Back to the start

HERITAGE ON HOLIDAY

Back to the start

  • Most Heritage members have been abroad to naturist sites or beaches. All we can do here is give some report backs on how our members felt about various places they had been to. 

  •  

  • Its quite common for members to holiday in the same place at the same time.

Join the nude exodus with an EasyJet booking

June 2004 the in-flight magazine featured TEN Places to get your kit off this summer - read it again here.

Find out : What can we expect? 

Chilling on a French beach - a member of HERITAGE relaxes in 2004. HERITAGE See how we did at LaJenny in June 2005
Hat from TESCO - just £5 Grrrr - I'm asleep
You wont find a beach in the UK like this Stop tickling my toes

August 2003 in La Jenny and here a member of Heritage enjoys the surf.

Some resorts, especially French ones, go out of their way to be children friendly.
Generally the large naturists resorts are very safe. Many beaches have permanent professional life guards Many naturist beaches have bars and cafes as well Some beaches have shower and toilet facilities
The Atlantic coast has a more variable climate Some resorts such as Agde are vast, brash and built up Other resorts such as Grande Cosse are bordered by nature reserves Vera Playa in Spain has an enormous beach
Try a club like HERITAGE before you travel Chat with us about where is a good place to go Naturists tend to have cornered all the best beaches! Come and camp at HERITAGE and splash in the pool
Rent a naturist appartment within walk of the beach Mix culture and naturism, see the sights Patrolled and fenced, most sites are very secure
Heritage club members dont only lie on the beach! Play tennis, go caving and walking, try canoeing and rock climbing No clothes is the norm around pools and sunbed areas Give Heritage a try as well
WHERE SHALL WE GO?
Generally our members tend to holiday in Europe. 

There are some nice resorts in America but not on the scale and sophistication of major European resorts. France and Spain are the major destinations, but you'll find good resorts in Croatia, Greece, and Scandinavia etc.

 .... [ here Ian digests his lunch in La Jenny ]

Use a hat to prevent sunburn! Belgian Beer ..... <burp>
A Louisianna chalet at La Jenny

 

RENT A NATURIST APARTMENT?

Heritage Club member apartments/mobile homes  in 

All booking enquiries can got to the Heritage Club email site or to the members themselves at the emails shown under each picture.

Situated in the Bahia de Vera NATURIST complex next to both pools it faces South East with sun on the patio or lawn for virtually the whole day. A sun blind provides welcome shade during the hottest parts of the day. A Patio table & chairs are provided along with a couple of sun beds.

Vera Playa SPAIN

Sleeps four with one double bedroom: one twin bedded room: bathroom: fully fitted kitchen; Lounge with table & chairs, sofa

  • Washing Machine

  • Fridge Freezer

  • Microwave

  • Oven & Hob: 

  • TV & radio

from £250 per week

Situated in the Bahia de Vera NATURIST with on-site facilities include indoor and outdoor pools, tennis, boules, gardens. Close to amenities, 500yds to vast sandy naturist beach. See more at web pages:

 http://chrishallcj.users.btopenworld.com

Vera Playa SPAIN

2-bedroom luxury apartment at Bahia de Vera. Fully equipped kitchen, dining area and ceiling fan; lounge area with double sofa bed with patio doors to front terrace; double bedroom with fitted wardrobes and ceiling fan and access to enclosed second terrace; twin bedroom with fitted wardrobe & ceiling fan

  • full cooker, oven
  • fridge/freezer
  • microwave
  • washing machine
  • satellite TV

from £250 per week
Back to the start

Here, members share the rental of a villa in TUSCANY.

 
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT?
The new organisation for the commercial sites in France Tourist naturists in France The French Naturist organisation's homepage

Certainly in France and Spain, the top resorts are very professionally organised. You'll generally find these resorts and sites run efficiently to maximise your relaxation and holiday life - no different from any other resort or campsite you may have been to. There should be good apartments, shops and restaurants with clean and patrolled beaches, kids clubs etc. A useful introduction to French naturism is via the tourist office or via the French naturist association. Many French commercial sites now have banded into their own organisation.

There is a MUST-SEE Guide-Naturiste Website ( in French ) which is just reports from holidaymakers on naturist sites they have visited. Having compared the reports to the resorts we know well, it is strikingly accurate. Also it is useful to check out the  FFN guide to FRENCH BEACHES 

ESSENTIAL reading before visiting a new naturist holiday resort Alan Rogers guides are good - but this is just a taster A good general dutch guide to naturist campings

The Alan Rogers Good Camp Guides to France lists many popular French naturist camping sites with candid and useful reviews. The Dutch naturists have put together a useful site about European camp sites and their facilities. Most sites will require an International Naturist Card or equivalent. Being a member of CCBN gives you the card and is cheaper than being sold a French FFN card at the gates to a site. 

There are also a host of smaller camping sites whose charm makes up for their lack of sophistication. France has the greatest number of these lesser sites, and many of them are inland.

Back to the start

FRANCE and SPAIN

approved beaches in France

SABLIERE ARNA LA JENNY
Many members have visited Sabliere.

