El Templo del Sol

When we visited El Templo Del Sol in July 2019, it was our third annual holiday in a naturist resort, following trips to the excellent Valalta (Croatia) and charming Costa Natura (southern Spain) – and for me it was the best so far. My ideal naturist holiday involves being naked for as long as possible, and if there is also the possibility to explore the locality naked, that’s the icing on the cake. Although El Templo Del Sol is ‘only’ a campsite, with most visitors bringing a tent or motorhome, there are also options for those arriving by plane and hire car, as we did. We could have chosen a chalet, but compromised by booking an already pitched tent (some would call it ‘glamping’), which I thought was fun, but my wife thought was a little too close to ‘roughing it’, like we used to when we were camping with a young family. However, despite her reservations, there were huge compensations. The site is large and is adjacent to a large, stunning sandy beach (El Torn), which is often described as the most beautiful naturist beach in Europe (and probably is). As well as this, the site has its own superb triple pool, with spa facilities and a friendly cafe attached. There is a restaurant on site, but for some reason patrons need to be clothed (as do customers in the shop). However, despite this, El Templo is, in our experience, the most naturist resort we have been to. That’s because people staying there are generally inclined NOT to dress when the sun starts to go down, which is not the case elsewhere. We got the idea that naturism was core to most people’s ethos, rather than just providing the practicality of a place where you don’t have to bother with pointless swimwear. It’s also a truly family naturist resort, with people of all ages enjoying being naked without self-consciousness, adding still further to the ultra-relaxed atmosphere. Location wise, El Templo is an excellent choice if you have a hire car, because it is in easy reach of the bustling, busy but appealing town of Tarragona and – a little further away – Montserrat, a mountainside monastery that is well worth a day trip. Best of all is a 20-minute drive to Tarragona and a 1-1.5-hour train journey gets you to Barcelona, which is a city everybody needs to visit before they die, and we made three memorable day trips there. I have left the best thing about El Templo until last. As well as the large site and the long beach, adjacent to El Templo is an area where it is possible to walk nude over long distances. One day I walked inland for several kilometres, and although this feels daring at first, you soon realise that there isn’t any need to even carry clothes, let alone wear any. It is a unique feeling and wonderfully liberating to realise you are far further from your clothes than you have ever been before. One of these walks around El Templo takes you along the ridge behind the beach (running parallel to the shore) which takes about an hour, and ends by bringing you down a tarmac road to the car park behind the beach (check it out on Google Maps streetview). I was doing this one morning, wearing only shoes, when I met a police car, coming up the road, towards me! However, it didn’t stop; they were only interested in the people who had camped illegally overnight; a naked man on the road did not concern them in the least. Even my wife, who said she would never do a nude hike, joined me on this walk, one evening, and saw no reason to dress for it. In short: at El Templo Del Sol you really feel as if you have materialised in a world where clothes are no longer required, taking the whole experience of naturism to new levels, so – at the risk of sounding cliched – feels like a little paradise. It’s always worth finishing a review on a naturist venue by commenting on whether the place is a good choice for people who are new to naturism, or need convincing (I am especially thinking of the many male would-be naturists who are yet to persuade their ‘better half’ that a naturist holiday is for them). Well – naturism at El Templo Del Sol seems so normal or natural that even a complete novice would feel it, and I really think it would tick everyone’s box, whichever end of the naturist spectrum they are on!