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AJ0127
Forum Member
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 Posted - 07/09/2008 : 7:57:59 PM
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I want to ask forum members what their expectations are for naturist resorts. Are you willing to put up with inflated prices and often inferior quality for the right to be nude on the premises? My experiences with naturist resorts haven't been particularly good. Maybe, some of the forum members are aware of better resorts than the ones that I have visited. Please let me know of any naturist resorts which provide quality of service comparable to textile resorts at reasonable market prices. Alternatively, please share your stories of poor service and inflated prices.
The thing I love about naturism is the freedom to be nude when it's appropriate. The thing I hate about naturism is being relegated to resorts which treat their guests poorly and compensate for it by overcharging them. 
What do you think?
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Country: Canada
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Ranger191
Forum Member
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Posted - 07/09/2008 : 11:53:32 PM
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The prices are higher than normal, but I think if you take a look at what the folks who own the places have to do to cover their overhead and then make your market comparison, you'll see that its not that unreasonable.
I would think that far fewer people visit nudist places on a regular basis than a textile campground. Less volume = higher costs per individual. KOA campgrounds, Holiday Inns and the rest generally have more tenants hence, less expense per individual. My guess would be if you had tens of thousands of people stopping by a nudist park on a regular basis, the prices would drop.
It is my thought that yes, nude places to stay are more expensive than the norm. It's also not surprising as the owners have to spread that cost over fewer customers than the textile locations.
Full disclosure: My wife and I owned a small business (hobby store) for a period of time. We had far less customers than Wal-mart and also less than local grocery store (who surprisingly sold competing hobby products). Based on volume buy discounts, we couldn't compete with the large chains OR the local single owner grocery store and make enough money to survive.
My heartfelt suggestion would be: Please pay the extra money and allow the owners to keep providing the services, ESPECIALLY at the single-owner parks.
Nobility is not a birthright, it is defined by one's actions.
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Country: USA
| Posts: 118 |
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NudeAl
Forum Member
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Posted - 07/10/2008 : 12:06:48 AM
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I have been to great naturist resorts and some pretty lame ones as well. I tend to like those older ones who have not lost the original flavor of nudism a spirit of volunteerism I guess you could call it. A place where they have committees and they do fund raisers for their annual events etc. I do not like the more coporate clubs but they both have their place. I guess we need to just patronize the clubs we like because Lord knows with the economy going in the crapper money is becoming tighter. In fact my disposable income is just about disposed of before I have time to enjoy it. Lately my nudist resort of choice is my own backyard and the mountains and lakes near my home.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. -- Robert Frost
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Country: USA
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Ranger191
Forum Member
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Posted - 07/10/2008 : 12:18:12 AM
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AJ0127,
I just read your original comments in the other thread and I wanted to add these thoughts:
I can't speak in detail to the two other places you mentioned, but I stayed at - - in Florida in 2004 as a single male (wife wouldn't accompany me then) and had a wonderful vacation. The staff was great (responsive and helpful), the food was ok, nothing grand but I thought it was solid fare. I was happy to be able to eat without having to dress for the restaurant or bar/grill area.
I've never overnighted at another park, but I've often been a daytripper to different area's, Club Orient was one such trip. I thought the menu was fairly pricey so I didn't try the food but I did have a couple pleasant conversations with the staff when trying to find out more about the facility itself. Grounds mgr, attendant at the store, couple of folks playing tennis on a break between sets, all had pretty good things to say while pointing out that the food was kind of expensive... 
I realize that I'm contradicting most of what you said and I'm honestly not trying to be ornery(all evidence notwithstanding). It could be that you have a higher standard than most folks who go to these places. Nothing wrong with that at all, but I'm positive that there is someplace in the world that could meet your standard. A private B&B, other full service parks in the US, etc. Maybe if you were to go through a checklist of expectations with the mgmt BEFORE you stayed at the location you've selected as part of your initial research...I've done that before after staying at sub-par textile hotels before I stayed there again (no other reasonable options)and have had a good success rate. An informed consumer is a prepared consumer.
Nobility is not a birthright, it is defined by one's actions.