Looking down on the Ceze

It is a seriously large site of 60+ hectares, 500 camping sites, over 100 chalets and mobile homes etc. It is set on steep slopes (almost cliffs) down to the River Ceze gorge. This site has all expected holiday facilities, pools, bars, shop, restaurant, disco, 'animation', river activities, some film shows etc. 

Dogs on leads are allowed. Quiet is required after 10pm.

SABLIERE

 Sabliere homepages

FRANCE

This is very much a nude at all times site - shops, bar, cafe, river - except in the disco which is described as 'not a rave' and 'clothing required'. Security staff constantly patrol . This site is very safe for children so you need not worry about wildlife which includes boar, scorpions, snakes, trout and endless cicadas.

Sabliere was seriously affected by flooding in September 2002, which washed away ALL the river area campings. Presumably they will re-construct. 

Gazing from the pools across to 'Les Trois Arches'

 Sabliere is an INLAND SITE, near to NIMES and ARLES. Our children loved it and we have been back several times. 

The pools have been chiselled out of rock.  It is very professionally run by the formidable Madame Gaby.  With Feyrolles and La Genese next door there are hundreds of hectares of woodland paths and walks.

Open from 1 April to 30 September ('animation' July/Aug)

SABLIERE

 Sabliere homepages

FRANCE

 

We loved AquaGym

DETAILED REVIEW (German) AND (German) AND (English) AND (French) AND (French) AND (Italian) AND (French) AND (French) AND (French)

(IM and JM)

Arna is on the Atlantic coast just north of Biarritz. We haven't been back since the great storms felled so much of the pine forests but we understand that it is well on the way to recovery. and would wish to go back.

Typical pitch when not crowded

ARNA

Arna homepages

FRANCE

It is a moderately large resort with several hundred camping pitches and lots of chalets of various sizes. We have both camped and used a chalet.

One of the few commercial sites to have a large indoor pool with slide

 Up to half the visitors are not French. Its charm lies in the pine trees and beach. The pools and water slide are good. The restaurant was nearly gourmet standard. Because of the location, it can get quite cool especially in the evenings.

  It is not as nudist a resort as many. By early evening most people are wrapping up warm. So it may suit a wider range of naturists. The resort organisation, shop, cafes etc were all good. The camping pitches were generous and it might have been possible to hire a 'refrigerator box'.

OK ... she loves Arna as well

ARNA

Arna homepages

FRANCE

Arna's selling point

DAX is the nearest large town - it has Roman connections, but Arna is not in a natural 'tourist' location. However the resort is well run with the usual range of kiddie attractions. We felt it would suit the older kids more than the 'teenies'.

(IM & JM)

 

La Jenny is on the Atlantic coast due west of Bordeaux and just 45 mins from the airport.

La Jenny site

The resort is set in pine forests and is chalet only. There is no camping or caravanning.

The pool areas

It is very well run but it is not cheap. Most chalets are rented via the main office from the owners.

Europe's only nude golf course - all three holes!

The beach is about 10 mins walk through the pines

It is not nearly as hot as Spain or central France, so clothing is much in evidence. This is more a 'clothes dont care' resort than a 'clothes optional resort'.

La Jenny site

The pool area is enormous. There is even a 3 hole golf course. The kiddies club is well run.

Some of the more expensive chalets

This is a very French resort - there are a few English.

French naturist beaches fall into three categories:

  • approved and authorised by the local council for naturists
  • accepted but not yet formally approved for naturists
  • denied to naturists but widely ignored (at your own risk) 

This lists only the beaches/sites in each of the regions which are officially authorised by their local councils.

BRITANNY 

  • Erquy - due west of St Malo near Lourtouais. Officially designated for the last 20 years.
  • Erdeven - Kerminihy, half way between Vannes and Lorient. This is Britanny's oldest officially designated beach. At low tide it is stupendous, at high tide it can be dangerous.

 

 

PAS de CALAIS, PICARDY and NORMANDY 

  • Berck-sur-Mer - just south of Boulogne. Officially designated since 1981.
  • Merville - due north of Caen near Deauville. Officially designated since 1997. It seems this beach is much frequented by the French gay community.
  • St Germain sur Ay - just south of the Cherbourg peninsula on the west facing coast north of Agon. Officially designated since 1999.

LANGUEDOC

From Narbonne around to Montpelier, there are several naturist beaches all closely associated with nearby naturist campings such as La Grande Cosse and Serignan Plage., Aphrodite, Cote Vermeille and Agde. 

In addition there are a few extra beaches such as:

  • Gruissan - La Plage des Ayguades and La Plage de Mateille
  • Narbonne Plage on the plage de Pisse-Vache! It is actually possible to walk along towards La Grande Cosse from Narbonne Plage as well.

 

 

PAYS de LOIRE, LA ROCHELLE and ST-NAZAIRE

This region has the most officially designated beaches.

