Whether you’re poolside in Palm Springs, dipping your delicates into the
Mediterranean, or frolicking on Fire Island, sometimes you just gotta let it all
hang out. That’s when you need a naked vacation, or a “nakation.”
There’s nothing quite like getting spanked on the booty, by the sun that is! Whether you’re poolside in Palm Springs, dipping your delicates into the Mediterranean, or frolicking on Fire Island, sometimes you just gotta let it all hang out. That’s when you need a naked vacation, or a “nakation.” A nakation is a trip where you pack as little clothing as possible, and a whole lot of sunscreen. This list doesn’t cover the entire planet (South of France, we have our eyes on you), but when you feel like chilling au naturel, consider these nine nakation hot spots.
PALM SPRINGS
There’s a time and place for a naked cannonball, and that place is Palm Springs. The fabled desert oasis came of age in the ‘50s as a playground for well-heeled weekenders and hasn’t looked back since. Palm Springs has long been a queer mecca, and with average daily highs above 75° F ten months out of the year, why on earth would you bother with clothes? Thankfully, in this desert city you hardly need them.
Palm Springs currently boasts around a dozen men-only clothing optional hotels (this excludes numerous nudist resorts in the area that are welcome to all). A trio of resorts including Canyon Club Hotel (www.canyonclubhotel.com) downtown, All World’s Resort (www.allworlds.com) in Warm Sands, and CCBC Resort Hotel (www.ccbcresorthotel.com) in Cathedral City offer day passes and not only allow for nude sunbathing, but outright label themselves as “fantasy playgrounds” and provide facilities like steam rooms, saunas, and labyrinths.
@dannywarhole at INNdulge Palm Springs
We love INNdulge (www.inndulge.com). This 31-room resort in the Warm Sands area where clothing is forever optional has been around for several decades and offers heart, soul, and friendly vibes thanks to a daily happy hour hosted by owners Jon and Sandy. People of all ages and backgrounds gather, and new friendships are forged here. We’d argue the beautiful swimming pool is the resort centerpiece, but let’s be honest, it’s all about nude nights in the 12-man hot tub.
There are several other gay resorts on the block. Across the street from INNdulge sits Desert Paradise Resort Hotel (www.desertparadise.com), which is smaller, more low key, and more affordable. We love its buoyant color scheme, friendly guys, and the magnificent chandelier which is strung between a couple palm trees and lights up at night. Desert Resort is a winner for travelers on a budget.
Another great choice is Santiago Resort (www.santiagoresort.com). This excellent two-story property is set around a lovely swimming pool and offers wonderful amenities and service, such as semi-private outdoor showers, hammocks, and 24/7 snacks and beverages just steps from the pool. As with the other resorts, everyone here is super friendly. Bonus: They just opened a second upscale and men-only resort called Descanso (www.descansoresort.com).
@dannywarhole (L) and @joetheway at Joshua Tree National Park
Need to get out into nature? Take off for Joshua Tree National Park and take it all off while you’re there. There are no restrictions against nudity within the National Parks System (though discretion is advised) and the park is plenty big enough to get naked, stretch out, and check out its namesake trees, and other cool attractions like Skull Rock and the Cholla Cactus Garden.
For nightlife, Arenas Road is alive and kicking with a dozen gay-owned bars and businesses, but if you want to strip down while on the town, head to the underwear parties at Barracks (www.barracksps.com) on Wednesdays in Cathedral City and Tool Shed (www.pstoolshed.com) on Thursdays, which is a short walk from the Warms Sands resorts. Just about everyone who shows up (and a lot of folks show up) wears only briefs, jock straps, or thongs, which makes for a lot of nice cakes on display. If you’re wondering about frontal, let’s just say if you see a dude on his knees, he probably isn’t looking for a contact lens.
FLORIDA
It’s fitting that Florida is shaped like a penis. Blessed with gorgeous weather, beautiful beaches, and numerous LGBTQ meccas, the Sunshine State is the perfect place to bare all. Make a road trip out of your next visit and you’ll discover opportunities to get nekkid up and down the coast. Begin in Orlando where a night out on the town might include a visit to cruisy taprooms Hank’s Bar (www.hanksbarorlando.com) and Bar Codes (www.facebook.com/barcodesorlando), where a large, private patio and underwear nights respectively, encourage visitors to shed a few layers.
Whether you’re poolside in Palm Springs, dipping your delicates into the
Mediterranean, or frolicking on Fire Island, sometimes you just gotta let it all
hang out. That’s when you need a naked vacation, or a “nakation.”
You May Also Like: The 15 Best Gay Places to Get Naked in California
The next day, drive 75 minutes west to Canaveral National Seashore, a stunning wilderness area that includes sun-soaked Playlinda Beach. This Space Coast gem is an official rocket launching area though you’ll see plenty more rockets (so to speak) swinging around on the sand thanks to its designation as an official nude beach. Not a gay beach per se, but LGBTQ locals definitely comprise a hefty number of sunbathers. Head to parking lot 13 to bare it all.
Thanks to a 4 to 1 County Commission vote in June 2020, Florida naturists notched another win with the addition of Blind Creek Beach. This clothing-optional area is located on a barrier island two hours south of Cape Canaveral near Port St. Lucie. Parking is a cinch, and though the crowd is mostly straight, the beach is lovely, and most visitors are fully nude. We loved it.
Wilton Manors Fort Lauderdale Florida @parise2019 @orange_julius96
Get ready for your nakation to get super gay! The reigning champ of Florida gay meccas since stealing the crown away from South Beach in the early 2000s, Fort Lauderdale offers poolside paradise in the form of roughly a dozen clothing optional resorts including menonly faves like the massive Worthington Guesthouse (www.theworthington.com) complex, super luxe Pineapple Point (www.pineapplepoint.com), and Cabanas Guesthouse (www.thecabanasguesthouse.com) in the heart of Wilton Manors, plus entries like hetero-friendly Ed Lugo Resort (www.edlugoresort.com) which became male-exclusive and clothing optional as of November 2021 . Shop naked every Wednesday from 5–8 P.M. at Leatherwerks
(www.secure.leatherwerks.com) in Wilton Manors.
If you ever see an Instagram shot of a perky booty in front of a pink lifeguard tower, it was undoubtedly taken at the most famous naked stretch of sand on the entire Eastern Seaboard, lovely Haulover Beach. Located in North Miami (just 25 minutes from South Beach), Haulover offers more sizzling hot sausages on a sunny weekend then a Wisconsin bratwurst festival! Thanks to it being squished between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, it boasts a huge population of LGBTQ visitors who tend to congregate on the far north end near lifeguard tower 17. And unlike other entries on this list, Haulover includes food trucks, lounge chair/umbrella rentals, and no doubt the highest percentage of hot Cuban men than anywhere else on this list.
In Miami, stay at the Hotel Gaythering (www.gaythering.com), a gay-owned hotel located on the eastern (and quieter) side of South Beach. Though welcoming to all adults 18 and up, the clientele is mostly queer thanks to cheeky touches like penis wallpaper in its public restrooms, elevator choices that include top/bottom floors, and a clothing optional men-only sauna where it definitely gets hot—really hot. On most nights, its bar is the liveliest in town.
