Short history of Gay Guide Vallarta
Celebrating 20 years in print & 23 online.
By: Ken Morrison AKA Barbie O.
Published: Oct. 1st, 2023
Gay Guide Vallarta has had a colourful history and established itself as one of the mainstays of gay life in Vallarta.. The original Gay Guide was the brainchild of David Lansley, partner to Paco Ruiz co-owner of PacoPaco. In the 90s, Puerto Vallarta was a sleepy beach town with a burgeoning gay community.
David was the bartender and, over conversations with tourists, he decided that the town needed a guide to help them get oriented. He wanted to help short-term tourists know the various options emerging in town. With some financial support from Vivi/Victor, he started Gay Guide Vallarta. At one point Vivi decided it was too gay, pulled the plug and took over changing the name to PV South Side in the process. This adventure did not last long and PV South Side died a quiet death. In 2000, Mark Page started working on gayguidevallarta’s website launching it in the fall of that year. He later resuscitated the printed guide giving it back its original name and mission. Somewhat of a computer whiz, he added social media components and put David back to work as the front man. David passed on July 4th, 2014 and Mark on June 9th, 2019. The current owners, Isaac & Joey, started helping David with translations and distribution in 2012. Later partnered up with Mark when David passed away in 2014 adding new flavour to make it into the thriving force it is today. Isaac & Joey have taken over the guide since Mark’s passing.
