In summer, Aphrodite’s long sandy beach (100 yards wide) in the Languedoc is blessed by clear blue skies and bright sunshine so a holiday there can be wonderfully simple - lie on the beach, swim, eat, drink, read and get a great all-over tan. That’s all there is to do!
Port Leucate in the Languecoc has No Nightlife
In contrast to France’s famous naturist ‘city’ at Cap d’Agde, 60 miles north and also in the Languedoc, Port Leucate has no nightlife and no one parades around in overtly erotic clothing.
Cap d’Agde attracts a mostly adult clientele, with a gay beach area, specialist shops and lively nightlife including couples-only clubs, but Aphrodite feels very tranquil and laid-back. Indeed it is popular with families, often three generations holidaying together.
Holiday Centres Side-by-side Along Beach at Port Leucate in the Languedoc
Aphrodite is one of several naturist holiday centres just south of the little resort of Leucate in the Languedoc. They lie side-by-side on a narrow strip of land with the sea on one side and a lagoon on the other, alongside a beach officially designated as nudist-only. Access is by road bridge at either end.
The resort’s attractive 2-storey terracotta buildings contain simple but well-equipped apartments with either a patio or balcony. Dotted around them in its landscaped grounds are two swimming pools, tennis courts and a shopping centre which sports a handful of small shops and restaurants.
Swimming and Sunbathing on the Beach
Officially guests at Aphrodite are supposed to be bare all the time, especially on the beach, though most people put on at least some clothes in the evenings when the temperature cools. During the day however they wear nothing, except perhaps for a t-shirt or colourful sarong as protection from the sun.
It’s a way of life that you quickly get used to it. Swimming and sunbathing with nothing on is wonderfully invigorating. You soon feel really healthy.
All-over Tan Holiday
You also have the bonus of acquiring an all-over tan unblemished by white strips. No wonder that once people have tried a nude holiday, few want to go back to wearing a swimming costume. Even the briefest bikini or trunks feels very damp and clammy compared with having nothing on.
Start the Day with a Swim
A delightful way to begin the day at Aphrodite is to step out of bed, put on just flip-flops and pick up a euro coin. Walk the few yards from your apartment to the beach. Leave the flip-flops and euro near the water’s edge and run into the sea for an invigorating early-morning swim.
Then walk back across the sand to the open beach shower and enjoy the water cascading over you. Put on your flip-flops and - carrying the euro - walk to the resort’s boulangerie (baker’s shop), drying in the sun as you go. Buy a long French baguette loaf (shopping with nothing on soon seems very natural!) and take it back to the apartment for a leisurely breakfast.
Being Nude in Public
At first the prospect of being bare bare in public can be daunting, but you quickly get used to the sight of people walking with nothing on, especially as you soon appreciate that men and women come in all shapes and sizes. And you see people of all ages from toddlers to the elderly.
Newcomers usually start by going to the beach dressed but, surrounded by so much bare flesh, quickly catch on to the fact that it is much more embarrassing to stay clothed than to strip off. Once you’ve tried it, you’ll be hooked for life!
Gillian Thomas - Having left the BBC's Paris news office to return to England and get married over 20 years ago, I have freelanced as a journalist ever ...
