outside in nature does a body good.  You don’t get much closer to nature than floating in the water under the sky.

The Cabanas does not charge its guests to use the kayaks and they also provide life preservers.

For more information, or to contact The Cabanas click here.

The Cabanas Guesthouse & Spa offers weekly specials at their Men’s Day Spa. This week (4/3), treatment specials include:  

• A 1 hour Swedish massage and top of the line anti-aging facial package for $175

The massage price without the special is $85 and the facial would normally be $129…That’s almost a $40 savings!  For more information or general questions call The Men’s Day Spa.

The Cabanas Guesthouse & Spa recently expanded the menu of their Men’s Day Spa adding microdermabrasion and chemical peels to their list of male skin care services.

Microdermabrasion is a technique that uses a mechanical medium for exfoliation with suction to remove the outermost layer of dead skin cells.  It’s completely non-invasive and helps diminish fines lines, wrinkles, acne scars, and hyper-pigmentation.

This skin exfoliating procedure costs $125 for one hour and will leave your skin feeling and looking amazing.

A chemical peel is another skin exfoliating treatment technique used to improve and smooth the texture of the facial skin by using a solution that causes dead skin cells to peel off.  This service leaves the skin smoother and less wrinkled than previous layer of skin.

For chemical peel pricing or for more information on any service that this Fort Lauderdale spa offers contact the Men’s Spa.

If there were ever a night to eat out, it’s April 28, 2011.  Join Dining Out For Life (DOFL) at a participating restaurant and a portion of your bill will be donated to support local services in the fight against AIDS.

DOFL is a one-day international fundraiser that benefits non-profit service agencies in over 55 metropolitan areas across the United States and Canada.  The Miami New Times and New Times Broward are co-hosting the fundraising event and on April 29 all of the participating businesses will hand over the donations to Care Resource, South Florida’s oldest and largest HIV/AIDS service organization.

The donation will help Care Resource continue to provide services like intensive primary healthcare, testing, clinical trials and comprehensive support services.

DOFL is one of the best fundraising events that the LGBT community has ever seen in Fort Lauderdale, Wilton Manors and Miami and it’s a short drive to many of the the participating restaurants from The Cabanas Guesthouse and Spa.

For a full list of participating restaurants click here.

For a decade now, The Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber Of Commerce (MDGLCC) has hosted an annual gala awards celebration to honor corporate and individual supporters of the Miami-Dade LGBT community. Honorees are chosen for their long-term commitment to fostering diversity, as well as for their efforts in contributing to the overall well being and quality of life in South Florida.  This event will take place on Saturday, March 26 at 6 p.m., at the Hilton Miami Downtown Hotel, 1601 Biscayne Blvd.in Miami.

“As the voice of the LGBT business community, the Chamber is especially proud to have such an exemplary group to recognize this year,” said Steve Adkins, MDGLCC president. “We’re anticipating one of the largest turnouts in our decade-long history. This year’s gala will be particularly significant in light of the Chamber’s achievements in growth and influence, especially with the opening of the new LGBT Visitor Center in Miami Beach.”

The first award, The MetLife Business of the Year Award, is being presented to Greater Miami & The Beaches Hotel Association (GMBHA) for its commitment to diversity and inclusion of LGBT and allied community issues. The award will be accepted by Wendy Kallergis, president and CEO of the GMBHA, and Tim Nardi, boardchair.

“The hospitality industry in Miami-Dade employs nearly 10% of the county’s entire LGBT workforce,” Adkins said. “Additionally, the tourism tax revenue further impacts the lives of many LGBT citizens in South Florida both directly and indirectly. The Chamber applauds the effort of the GMBHA to recognize excellence in the industry across all diverse demographics and congratulates them on the ‘MetLife Business of the Year Award’.”

The second award, Hilton Miami Downtown Business Person of the Year Award, is being presented to Naomi Wilzig, World Erotic Art Museum, for embracing diversity in all forms and demonstrating excellent management and leadership skills.

“As founder and president of the World Erotic Art Museum in Miami Beach, Wilzig curates the largest erotic art collection in the world,” Adkins said. “An author of five books on her extensive collection, she is widely regarded as the leading expert in the field. In addition to her numerous charitable contributions, Wilzig is a longtime supporter of the MDGLCC and the South Florida LGBT community.”

Wilzig will accept the award.

The third award, Wachovia (A Wells Fargo Company) Non-Profit Organization of the Year Award, is being presented to Switchboard of Miami, Inc.as a non-profit organization whose philosophy embodies the highest standards of outreach to the LGBT and allied communities. Catherine Penrod, president and CEO, will accept the award.

“Switchboard’s telephone counselors provide comprehensive crisis counseling, suicide prevention, information, and referral services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year,” Adkins said. “Through an extensive partnership with community agencies and service providers, Switchboard counselors can access an extensive database of more than 3,000 service programs — including counseling centers and agencies that provide services related to the issues affecting the LGBTQ community.  In addition, Switchboard services include faith-based help centers, Baker Act information, bereavement programs, substance abuse treatment, support groups, in-home counseling, sex and love addiction support, and youth-oriented programs.”

And the fourth award, AT&T 10th Anniversary Special Recognition Award, will be presented to Grey Goose Vodka, a Bacardi Brand for embracing diversity in all forms and demonstrating continued dedication to the betterment of the community through actions and leadership. Michelle Beauchamp, marketing director, and Erin Mitchell, brand manager, will accept the award.

