On our first visit to Croatia a few years ago we took a boat trip up the Lim Estuary that passed the Koversada Naturist Camp and that made us think nice place, maybe we should give a naturist beach a try. After some self analysis when we reflected on that we had always been very open people and preferred friends who were open, it did not take long for us to conclude that there was nothing more open than being naked among other people and we should give the naturist beaches a try. This led to us later in the week gate crashing Zelena Laguna Camp that has an FKK section of beach, and our memories on leaving the camp when passing the textile section of beach was something like “why are they bothering to cover up”.
At that point we provisionally decided that when we returned to Croatia we would probably book a few days at one of the naturist camps, but that was just an intention and far from being certain.
In the meantime we were on holiday in Germany and the Zelena visit had given us the confidence to try the Friedrichsbad Spa in Baden Baden, and we both enjoyed it so much that we returned a few days later. This however was a very different experience with a huge gender imbalance that could have derailed naturism with Jackie for good. However, although we were continuously followed in the spa by one particular man she took it in good humour and it did not have a terminal effect.
Therefore when we got around to booking our 2014 holiday she did not react negatively when I suggested that we split the holiday with a part of it being at a naturist camp. The initial thought was that Valalta would probably have better evening entertainment but the late booking left us with no air-conditioning option, so we booked the apartments at Koversada Camp as an alternative.
Thinking back to Zelena Laguna and 30° C plus temperatures I decided that I could not rely on finding shade on the beach so I looked through the options of a beach tent and purchased the top model on offer weighing in at 1.8 kg, thoroughly checking that it fitted into our large case. Well aware that I could look a fool if this was not put up swiftly on the beach I resolved to do a couple of practise runs in the dining room, while cursing the product reviewer who said that he put it up within 5 minutes the first time but thereafter needed only a minute. However, it was acceptable on weight not taking up too much of our baggage allowance so it was going in the luggage case despite Jackie having giggles over the size and suggesting that we changed it for a smaller version. I did have some visions of being in a tangle with a huge tent and providing unintended beach entertainment for those around us, but was fairly confident that I had it sorted. The beach tent had holding down pockets that needed to be filled with weighty materials but knowing that the Croatia coast line was rocky I would have no problem filling the holding down pockets with rocks, or so I thought.
Prior to us travelling to Koversada we had a few days in Porec and she was having one or two wobbles in confidence referring to some bottom sag. I had to be very careful with this one as a throwaway comment such as “you look twenty years younger from behind” could easily have led to unexpected expenditure on cosmetic surgery, so after careful thought I got it just right with “even young women in their twenties have cellulite”.
Come the day we took a taxi from Porec to Koversada and arrived in a huge storm, eventually booking in soaking wet at Koversada Apartment’s Reception. The vision of a nude woman just across the road desperately trying to stop her awning from blowing away will stay long in my memory, as will the 20% incline from reception to our apartment that we would now be making on a regular basis over the next few days.
The storm soon cleared and we took the opportunity to explore the very large site and find an eating establishment, finding our way to the Batana Restaurant on the adjoining island that was surprisingly very reasonably priced given that they had a captive clientele. The following day we had to buy food at the supermarket and the camp rules were clear about clothing in supermarkets and restaurants, so it was the afternoon before we had to make any decisions on dress codes between apartments and beach area, and we went for a sort of compromise wearing light garments that could be easily discarded and eventually found a rocky beach area to relax in on the island, about 30 minutes walk away from the apartments. In slightly overcast conditions there were only two other people on the beach so this was far from the vibrant Zelena Laguna beach that we had enjoyed a few years earlier.
The following day was much clearer skies so the tent had to come out otherwise I would have heard all about wasted space and the extra items that could have gone into that space, and anyway the high temperature was clearly going to justify the beach tent going up.
We chose a beach area much nearer to the apartments and within 100 metres or so of a beach bar, and with no discernible wind this beach tent was definitely going up within the allotted five minutes, or so I thought. Ten minutes or so later I was frantically trying to find the pockets for the flexible poles while Jackie was giving me a running commentary on how many people were finding the spectacle amusing, but offering no help. Eventually I got the thing up and then went in search of rocks for the holding down pockets only to find that I had chosen an area where they were well compressed into the ground. Oh well “the best laid schemes and all that” I just had to suffer the ignominy of digging the rocks out by hand while Jackie kept me well informed that I was continuing to provide the beach entertainment.
Eventually with the beach tent erected who should be first in taking shade but Jackie, while I was well overdue for a swim.
To this point we had only been fully nude on the beach and not on the access paths so the question now was covered or not when going to the beach bar, and Jackie decided on nude when I pointed out that since most people were nude on the access paths you would stand out more if you were covered. Arriving at the beach bar the female bartender greeted us in English before I had said a word and I was a little taken aback since 99% of the people were non-English speaking and to that point I still had not heard any camp guests conversing in English. Was English just a convenient common language or had she detected a giveaway white skin colour, I do not know.
Clearly the majority of people at Koversada were campers, who had invested heavily in camp equipment and spent many hours in the sun with many of them from the Mediterranean area and olive skinned anyway, so should we have had spray tan so as not to stand out from the crowd. I think not. Overall a very relaxing few days and both saunas and beaches will never feel right if clothed from now on.