ozarksbares
Traveler
Joined: 11/01/08
Posts: 87
Loc: Mo, USA
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We just returned from a week at Caliente Tampa. This was our third visit/ Beautiful place, great weather! We enjoyed the relaxed lounging by the big pool. The biggest complaint from most of those staying there was the "new" policy of allowing anyone to come in on Sundays and enjoy hip music and the "South Beach atmosphere" without having to be nude in the pools. It's not going over well. On the Sunday we were there, the upper pool area was set up with a DJ playing hip, heavy bass music, pool beds and cabanas for rent. It seemed there were few "new" people there taking advantage. I counted 11 people there mid-afternoon and only 3 of those had swim suits on. One of our friends went up to the upper level a bit later and only 4 people were there then. Seems like a waste of time and money and it's not sitting well with the regulars.
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Beachwalker
Traveler
Joined: 04/21/04
Posts: 32
Loc: Ohio
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Thanks for the update. We wondered how the "open door" policy on Sundays was working out. We're heading there Friday for a week or two and were a little concerned. Other than that, sounds like it was pretty much the same?
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Wcstflyer
Traveler
Joined: 11/08/07
Posts: 161
Loc: California/Florida
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There are a few folks ambivalent over this new grand experiment. The thought process behind it was that couples could come on to the grounds of the Caliente resort without the added pressure of immediate nudity. As most of us know, in the overwhelming percentage of cases where there is a reluctant spouse, it's the wife that puts the damper on attending nudist resorts. Caliente management wants to demonstrate that the resort is as benign as a McDonald's playland.
The move isn't without risk. Most current members don't want to see a large crowd of textiles roaming around unsupervised in their midst. The assumption is also that this promotion will attract the target demographic, mature couples who are contemplating membership. And finally the front office is rolling the dice that there won't be any out-of-control PDA in the upper level conversation pool on a Sunday afternoon.
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Unregistered
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For most clubs there is little to be gained by an open door policy that for the most part just encourages the gawkers.
Those truly interested in the nude experience will come anyway, and use the clubs as intended.
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BarbJ
Traveler
Joined: 01/28/04
Posts: 657
Loc: Florida, USA
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Quote:
Wcstflyer said:
There are a few folks ambivalent over this new grand experiment. The thought process behind it was that couples could come on to the grounds of the Caliente resort without the added pressure of immediate nudity. As most of us know, in the overwhelming percentage of cases where there is a reluctant spouse, it's the wife that puts the damper on attending nudist resorts. Caliente management wants to demonstrate that the resort is as benign as a McDonald's playland.
The move isn't without risk. Most current members don't want to see a large crowd of textiles roaming around unsupervised in their midst. The assumption is also that this promotion will attract the target demographic, mature couples who are contemplating membership. And finally the front office is rolling the dice that there won't be any out-of-control PDA in the upper level conversation pool on a Sunday afternoon.
I don't understand the part about "attracting mature couples". Is the assumption that mature couples, however that is defined, are not interested in the nude aspect? I'm confused. At nearby Gulf Coast Nudist resort the population is mostly mature and often retired nudist couples and singles.
I have never been to Tampa Caliente but have heard from other nudists, some who are members there, that one big complaint is the number of swingers the resort is attracting. Many of those members joined, and some bought property, when the resort belonged to AANR.
The comment about wives being the opposing spouse when it comes to nudity was interesting. In my experience, many men claim to be extremely concerned about being "embarrassed" if they were to participate in a nude environment. Therefore, I thought men were the reluctant spouses. Guess it just depends who you talk to about that situation.
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RichardKenner
Traveler
Joined: 11/03/07
Posts: 1438
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One thing to keep in mind is the size of Caliente Tampa. If they get the number of people who visit a typical nudist resort, they're almost completely empty. That drives a lot of this.
But I'm surprised that you see men as the reluctant ones. All the talk of "single men" is because nudism and naturism are almost entirely male-dominated.
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BarbJ
Traveler
Joined: 01/28/04
Posts: 657
Loc: Florida, USA
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Maybe men don't say those things to other men but many have told me "Oh, I could never go to a nude beach. I'd embarrass myself"....or words to that effect.
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RichardKenner
Traveler
Joined: 11/03/07
Posts: 1438
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Quote:
BarbJ said:
Maybe men don't say those things to other men but many have told me "Oh, I could never go to a nude beach. I'd embarrass myself"....or words to that effect.
