Durban View Gay Guesthouse

Hey guys - this is Durban - the warmest place to be in sunny South Africa on the east coast..

It's where our exclusively gay guesthouse and backpackers is situate right here in the heart of Durban ... the warm friendly city where gay is good.

So come visit and enjoy gay life in our part of South Africa.

Durban View Guesthouse welcomes visitors from around the world and we've already made some great new friends. Your hosts are Dave and Llewellyn.

See links to our site for bookings and enquiries else where on this blog or click here.

Your hosts Dave and Llewellyn

Cooking up a storm

Cheers to guests Joe, Shay, and Jaco with Guesthouse co-owner Llewellyn (left)

A tiring week.. cooking up a storm at the guesthouse with Dave's daughter Kate-Lynn are guests Shay from Israel with Christoffer and Simon from Denmark. Joining us for cocktails from Namibia are guests Joe and Jaco who come to Durban frequently for the Rainbow Cruise, this time to Madagasgar.

Great to have you back with us Joe and Jaco. Glad you had an awesome time at sea. In the last photo Christoffer and Simon took to the skies with me in my and Llewellyn's Sling "Red Rocket".

Fun times at the Guesthouse



Nicolas and Robert from the UK now living in Italy with their friend Barry also from the UK with Dave (back) guesthouse co-owner

Olli and Markus from Stuttgart with Llewellyn (middle) guesthouse co-owner

Llewellyn with Santiago guests Estevan and Klaus

Meeting with the guests tonight for drinks at the Guesthouse was an international experience with guests from Santiago - Chile, Stuttgart - Germany, Italy and the UK. It's a bit hotter than Europe but hope you guys are enjoying our Durban sunshine.

Continental divide?

It's great when friends from across two continents can rendezvous at the Guesthouse in Durban.

Here South Africans now living in Sydney, Brett and Theo (middle) meet up with Jacques and Andries from Winterton for a weekend of fun in Durban. Great to have you guys join us at the guesthouse and glad you had a good time.

New Year fun at the Guesthouse

Francois, Marius, Johann and Edward

Guesthouse co-owners Dave (left) and Llewellyn (right) with friend Ian (centre)

Dave and Llewellyn sip cocktails at Billy the Bums

Guests Ed (Johannesburg) and Hans (Italy)

Johann and Edward

Guesthouse owners Llewellyn and Dave

Guests Francois (Mr Gay South Africa entrant) and Marius

Hey guys, thanks for joining us at the guesthouse for New Year. It was braai followed by rooftop fireworks across Durban and more fun at Billy the Bums, our favourite Durban pub.

It's been an awesome 2011... now for 2012!!

As we rush headlong to 2011, thanks to all of our guests and readers for making this a great year for us. Not as awesome as 2010 with the World Cup Football in South Africa but we met loads of new friends from across the globe and now look forward to 2012 and the new opportunities and friends we will meet.

Tonight we are having a braai with guests at the guesthouse and will continue the party on the roof and jacuzzi till 2012.

Happy Durban Christmas

Here's a Christmas wish to you all... thanks to all you awesome guys for visiting this year... you've made it special for us; and for those intending to visit in the New Year.. don't wait too long.. come and have some of this summer sun Durban is famous for. Have an incredible 2012!!

The Prince and Princesses

Our COP17 guests Peter (left) and Bernado (right) were delighted to meet a real Prince - Albert of Monaco - whilst helping organise the Climate Change Conference in Durban. Self-styled as "Exquisiteness Highness Prince(ss) Peter James 111 of Melbourne, and Bedazzlement Highness Princess Bernado 1 of Montejumbura" meeting with His Serene Highness Prince Albert 11 of Monaco. Nice one guys, although Bernado you could have cleaned up your face for the meeting :-) 

Dave visits the COP17 Expo

Bumping into guests of the Guesthouse at the Expo

Guest Nicolas de Klerk designed and built this stand at the Expo - crafts made of recycled materials

Taking time out to visit the Climate Change Expo where his guests have been hard at work for 2 weeks, guesthouse co-owner Dave meets up with our Dutch guests Jeroen and Lennard. In the 2nd photo the Siemens motorbike is a fully electric model going for 120kms before needing recharging and with a top speed of 160kmh. Dave adds his "green pledge" to the Tree of Pledges at the Conference. And in the last place, the "font of all knowledge" Dave hams it up at the information kiosk.

More Cop17 Fun in Durban

Peter (Melbourne) , Jose (Buenos Aires), Ian (Durban) and Bernado (Uruguay)

Jeroen and Lennard from Netherlands now live in Hungary, with Llewellyn and Dave

Conference organiser Peter from Melboune now living in Germany

 It's Llewellyn and my 7th Anniversary together and what better way to celebrate than to enjoy a few drinks with our guests from around the world for the Cop17 Conference in Durban - here from Australia, Uruguay, Equador, Hungary, United States, Netherlands, Germany and South Africa.

