I'll post about the first time as a couple we got nude (I will post about previous times another day).
A year ago we had a family holiday to Menorca, we had been to Majorca previously and really enjoyed it, but we wanted to try something different and Menorca had direct flights from Edinburgh at a reasonable time.
Son Bou was really good and the weather was fantastic with hardly a cloud in the sky for the 7 days. The beach was excellent and kids club meant we could have the morning to ourselves. We walked around Son Bou then decided to walk back along the beach from the walk way. My wife commented that some of the people on the beach were sun bathing nude (I think there was about a dozen in total) and I said I would like to try it. She wasn't bothered, but said I could do, although she was more concerned about if someone went screaming to the hills! I dropped my shorts and took off the t-shirt and remarkably the world kept turning! The next day we brought the towels and parasol and both tried it, my wife top free but enjoyed swimming without having to walk back to the hotel with soggy bikini bottoms.
Since then we have been back to Son Bou and had the children on the beach as well, they seemed utterly uninterested by the fact that there were some people wearing nothing at all, they were far more interested in building sandcastles, although due to their protests when we discussed it previously, my wife kept her bottoms on. I think the fact that the Spanish seem very relaxed about the whole thing and you see families, some people nude, some not, made the whole thing enjoyable.
That sounds like a wonderful experience! We’ve never really been drawn to a beach holiday, but maybe it’s time?!
The Naked Vegan 🌱
We've never been a beach holiday type of family either until last year, when, due to being really busy at work, we wanted something really relaxing. The hotel was the main reason we booked, the children's facilities looked, and were, really good. The beach was kind of an afterthought, but when we booked it we did know it was naturist (at least part of it is, it's exclusively non-naturist at the part nearest the hotels and then a mixture for the rest).
I would recommend Son Bou as a first experience, the people on the beach tend to be Spanish or German (from the conversations I heard) and very friendly. The atmosphere is very relaxed, people just get on with swimming, sun baking, playing games, reading etc without regard to whether they are clothed or not.
When we first had the kids, we decided our holidays would be a combination of staying in a textile hotel near a "Clothing Optional" beach, so we could enjoy some naturism without having to be naked 24/7.
We chose Son Bou and for 8 years never regretted it.
The kids never bothered that they were running around naked nor that most of the adults were naked too. The beach was never hugely crowded and it always felt safe.
Now the kids are older and don't come away with us, we've returned on a couple of occasions.
The only problem is that if you stay at the far end of San Jamie you have a long walk back into Son Bou, just to walk back along the beach, but it is worth it.
I would recommend it as a gentle first step into naturism.
That reminds me of one point I forgot to mention, the naturist part of the beach is, in my opinion, the nicest part. The part next to the hotels is packed, with barely any room to put a towel down. You feel you have to stay alert in case anything goes missing, where as further down the beach you get plenty of space and can unwind.
The walking is a bit of a pain but there is the elevated walk way through the dunes if you want to get there quicker.
We have only been to Son Bou once, and tne beach is lovely. We would park in the car park and then just keep walking until we came across naked people. There was a lot more beach beyond that point but we never went any further in case it became textile again.
"Try to live a good life. Don't be afraid to be what you are'. some bloke in the pub.
I have been to a few nudist beaches around the world, and you have chosen probably the best of all I have visited, that is a mixed beach. I have been 5 times. As you say the nudist section starts about halfway along to Santo Tomas and the people count drops nicely off from the crowded Son Bou end. Its amazing how most people wont walk more than 200 feet. Its a shoreline trek of approx 10 mins, so not miles. I walk where the sand is damp as its easier and quicker. The sea is fantastic for swimming and the other nudists are of mixed nationalities. Spain, Italy German UK, from what i hear. When you want to explore, just head east up into the hills and over into the next cove, which you will be lucky if you find anyone there at all. you can continue a trek into the hills naked if you dare. A great laid back location, and ideal for first time nudists, as you are never far from a nudist or a textile, where ever you set your towel. 🙂
I know exactly where you are with that photo! We tended to sit just along from there, still in view of the last lifeguard station. Most of the days the weather was just like that as well. Great memories.
It is indeed a lovely beach at Son Bou, which is where we stayed on our last visit to the island a few years ago.
But our experience of Menorca is that it's very laid back about beach nudity in most places and folk just wear whatever they want, or not, side by side.
As I recall, on a few days there was a strong onshore breeze at Son Bou, so we just hoped into the car and made for the nearby north coast, where all was calm and comfortable. We visited various locations in the north, and even on beaches where textiles were in the significant majority, there was still a good mix of people stripped off to swim and sunbathe naked - nobody appeared to bat an eyelid.
I can't comment on other beaches because apart from visits to Mahon (which we can recommend) we didn't go to other parts of the island. But yes, it appeared to be very laid back about where the 'naked' part of the beach started and stopped, with some groups deciding to go into the quieter naturist part of the beach but not 'join in' while there were some couples, one of whom was naked, in the part with all the sun loungers, in front of the lifeguard post, which was a packed part of the beach.
That was why my wife enjoyed that beach, it was perfectly fine to wear as much as you wanted and no-one took offence.