Sure. Indeed that's the major reason why men don't do it. Women have a different set of reasons. But if you look at every naturist venue that doesn't gender-balance, it's predominantly men. The worst I ever saw was 170 men and 7 women, but 2:1 to 4:1 is more typical.
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Unregistered
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I'm glad that at least some people visiting there are as unhappy as the property owners at Caliente. As a visitor, you can enjoy the place for whatever it is worth to you. But, every owner there was promised a nudist club when they made their investment, and Caliente is certainly not a nudist club at the present time, nor has it been for quite a while.
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nudee
Traveler
Joined: 07/10/05
Posts: 205
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Quote:
Anonymous said:
I'm glad that at least some people visiting there are as unhappy as the property owners at Caliente. As a visitor, you can enjoy the place for whatever it is worth to you. But, every owner there was promised a nudist club when they made their investment, and Caliente is certainly not a nudist club at the present time, nor has it been for quite a while.
What would you call it now, then? How is it being marketed?
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RichardKenner
Traveler
Joined: 11/03/07
Posts: 1438
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Quote:
nudee said:
What would you call it now, then? How is it being marketed?
There's no simple answer to the first question. The best answer to the second, though, is that it's being marketed in a way that's encouraging everybody to come and being somewhat vague as to exactly what it is they're coming to.
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Unregistered
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I would agree that this is the way it is being marketed, that is to say, poorly. For a nudist club to be open to the public, clothes-wearing public at that, makes no sense. As to what you would call it, I guess I would call it a kind of Motel 6 with benefits. It is open to the public and you don't have to be nude, but you can see naked people there and take pictures of them with your cell phone.
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AZCowboy
Traveler
Joined: 03/25/06
Posts: 144
Loc: Atlanta, GA
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Huh? Caliente Tampa has always been, or at least recently has been, a clothing optional resort, not a nudist club. Nudity was only required IN the pools. Cameras are still not permitted.
And how, exactly, is Caliente marketing this new policy or promotion? I see no reference to it on their website, and haven't seen any reference in their most recent email newsletters. Radio spots? Local TV ads? Is there any link online to their marketing efforts?
The only reference I can find is this TampaBay.com article that mentions Facebook. Really? That's it?
Is the only rule that is bent is to allow suits in the pools? In my one visit to Caliente over a year ago, they weren't enforcing this rule anyway.
The target seems right - trying to expose (pardon the pun) the younger crowd to the clothing optional environment. If it succeeds, it will be to the benefit of the members, improving the club's long term viability. If it fails, it would be close to "no harm, no foul". What's the big deal?
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RichardKenner
Traveler
Joined: 11/03/07
Posts: 1438
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Quote:
AZCowboy said:
Is there any link online to their marketing efforts?
No.
Quote:
Is the only rule that is bent is to allow suits in the pools?
No, the other "rule" being bent is that nudist resorts aren't places that people come to hook up for sex, but the promotions of swinger's parties there many weekends suggests otherwise.
Quote:
The target seems right - trying to expose (pardon the pun) the younger crowd to the clothing optional environment. If it succeeds, it will be to the benefit of the members, improving the club's long term viability. If it fails, it would be close to "no harm, no foul". What's the big deal?
Because of the way they're doing it. It was maybe a year ago, but Caliente was quoted in the local papers as claiming that "young people aren't nudists, but are swingers, so the only way to get younger people is to market to swingers". This causes lots of problems. For one, it affects the reputations of the homeowners there. For another, it creates a linkage between nudists and swingers which serves to further the popular perception that "nudism is all about sex". And it's likely not even true: swingers are also an older group.
The key thing here is that there's a feeling in the nudist community that Caliente Tampa is not interested in strengthening the traditional nudist community, but rather bringing people to their resort, whether or not it's in the best long-term interest of the nudist community (and hence Caliente itself).
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AZCowboy
Traveler
Joined: 03/25/06
Posts: 144
Loc: Atlanta, GA
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Richard, unless you can show me the connection, the "Skinny Dip Sundae" promotion/policy is not related to the "swinger" issue. That issue has been discussed in other threads and I am well aware of your concern and position.
The TampaBay.com article I linked sure doesn't reinforce any connection. Twice it quotes participants as stating it is not sexual, and also states that gawkers and those getting frisky will be reported to security. So unless you can show me the connection, this effort doesn't seem related to me - and much more in line with what a "traditional nudist community" resort should be doing as well.
