Hands up if you are having a naturist holiday this year. Ooh, a fair few of you.
Keep them up if you are staying in a Hotel. Aah, a few hands went down then. Fair enough, Hotels are not for everyone – some of you have motorhomes, some camp (wild), it is an expensive option and the likes of AirBnB can throw up some perfectly acceptable alternatives.
OK, for those that remain, keep your hand up if you are staying in a fully or mostly naturist Hotel. Aah, not many. Why not?
That’s the problem, isn’t it? There aren’t that many naturist hotels around the world. It’s tough in the Travel industry at the moment and by being fully naturist, you are immediately closing the door to about 90% of the population and that is not a good business model.
Sure, there are exceptions. Clover Spa in Birmingham, UK is fully naturist, but that is more a Spa with some rooms attached. Playa Natura in Costa de Almería, Spain is another. BHH in Fuerteventura is ‘clothing optional’ (although from the Captain’s experience it is mostly clothes-free) and self-catering – so less hotel-y.
Unless you are a dyed-in-the wool naturist (probably a bit of an oxymoron) then there are plenty of non-naturist Hotels near to naturist beaches. Some often have a small, but perfectly formed naturist area such as a sun deck or clothing verboten spa. The Gloria Palace Royal has a sundeck with a secluded naturist area, for instance, yet is still near a naturist beach.
Or take the Seaside Palm Beach Hotel on Gran Canaria. A very nice Hotel, not advertised as naturist but would suit the (clothed) sports enthusiast with tennis, golf, archery and lots more. Not only that, it is a stone’s throw from Maspalomas Beach, a superb clothing optional sandy beach. You can shuffle (clothed – sorry) between the two.
Can I make a Hotel a naturist one?
Of course any Hotel is a naturist Hotel once that bedroom door is closed. If it has a (reasonably) private balcony then this can be utilised, too.
What about other types of accommodaton?
It’s not just Hotels, though. You can exclusively rent a Holiday Cottage that is in the middle of nowhere. Whilst it may not advertise itself as naturist, when there is no-one around, who is going to know? Take Oystercatcher near Scarborough. As long as you are discreet if the neighbours are in, you can dine al fresco sans clothing and venture out to Cayton bay naturist beach during the day.
It’s nice to have some comfort and the Captain stays in some very nice places with his work. He has also slept in caravans, tents, backs of cars (in his younger days) and Hostels. For the sake of a good night’s sleep, a decent shower and some nice food he is more than happy to be clothed, then throw it all off once he steps through that bedroom door threshold, or out onto a nearby naturist beach.
What do you think? Are you happy to bunk down somewhere exclusively naturist knowing that it’s your choice on what to wear, or do you enjoy your creature comforts and are willing to compromise? Let the Captain know in the comments.