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Country: USA
| Posts: 118 |
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AJ0127
Forum Member
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Posted - 07/10/2008 : 10:58:35 AM
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I think that this is a good topic for discussion - particularly when many of us are being squeezed financially. As for my experience at - -, the staff were fine - I didn't feel any disrespect there. However, I thought that it was quite expensive for the type of accomodation we had. Would I stay there again? Probably not, for a few reasons. Mainly, I prefer beach resorts. Unfortunately, - - isn't located on a beach. Also, they should dispense with (or greatly reduce) the grounds fees for renters. The nominal discount given AANR members isn't enough to entice me back.
With regard to the other two resorts I mentioned (Club Oasis in France and Club Orient in St. Martin), I definitely did feel disrespected by the staff and I thought that their prices were much higher than the market for those areas.
With respect to pricing of naturist vs. textile resorts, perhaps the naturist resorts would have more business if they remembered the laws of supply and demand. Demand will increase as the price goes down. Also, they could look into marketing their resorts more effectively. As a naturist, I would definitely keep returning to any resort that promises typical textile value for money and a clothing optional ambience.
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Country: Canada
| Posts: 46 |
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n/a
deleted
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Posted - 07/10/2008 : 11:02:53 AM
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We belong to a small volunteer oriented club with limited facilities and we are content with that. They have a lot of longtime members on fixed incomes and we respect their desire to keep the place affordable. There is a downside to low lot rental rates (we pay $150 per YEAR!)....and that is that a lot of folks don't bother to keep their trailers and lots cleaned up...we have a lot of "orphan" sites where people pay the annual rent, but seldom, if ever come out. The trailers just rot away...and the lots become eyesores.
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vealj
Forum Member
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Posted - 08/03/2008 : 09:22:06 AM
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I think the comparison between nudist/naturist resorts and textile resorts might be a little off. Because nudist resorts offer the ability to go nude they are sort of exclusive. They serve a truly niche market while textile resorts serve the public at large and therefore, as was already mentioned, the economics of volume business make them cheaper. You should compare nudist resorts to more exclusive textile destinations such as exclusive spas for the rich and famous, etc. then their pricing doesn't seem all that expensive. I do agree though that the pricing puts them out of reach for most young people. But then again, I think most young people today who are interested in going nude think the nudist resorts are irrevelvant and outdated ant any price.
As for guidance on a great resort with what I consider truly friendly service and reasonable pricing, try Cypress Cove.
Take care and ...
Keep it Bare !!!
- veal
Web:http://www.vealj.com/naturist.html
Nudist Blog: http://360.yahoo.com/vealj
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Country: USA
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Calbob
Forum Member
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Posted - 08/03/2008 : 7:19:59 PM
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I think that the economics are a bit different depending on whether you are a member of a given club/resort, or merely an occasional visitor. At my home club, I pay around $300 a year for a "Gold Seal" membership which allows me to visit anytime without paying grounds fees. A visiting member without an AANR or TNS card would pay $25 a day in addition to lodging or camping costs. With an AANR or TNS card, non-club members pay $20, which is still pricey. For this reason, some people carry memberships in more than one club. $300 a year for unlimited visits isn't bad when you consider what an annual membership at a health club costs, and, BTW, my club has a very nice workout room that is free and you can exercise nude!
Yesterday, a couple at my club told me that they had stopped going to - - - (Now - - - ) in Palm Springs after they raised the rates and instituted a three night minimum. For the cost of a weekend at DS, they could add $400 more and go to Hawaii! I agree with Veal, Cypress Cove has great service and their prices are reasonable.
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Country: USA
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NorthEastUSA
Forum Member
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Posted - 08/03/2008 : 8:44:49 PM
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My wife and I are both 34. We have been to nude beaches and we are trying to find a nice Nude club/resort to try in the North East. Let me tell you it is hard to find any information other then the basic, location amenity's and fees. With regular hotels/resorts I can get 100s of reviews from people that have been there. That doesn't seem to exist for nudist resorts. Since we have never been to one and we want to try one that is well kept. Its hard to find any information. I don't want to get turned off to nudist resort by ending up at one that is run down. Is there any place to find out more about the different clubs?
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Calbob
Forum Member
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Posted - 08/04/2008 : 5:46:14 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by NorthEastUSA
My wife and I are both 34. We have been to nude beaches and we are trying to find a nice Nude club/resort to try in the North East. Let me tell you it is hard to find any information other then the basic, location amenity's and fees. With regular hotels/resorts I can get 100s of reviews from people that have been there. That doesn't seem to exist for nudist resorts. Since we have never been to one and we want to try one that is well kept. Its hard to find any information. I don't want to get turned off to nudist resort by ending up at one that is run down. Is there any place to find out more about the different clubs?