  • La Turballe - just south of St Nazaire. The naturist beach is 300 metres south of the supervised beach 'Penbron'.
  • Noirmoutier - on this island just north off the coast of Les Sables d'Olonne the naturist beach is south of the Luzeronde beach on the island.
  • St Hilaire de Riez - part of the Cap Natur and officially designated since 1993. The 300 kms of naturist beach is actually about 7 kms north of the town.
  • Olonnes Sur Mer - on the Atlantic coast between the two supervised beaches of Sauveterre and Granges. This is unsupervised and swimming is extremely dangerous.
  • Ile d'Oleron - naturist camping at La Jousselinière is one of many. The beach is the Grande Plage officially tolerated since 1979.
  • La Tremblade  and Saint Palais on the 'cote sauvage' have been authorised since 1977. Head for La Bouverie from La Tremblade and at St Palais, the 800 metres of beach between it and Mathes is naturist.

AQUITAINE

In practice the whole coast from Rayon to Bayonne is naturist except in built up areas. The officially designated beaches are all accessed via or through the naturist centres along the coast: Euronat, Montalivet, La Jenny, Arnaoutchot. In some such as Arnaoutchot, the easiest approach is via the naturist site, others such as La Jenny can be accessed via roads to the beach beside the naturist centres.

There are some additional beaches: 

  • La Teste de Buch - south of the Dune de Pyla (Europe's largest sand dune and worth a visit in its own right.) Carry on further south of La Lagune.
  • Seignosse - swimming is expressly forbidden due to the danger of undertow.
  • Hossegor - go to the north of the beach and after the second block-house you will find supervised naturist bathing.

 

PROVENCE & COTE D'AZUR

The closer you get to Nice and the fashionable resorts the more that approved naturist beaches disappear, though devoted naturists do flout the interdictions. Interestingly since 1990 St Tropez has been fiercely not naturist. 

  • Ile du Levant - this is the famous island of naturism - actually shared with the French military and less naturist than you might suppose because its not allowed in the town and 'public places' - though on some beaches it is strictly enforced!
  • Fos sur Mer, Martigues and Salins de Giraud are all towards the Camargue and all have naturist beaches officially endorsed for at least 20 years.
  • Le Pradet, Carqueiranne and La Seyne sur Mer form another small group of towns with approved naturist beaches and are south west of Le Lavandou. In Le Pradet on the Plage Monaco, the beach is actually managed by the French FFN. At Carqueiranne, the beach is just 200 metres wide and is down a flight of 300 steps - be warned! A similar long staircase of 300 steps is needed at La Seyne su Mer down to the Plage Jonquet.

 

Back to the start
SPAIN

VERA PLAYA

COSTA NATURA 
The Vera Playa information site is essential reading

For many this might have been the definitive naturist beach in Spain. It used to be several kilometres long of grey volcanic sand. However the local council has been 'reclaiming' some of the beach from the naturists largely due to the demands of non-naturist developers.

The long grey beach 

At one end is the naturist hotel. The season is basically Easter till October. This is a classy well run hotel. Naturism is restricted to the non-public rooms, pool, beach and sunbathing areas.

The Hotel Vera Playa (naturist)

At the other end is the start of Garrucha town - pleasant, bustling and friendly.

 

However be aware that this whole stretch of coast is NOT what it was. It is under constant development.

 In summer the beach can be busy

Several new hotels and residential areas are being built or have been recently built. All the old 'wild' nature of the area has all but disappeared. Some of the naturist developments are very nice indeed.

Bustling in high season and NO shade

There is no shade and little access to showers or water. There are some beach cafes which are naturist. After the high season, it can be very enjoyable as the temperatures descend to the high 20s from the low 40s.

All about Costa Natura

Costa Natura is a beachfront complex that faces the Mediterranean, close to Gibraltar, in the Costa del Sol region of southern Spain. 

The resort is laid out on a hill overlooking the beach below. Apartments range in size from studios for two people to complete suites that can sleep 6 or more. Most have a full kitchen, bath and many have patios overlooking the Mediterranean.

The gardens and pool - well maintained

Many Heritage members own apartments at Costa and go back year on year.

Looking back at the resort from the sea

 The resort is small in area but very well maintained. The beach is a haven of peace in the riot of the Costa del Sol - but as you can see, not enormous.

Narrow beach, but lovely

 Everything that you want is on-site, but in practice you'd want to explore the region. Even naturists recognise that day after day on the same strip of sand can get a little boring.

One of the classier apartments

Costa Natura is a lovely spot and the best times may well be in September. 
Back to the start

Why naturists have better holidays 

reproduced from USAWeekend.com

  • Pack less, travel more. Nudism frees up your budget. "You do not need to spend lots of money on dressy outfits," Hawkins says. "Women find they don't need makeup. No pantyhose, no jewellery."

  • Make friends, not fashion statements. It turns out clothes really don't make the person. "Travel without clothes is the great equalizer; without the trappings of textiles, people are more open," says Amanda Poston

  • Be easygoing, & leave the psychological baggage behind. To get the most from travel, you have to be flexible. "Travel is an adventure, and being nude is an adventure. It brings you back to the sense of freedom you had as a child," says Donna Daniels