Thanks Llewellyn for 7 fabulous years, proving that all things really are possible.. and we met on the internet, so never discount that as possible guys!  Check us out on facebook

Tony and Ray

The Anniversary boys Dave (left) and Llewellyn (right) with Tony

It was Monday and the beer and burger special at Billy the Bums, so we took the COP17 Climate Change Conference guests with us for an evening out. Also joining us were Adrian and Richard from Scotland and Gerhard from Pretoria.

Guesthouse co-owner Dave (left) with Raul (right) from Equador

COP17 guests arrive

Hard at work for a few days already preparing for the COP17 delegates are conference organiser Bernado (right), and Nicolas (left) setting up a recycling exhibition stand for the conference which kicked off today in Durban. Welcome too to the delegates arriving at the guesthouse today. We hope you have an awesome conference and enjoy our hospitality in Durban.

Durban Welcome

Durban is under a flood of guests for the Cop 17 Climate Change Conference. Slipping inbetween are guests here for a holiday weekend in Durban, Matt (left) and Raiel (right) with guesthouse co-owner Llewellyn (centre). Unfortunately "climate change" already appears to be having some effect and Durban has been under a mist and rain blanket the whole weekend...hopefully clearing back to our usual November beach weather this week.

Rainbow Cruise Sail-away Party

Mr Gay Sa 2011 Finalists at Durban View Guesthouse

Barman Ian and fiends meet the Mr Gay SA finalists

Llewellyn (Durban View Guesthouse co-owner) with Gavin Deale

Durban View Guesthouse co-owner Dave (left) with Rainbow Cruise organiser Leon Nel (centre) and former Mr Gay SA Finalist Gavin Deale (right)

Coenie Kukkuk, organiser of the Mr Gay South Africa pageant with his Finalists

The November Rainbow Cruise which sails from Durban to Mocambique is the most festive with the finalists of the Mr Gay South Africa competition on board. The sail-away party at Durban View Guesthouse gives us a chance to meet the finalists and the other rainbow passengers the night before the ship sails.

Adult Panto "Alice in Wonderland" - now on in Durban

Dave with Thomie (rabbit, right)

If you guys get a chance, please book to see our Durban gay boys in drag for the performance of "Alice in Wonderland" now on at SunCoast Casino until January. Anthony Stonier as the Queen (naturally) and our part-time Guesthouse Manager Thomie (as Rabbit) were hilarious. We made up a table on a bring-your-own supper theatre basis, and the gay boys brought a feast. Wonderful evening. Poor Lee got dragged up onto stage as well.

Lee, Mark, Jeremy, Llewellyn and Ian

Gay Film Fest Now On

The Durban Gay & Lesbian Film Festival is in full swing at the KZNSA gallery, 166 Bulwer Road, Glenwood, Durban. R35 for features and R20 for documentaries/shorts; an inexpensive bar is open during the evenings (R10 beers, R10-R20 spirits, R10-R15 wines) along with great Pride memorabilia, flags and books of interest.

All major credit/debit cards are accepted for reasonable transactions & purchases.

THU 03 NOV 10:00AM - Milk (screening of film for afternoon discussion)
THU 03 NOV 1:00PM - Activism & Martyrdom: discussing Milk in the SA Context
THU 03 NOV 6:30PM - London Shorts: Short Set #1 (3 short films)
THU 03 NOV 8:00PM - 2 Frogs in the West (feature film, English&French+subtitles)
FRI 04 NOV 2:00PM - Film Makers Workshop: Indep. films that tackle LGBTI issues
FRI 04 NOV 6:00PM - Interactive discussion with director of House of Boys
FRI 04 NOV 7:30PM - House of Boys (feature film)
FRI 04 NOV 10:00PM - Mulligans (feature film)
SAT 05 NOV 10:00AM -Sexuality Workshop: Opening the doors to your closet
SAT 05 NOV 1:00PM - Sexuality Workshop: Love safer sex
SAT 05 NOV 4:00PM - Breaking out of the Box (documentary)
SAT 05 NOV 5:00PM - Difficult Love (documentary)
SAT 05 NOV 6:00PM - Waited For (documentary)
SAT 05 NOV 8:00PM - Judas Kiss (feature film)
SAT 05 NOV 10:00PM - Official Closing Party at the KZNSA
SUN 06 NOV 2:00PM - 2 Frogs in the West (feature film, English&French+subtitles)
SUN 06 NOV 4:00PM - London Shorts: Short Set #2 (3 short films)
SUN 06 NOV 5:00PM - Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride (closing night film)

Please come support us! Share this info with your friends. For more info & trailers:
www.dglff.org.za / or call 0318110959 (office hours) / or email bookings@dglff.org.za

Durban from the air

The clear blue skies and sea yesterday gave us an opportunity for an early morning breakfast run (or hop) to Pietermaritzburg and some awesome shots of Durban's World Cup Football Stadium from above. After breakfast we got back to Durban in time for work.