Since there really isn't a nudist version of Trip Advisor, this board is probably your best resource for advice. I haven't been to any clubs in the northeast, but if you happen to go to Florida, you can't go wrong with Cypress Cove. You will find that every club is different. Some are more modern than others, and some are downright rustic. Often the smaller and less modern clubs make up for it with a great group of members, and you develop a whole new circle of friends very quickly.
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Country: USA
| Posts: 153 |
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nudeisbetter
Forum Member
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Posted - 08/05/2008 : 12:10:17 PM
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They all have websites so you can get an initial idea of what it's like.
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Country: USA
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NorthEastUSA
Forum Member
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Posted - 08/05/2008 : 6:10:54 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by nudeisbetter
They all have websites so you can get an initial idea of what it's like.
True But i was looking for more of a non biased report.
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AJ0127
Forum Member
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Posted - 08/05/2008 : 9:38:17 PM
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I was hoping that forum members could comment on naturist resorts they have visited on vacation as opposed to their clubs. How do they compare with non-naturist resorts in the same area? Did the management treat you with the respect you feel that you deserve? I am happy to see that more people are contributing to this topic.
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Country: Canada
| Posts: 46 |
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nativenude
Forum Member
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Posted - 08/08/2008 : 6:30:25 PM
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Visit resorts that peak your interest, support those you like and be thankful that we still have any at all at the rate all businesses are being regulated out of existence. Nudist resorts are specialized businesses which cater to a much smaller market than say a KOA or Disney campground and no matter what they do or offer the percentage of the population interested in using a nudist resort will change very little. Think in terms of buyers for work boots versus tennis shoes, there is a healthy market for work boots but it will never reach the sales of tennis shoes because of general public needs or market demand. Therefore the fixed costs of providing a nudist resort must be absorbed by a smaller customer base. Want lower price resorts? Demand and support lower taxes, lower sensible surcharges and impact fees if truly needed, sensible business licensing and regulations as well as less government in general. These costs are quickly driving out more and more businesses everyday.
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funtobewith38
New Member
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Posted - 08/09/2008 : 04:28:43 AM
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Try the Vera Playa Club Hotel in Spain. It’s easy to walk from the hotel to the beach nude. The beach not one of Spain’s best, but again had a great feel with not too many voyeurs and nudists greatly outnumbered textiles during our stay. The beach tended to shelve quite quickly & parts of the beach had lifeguards.
Its possible to roam nude around the hotel from room to the pool area, through the reception area, drink at the bar & eat outside from 8:00 am to 8:00pm. Around & in the pool almost everyone was nude. A few women only went “topless” & some kids covered up. Everyone has to dress to eat in the restaurant. This I think is a good idea as many men seem to either intentionally, or, seemingly unknowingly twiddle with their willies when they are nude. Don’t think I’d fancy touching the serving tongs at the buffet knowing they might have been doing this at the table just before! However it really surprised us that many people quickly covered up when moving away from the pool around the hotel. After all what’s the point of going to a “naturist resort” if you don’t make use of it?
In July the average age of the people staying there was 50 plus well up into the wrinkly range. We would have preferred to holiday with a more lively set. We did make some good friends during our stay. The majority of our fellow guests appeared honest & fair people. Most were couples, some families, a few gay couples & single men.
The hotel is expensive for the overall standard, but uniqueness has a price and it keeps the riff raff out. We liked the general feel of the place & will go back sometime. If anyone wants to know more, then do ask.
Amanda
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Country: United Kingdom
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AJ0127
Forum Member
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Posted - 08/16/2008 : 9:14:36 PM
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quote:
In July the average age of the people staying there was 50 plus well up into the wrinkly range.
Amanda
Geez! Some of us in the over 50 crowd are still in good shape. There are no wrinkles on me except for my forehead when I see comments like yours.
One day (hopefully) you'll be over fifty, too. I promise not to call you wrinkly if you don't call me that.
Seriously, my main concern was that we as naturists are being over-charged for the privilege of going nude. So far, it appears that I am right. Can we start a consumer boycott of any resort that treats us shabbily?
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Country: Canada
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