Lavinia Resort in Alicante, Spain marked not only our first stay at this fabulous property, but our first ever Naturist holiday. As “newbies” to the Naturist scene our choice of where to stay was very important in making us feel comfortable and positive about embracing this new avenue for us, say Kate and Tom.
As people of a certain age (50s) our only previous foray into the world of Naturism had been a day trip to a beach in the south of France the year before. Having shrugged off the body shyness we fell in love with the freedom of warm weather without clothing, even for just a few hours. We knew we wanted to try something more and started looking for a five night trip to somewhere in Spain. If we were going to be naked for five days it had better be somewhere nice and hot!
We explored many sites available on the internet but Lavinia piqued our interest far more than others. The personal feel of their website echoes how hosts Ana and Wim run their small resort, look after you, feed you and are there for you, how and when you need. You are family when you stay with them, and you feel that from the moment you arrive at the property.
The property itself affords guests the choice between some privacy or engaging more with other guests depending on which pool you use (there are two), with the ability to use terraces and sun lounging areas at the villa you stay in, should you not want to sit by the pools. Having a villa to stay in, rather than a room, gives all guests the wonderful feeling of space and being “at home”, rather than confined to an en-suite hotel room like many other resorts. The villa we chose was “Melodia” and was exceptionally clean and spacious, and we loved being right beside a quiet pool and hot tub, which we had to ourselves for our entire stay, despite it being the height of summer with the resort full of guests.
We had a full size kitchen, bathroom, lovely big double bedroom and large lounge area with TV, along with AC in the bedroom and lounge. There is also a roof terrace and a patio terrace with sunloungers and dining table and chairs, everything you will need. Ana and Wim also offer an early check in and departure. Again, it’s the small touches that make you feel welcome, with no hint of a profit motive, that makes Lavinia so special.
Breakfast is delivered to your villa by Ana or Wim at your choice of time - Ana’s home baked breads, plus jams, yogurts and fresh produce are perfect to start the day out on your warm terrace. A shopping list of groceries can be delivered to your villa when you arrive for you to have your own snacks, drinks and make your own lunches if you require, all done through the booking process. Ana prides herself on cooking up a feast for all guests and the half board option will leave you well fed with an excellent communal three course dinner each night. All dietary needs are taken into consideration and the menus are designed with care and cooked with love. You can pre-order lunch as well if you can fit in even more food! We thoroughly enjoyed the dinners chatting with other guests and relaxing. Clothing is optional for the dinners with some choosing to wear a small wrap or towel around their waist, while others were nude.
A bar area is open all day and evening for cold alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, as well as tea and coffee, although you can also bring your own and keep them in your own kitchen. Our days were spent lounging by the pool, listening to the birds and crickets around the stunning gardens, with ice creams delivered by Wim in the afternoons to keep us cool, and with balmy evenings spent on the terrace eating fabulous food and watching the stars in the clear sky until late into the night. For those wanting to explore the local area you can hike around the property, and indeed Wim did manage to get Tom out of bed at 5am one morning to watch the sunrise over the mountains, which he insisted was worth the early wake up!
Our final night was spent enjoying a bespoke 50th birthday dinner. On one of the two non- communal dining evenings Ana and Wim can accommodate such requests and we were treated to a truly exceptional dining experience up on the roof terrace, watching the sunset and eating dinner under the stars in our own little world. Truly memorable.
To put Lavinia in perspective, we have since visited another small Naturist resort in Spain which competes with Lavinia in size and concept, and, whilst nice in many ways, it did not meet the high standards of Lavinia, which is without doubt what we consider to be perfection for our Naturist holiday destination. We are heading back this year and cannot wait. Book your stay at Lavinia - you will not be disappointed!
Tel: 00 34 645 609 430