“The LGBT market in Miami-Dade is known all over the world for its distinctive and well-supported fundraising activities and Grey Goose Vodka and Bacardi brands are, more often than not, standing tall behind the bars,” Adkins said. “They have contributed tremendously to many LGBT organizations’ successes during the past 10 years and in addition to their event support, their overall embrace of the LGBT community and the company’s open and accepting employment policies, make them a worthy honoree for this award.”

The 10th Anniversary Gala Awards Celebration will feature a VIP champagne reception and silent auction beginning at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7:30 p.m., the awards ceremony at 9 p.m., and then a DJ and dancing beginning at 10 p.m..

For the past several years, MDGLCC has selected a different color of the rainbow flag for its Gala theme and the theme for this year’s event is “A Royal Affair” featuring the color purple which represents royalty and loyalty. Gala attendees are encouraged to wear something purple.  This annual event is MDGLCC’s principal fundraising effort and helps sustain operations and the ever-increasing demand to expand programming.

Tickets are $1,750 for VIP tables of 10, $175 for individual VIP tickets and $95 for open seating.

Location: Hilton Miami, Downtown Hotel – 1601 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami
Contact: 305-673-4440

Source: www.hotspotsmagazine.com

There is seriously an app for everything these days.  A controversy recently erupted over a new application for the iPhone that suggest gay people can be “cured,” and that gay children should be put through therapy to change their sexual orientation.

Apple is currently providing Exodus International, an organization that promotes “conversion therapy,” an outlet on iTunes for this clearly homophobic application.

Exodus believes that LGBT people should be confronted with “spiritual warfare,” and “freedom from homosexuality,” should be a goal among our society.

The worst part about the application is that Apple seems to be perpetuating this homophobia by giving the app a 4+ rating on iTunes and labeling the app as “non-offensive.”  Really, Apple?  When an application uses words such as “immoral,” and “satanic,” in reference to sexual orientation, many people would agree that this is highly offensive.

Truth Wins Out, a grassroots group, has stared a petition on Change.org, asking Apple to follow their own editorial standards and remove this application from iTunes.

The thought process behind the petition is that the more signatures that they deliver, the more likely Apple executives will be to pull the application.

This homophobic application came as a shock to many LGBT because Apple has always been a very strong ally to this community.    “Conversion therapy,” has been condemned by every major medical and scientific organization around the world including The American Psychological Association, American Medical Association, and American Counseling Association.  These establishments have even gone so far as to say that this type of therapy can do more harm to a person’s mental well being than good.

To add your signature to the petition click here.

Source: www.Change.org

On Sunday February 27^th, in conjunction with the nationally televised Oscars, The Manors Entertainment Complex hosted the 2^nd Annual Besties Awards, a ceremony recognizing the best of the best local businesses that cater to the gay consumer.

The awards, which are broken down into categories (like The Oscars), offer not only bragging rights for the winners, but a genuine claim to the exceptionally high standards of service that are provided by their businesses.

Over the past five years alone, the continual investments into The Cabanas amenities and services have generated quite a following within the global gay community, resulting in over 70% of their bookings coming from return guests, year after year.  Even through the harsh and extensive economic downfall, The Cabanas Guesthouse & Spa has maintained their growth by providing a truly remarkable experience coupled with unprecedented customer service.

Other nominees within the “Best Guesthouse” category included Aragon Inn, Ed Lugo Resort, Orton Terrace, Pineapple Point, The Royal Palms, and The Worthington.

Hosted by Joe Posa (in drag as Joan Rivers) and his equally interesting sidekick, Mikey Verdugo, the ceremony drew in a packed house. The Oscars were displayed live on numerous oversized screens for those in attendance, while The Besties Awards were presented during each commercial break. The classy, red carpet atmosphere, along with the issuance of awards made for a genuinely exciting and equally entertaining evening.

Upon acceptance of their award, John Dorry and Bill Barnish (owners of The Cabanas Guesthouse & Spa) thanked the community, their loyal and ever-expanding customer base, and Lary Arnett of Times Ten Creative Marketing Solutions for his outstanding work which has helped them achieve the status of “The Best Guesthouse in Fort Lauderdale.”

“On behalf of Bill, myself and the entire staff at The Cabanas Guesthouse & Spa are very grateful and thankful for all of the support we have received over the past 10 years and happily look forward to many more years of offering our guests a joyful and memorable experience at our Guesthouse & Spa”.

For more information, a virtual tour, or to book reservations at the multiple-award-winning Cabanas Guesthouse & Spa, visit them online at www.TheCabanasGuesthouse.com today.  To book by phone or to inquire about special requests, contact The Cabanas by phone at 954.564.7764 or 866.564.7764 (toll-free).  As the Besties Award implies, there isn’t a finer place to stay during your next visit to Gay Fort Lauderdale.

Fort Lauderdale, FL, is one of the world’s top destination for gay travelers, and  The Cabanas Guesthouse and Spa frequently offers last minute travel specials. Check here frequently for up-to-the-minute specials.

Here are the current special room rates available Jan 5 through Jan 12:

Queen Room Special: Reg: $169 per night   Book Now: $129 per night

King Standard Special: Reg: $179 per  night Book Now: $139 per night

King Premium Water Front: Reg $229 per night Book Now: $169 per night

To Book at these special rates you must call direct at either  866 564 7764  or 954 564 7764.  Please note that rooms and rates are based on availability and some restrictions may apply. Cannot be combined with any other special or previously made reservations.