As we limp towards the end of the traditional season in VP it’s hard not to feel conflicted. On the one hand just wanting to see an end to the year, draw a line under it and move on. But on the other hand and while the weather has still been nice it still seems a shame that fewer and fewer people are able to come right now and enjoy this naturist paradise.

On a good day we still see quite a number of people using the beach, sunbathing, swimming and partaking in beverages and nibbles at the beach cafes. 

It was a shame to see the Pirate Bar close early this year but of course the numbers of tourists that would be in VP had been impossible to predict after the main Spanish holidays ended and bar owners still had bills and staff to pay.

Luckily the two other main naturist beach bars Natsun (Inna’s) and Chiringuito Naturista (Sol y Luna) remain open and are still reasonably busy. Just off the beach so too does Oh La La.

It has been personally very disappointing not to see some of our personal friends and favourite guests, but let’s all look forward positively to a time when travel is less restricted and people feel safe again.

Nonetheless due to the dogged determination of a few of our guests we still managed to welcome some old and new faces to VP this season.

We had a pair of lovely new couples in our beach apartment this year both bringing more than a splash of glamour to VP during their stay. 

One lady arrived wearing matching leopard print dress and mask (how 2020!) and seriously cool hair! 

She and her husband were first-timers to VP and loved the beach so much they would while away the entire day there enjoying their favourite spot by the rocks at the hotel breakwater. I guess everyone has a favourite spot on the beach. I wonder which is yours and why…

It was so lovely to see this couple supporting the local economy by using all the bars and restaurants. We sincerely hope we see all the businesses back next year.

The other couple were also first-timers but fell under the VP spell almost immediately and also enjoyed eating out al-fresco the whole time. Of course there is nothing better in these times than being able to dine outside in the fresh, open air and we have been blessed to still have quite a few of these places open this year… despite everything.

The lady in this particular couple was also pushing the boat out in the glamour stakes. Beautiful long talon-like nails in alternate bright orange and glittery colours…one wonders how easy it is to apply one’s tanning products with nails like these, I must admit I forgot to ask her as I was too busy admiring them. I guess this is where it is very handy to have a partner…to apply the lotion for you!

Talking of lotion, a very wonderful thing happened while we were standing chatting to them on the sand. A seriously tanned local Spanish man came over to them and in English said ‘I have some sun oil for you, you can look like me!’ He handed over a brand new bottle of his tanning oil to them (I’ve not seen this make before) then off he sauntered, refusing any payment for it. How lovely! It turns out our couple had been asking him how on Earth he managed to get that deep mahogany colour and he had explained about the oil. A couple of days later he gave them this present…so there you go, a random act of VP kindness to lighten up some dark times. 

Both the aforementioned couples were also kind enough to leave reviews for us along with their stunning photos taken from the terraces of our Mediterráneo apartment. Have a look at them here.

It was also a sheer joy to welcome back some firm favourites guest-wise. This lovely couple who had recently been through the mill emotionally finally managed to get to VP for their much-needed break after many flight cancellations and travel disruptions. Their determination to visit was much-appreciated, after all we need visitors here, VP is a tourist resort at the end of the day and without them we can’t exist.

I have become very matronly with my upkeep of cleanliness and hygiene, even more than usual during Covid, although we have always been known for our OCD on the cleaning front. 

So to this end we have perfected a routine of mask-wearing, anti-bac’ing, wiping and squirting hand gel on anything that comes within a two mile radius of us (forget the 2 metre rule, we do miles)…and yes, this does include guests. I had warned this couple what to expect when we saw them, you will be squirted with hand gel, must wear masks, social distance blah-blah-blah. 

However we had more than met our match with them in the cleanliness stakes as when they turned up before I could even squirt them with my squirter, they’d already squirted themselves with their own squirter in front of my own eyes…I mean, pardon me, self-squirters! Why take away one of the few little pleasures I have in life 😂 I will get them next year when they least expect it…but it was so good to see them that I have managed to get over this episode.

The beach is as inviting as ever, perhaps some of you follow our social media pages and see the photos we post.

A lot of the beach users now are locals, second homeowners and long term overwintering renters.

It’s always a shame to see things disappear off the beach in readiness for winter (I swore I wouldn’t use the W or C word and I’ve done both – curses!).    

Til next time! 

Steve and Chris offer two beautiful apartments to rent for the discerning naturist traveller. One is directly on the Vera Playa naturist beach, the other just a few footsteps away. See more here.