I don't want to start every one of these posts with an anecdote about a family trip gone wrong, but this is relevant to the destination — promise, this will be the last time (maybe).
In July, my parents, my sister, and I ventured to Germany to visit my cousin, who is stationed in Wiesbaden, about 40 minutes outside Frankfurt, where she lives on an army base with her husband and three kids. If you could imagine, nine of us staying under one roof — especially with a 13-year-old, a six-year-old, and a one-and-a-half-year-old — wasn't the picture of relaxation. Not to mention, the night before our six-hour road trip to Berlin, I caught a stomach bug and was fighting for my life in the car, so there wasn't much fun (outside of family time) to be had during that visit.
I promise not every family travel story is as chaotic. We're friends now, so I'll tell you there's always something going down because my family attracts chaos.
That's why when I was invited to stay at a new hotel in Frankfurt called The Florentin and fly business class on Condor, I jumped at the opportunity. I've traveled on my own before (see: my trip to Barcelona), and one thing I'm always curious about is the queer nightlife in other cities. So I decided what better to do than to take the leap back over to Germany and make some new memories in a country that my stomach, err, I mean my heart, still wasn't settled on.
Part of the group I traveled with was scheduled to fly Condor both ways, but our flight to Germany was canceled due to a technical issue with the aircraft. The team behind the trip promptly got us on a new flight in Delta One, so we still experienced business class, just on a different airline, to start our trip. The flight was good; we flew on an older plane, but we were still privileged enough to have lie-flat seats. However, the movie selection wasn't ideal, and the screens were low-quality. Plus, at one point, I asked one of the flight attendants for help making the bed, and she told me, "Oh, I don't know how to do that." I did end up getting help from a different stewardess, but it was an odd interaction, nonetheless.
I had my food and got about an hour or two of sleep before we got to our destination bright and early. Now, being that this was a press trip, they wanted to pull out all of the stops, and we were given a taste of their VIP airport services at the Frankfurt airport. The second we walked onto the jet bridge, my mind was set on heading straight to the chaos of passport control and baggage claim, but we were greeted by a woman who showed us down an elevator and into a black Mercedes-Benz van.
My ears hadn't even popped from the flight yet, and we were shown to an entrance where an officer sat behind a desk, processing our passports. The attendant then showed us to a luxurious lounge that offered breakfast, a game room for kids, meeting rooms, showers, and anything you'd need to freshen up before heading to your hotel.
Moises Mendez II
VIP Lounge at the Frankfurt Airport
I was not prepared for the beauty of The Florentin when we arrived.
The original building was built by the Beit von Speyer family in 1901, and the hotel team worked with atelier zürich (based in Zurich) to modernize it and with Unscripted Design (based in Singapore) to design the rooms and public spaces. On my last trip, I was given a standard room at the hotel and was immensely happy to have my own space for a short trip. Imagine my surprise when I was brought to my room, and the door opened to a full suite all for me.
I had a living room with a fireplace and a dining room set up, a bathroom (with heated tiles) with a rainfall shower and a bathtub, a toilet room (also with heated tiles), and a walk-in closet/dressing room that connected to a large room with a king-sized bed.
The Florentin Room Tour
After marveling at the sheer massiveness of the room, we got ready for a tour of the place before lunch with the group, and I got to meet everyone, whom I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with.
We took a walking tour of the city around the hotel, then explored the Christmas markets for which Germany is famous. It was the perfect way to get in the Christmas spirit, and to my surprise, they even had a gay Christmas market called Rosa Weihnacht, or the Pink Market. My two friends and I expected there to be some scandalously shaped ornaments or scantily clad men in Santa costumes, but it was a much more pared-down affair.
The market was mainly filled with groups of friends having warm drinks like Glühwein (a German version of mulled wine) or Heißer Apfelsaft (Hot Apple Cider), which is what I opted for. In contrast, my friend decided this was the time to try a hot Caipirinha (a traditional Brazilian drink that is typically served cold), which we didn't really care for.
The next day was Saturday, which started with an early morning to Rüdesheim am Rhein. This winemaking town was about 30 minutes from our hotel, and, funnily enough, my cousin had taken me there earlier that year. We took a gondola up the mountain, over a vineyard, to the top of a hill where the Niederwalddenkmal monument stood, honoring the founding of Germany.
We had time to explore the markets and shops, where I walked around and enjoyed them with my new friends, before we went to Weingut Robert Weil to see where one of the wines offered at the hotel was made.
That night was our fabulous fine-dining experience at the hotel's restaurant, the dune, which is the brainchild of the Michelin-star chef Niclas Nussbaumer and his partner, Lea Rupp, who serves as the restaurant's manager. We were treated to one of the best meals I've had in a long time. The service was top-notch, and our four-hour dining experience flew by.
Moises Mendez II
The menu at the dune in the Florentin Hotel
Now, with my stomach full and a few delicious drinks from The Florentin Bar, my friends and I were ready to hit the town and try out some gay bars in the city.
One of the hotel's employees, who was around my age, told me her gay friends suggested PINK as our first stop of the night. So we took her suggestion and went there as a primer for what the night would become. It was packed — like body-to-body, barely any wiggle room to make your way to the bar. They were, however, playing some fun early-2010s pop, but it wasn't mine nor my friends' vibe, so we tried the bar next door, Bar Central.
This was the complete opposite vibe, and at about 2:00 AM, I was a bit shocked by how dead it was in there. Nonetheless, we decided to get a drink, snap some pics thanks to some very handsome bears, and continue with the night.
They suggested another gay bar down the street called Tangerine, and when we walked in with them, it felt like all 10 people in the bar looked at us, sizing us up, so before we settled in, I rallied my friends and got us out of there.
The place we ended up at was called The Comeback, and the clientele was definitely mixed, as some gay travel sites I'd done my research on had suggested. According to one site called Patroc.com, it writes that the bar is usually attended by gay men, trans women, hetero women, and hustlers. It ended up being the perfect mix of people, and we partied for about an hour and a half before my friends called it a night, and I tried one more spot.
It's now 3:00 AM, and I decided to try one last place called Twist, but as I walked up to the bar from the taxi, it was closed. I was determined to try at least one more spot on my own, and I thought, when in Rome (nay Frankfurt), why not go to a bathhouse? I went to Saunawerk, a gay sauna that is open seemingly every day, but on the weekends, it stays open until about 9:00 AM. I won't spill all the dirty details, but I will say it is a cruising hotspot, so if that's not your thing, steer clear. You can enjoy the amenities after a night out, which definitely did help with the hangover, but don't be surprised if someone's foot starts to rub up against yours or a hand grazes your thighs.
The gay bar, PINK, on a Saturday night in Frankfurt
Moises Mendez II
I tried to find bear-specific parties or bear-oriented bars in Frankfurt, and that didn't seem to be a thing. There is a bear night at a bar called Lucky's, but it doesn't start until January 3. I wasn't shocked by the slim pickings for my heavier-set folks, just disappointed.
I got back to my glorious suite at 6:00 AM, took a shower, and fell right to sleep. I was able to sleep in because my only scheduled activity was a massage at The Spain Hotel, and I got a much-needed deep-tissue massage from the sweetest masseur.
We had tea in the afternoon, then one last group dinner at the hotel's restaurant, The Garden, before everyone else retired to their rooms. I decided to take one more dip at Saunawerk before heading back to the States. Let's say I had just as much, if not more fun, than I did the previous night.
On our way back to New York, we got the chance to fly business class on Condor's A330neo planes. To say this was a significant upgrade from our flight to Germany would be an understatement. As a reminder, I'm 6'7", and air travel is always uncomfortable for me, no matter what, but I had so much room to fully extend my legs in my lie-flat seat and didn't feel cramped at all with the tray table down. I had space for my bag, my coat, shoes, a full meal, a water bottle, headphones, and an iPad with room to spare. Not to mention, the 17" screens had 4K resolution and a decent movie and television selection. It was the most comfortable flying experience I've ever had.
Moises Mendez II
Condor's business class seat
Let me be clear, luxury travel is not my typical mode of transportation. But I do have a taste for the finer things (and men) in life. I'm usually the type of person who prefers to spend a few extra bucks for my comfort because being 6'7" is not for the faint of heart. This experience reaffirmed my expensive palette, so now I have a new motivation to find a wealthy partner (God, I know you're listening, I've seen what you've done for others!). Until then, it's back to economy for me.