Caliente Tampa is not in the business to strengthen the traditional nudist community, and whether or not it is in their interest to do so remains to be seen. It appears that the current management doesn't believe so, and that the previous management that did believe so wasn't so successful. Time will tell.
It's the lack of active marketing that seems most odd to me.
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Unregistered
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I beleive you have summed it up perfectly. But to respond to the previous post from "Cowboy" - the "big deal" is that the buyers of casitas, condos, villas, and home lots at Caliente were promised a nudist club where all members (including temporay members/visitors) would be practicing nudists - not a clothing optional club or a swingers club. The difference to me is a comfort factor. Everyone at a nudist club is a nudist. Nudists have always been happy to make allowances for first timers, visitors, or weather when it comes to clothing. But, not everyone at a clothing optional club is a nudist - in this case a discomfort factor for lack of a better word. Also, clothing optional has no meaning for Europeans, so you've already lost a share of the market.
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AZCowboy
Traveler
Joined: 03/25/06
Posts: 144
Loc: Atlanta, GA
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Are you suggesting that buyers of casitas, condos, villas, and home lots would be better served by a bankrupt resort operation? Because that was the path it was headed down, regardless of the promises that were made.
Caveat Emptor.
It may not be optimal, but it may be better than the next best alternative.
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RichardKenner
Traveler
Joined: 11/03/07
Posts: 1438
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Quote:
AZCowboy said:
Are you suggesting that buyers of casitas, condos, villas, and home lots would be better served by a bankrupt resort operation? Because that was the path it was headed down, regardless of the promises that were made.
As a property owner in another nudist resort, I refuse to accept the premise that the only choices that nudist resorts have is bankruptcy or marketing them as something other than family nudist resorts.
Although a large enough percentage of the business of Caliente (and Paradise Lakes) come from people who aren't traditional nudists, neither resort can survive if traditional nudism goes away. It's therefore (whether current management perceives it this way or not) in the long-term best interest of all nudist resorts to not take any actions that threaten nudism. Doing so may well be in their short-term interest, but not in their long-term interest.
In the case of Caliente, it may well be (as a number of people, including me, believed at the time it opened) that it's just too big and too fancy to be a viable nudist resort. But I don't think we're there yet.
However, if it does come down to the choice you suggest, don't you think that it would be best to ask the property owners rather than making the decisions for them?
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RichardKenner
Traveler
Joined: 11/03/07
Posts: 1438
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I want to make another point: bankruptcy is not necessarily a bad thing. All the major airlines have gone through it, some twice. GM emerged a much strongly company after bankruptcy. We had a nudist resort go bankrupt and a stronger one emerge from it (Desert Shadows -> Desert Sun). As a homeowner in Desert Sun, I was much happier to see a bankruptcy than some alternative.
Yes, a bankruptcy of a nudist resort requires some tricky navigation and there are things about Caliente that'll make that process harder, but there are also some additional things there that a bankruptcy could conceivably improve. I would not want to guess whether a bankruptcy of the resort would be better or worse for Caliente homeowners (of course, it would depend on the result of the bankruptcy) and certainly would not want to speculate on what their preference would be.
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AZCowboy
Traveler
Joined: 03/25/06
Posts: 144
Loc: Atlanta, GA
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Bankruptcy is definitely the worst outcome for the current owners and most debtors. The problem is that the homeowners are not the resort owners, so it should be no surprise that their interests might diverge. It wasn't the homeowners decision to make, so no one made the decision for them.
But, back to the specifics of the "Skinny Dip Sundae", I fail to see why this isn't consistent with the interests of a traditional nudist resort in trying to attract a new generation of future members. I don't see a tie to the "swinger marketing" concerns of (some/many) homeowners.
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Unregistered
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Once again you sum up my thinking nicely. There was never any verifiable information to the effect that the resort was on a path to bankruptcy; there are no public financial statements. In my opinion, this is the type of rumor that a business starts by itself, in order to justify delays in paying bills and reductions in member services. If business was slow in the beginning, it could be chalked up to poor or nonexistent marketing, in my opinion. They never really marketed nudists as a group, certainly never to the extent that they have marketed swingers, "play" rooms, and now their time share sales. And they do nothing to get local business, people who live on the property or nearby and who could be there every day. I agree that a bankruptcy might not necessarily be bad. In fact, they've alienated so many people that a change in management might actually increase business all by itself.
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RichardKenner
Traveler
Joined: 11/03/07
Posts: 1438
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Quote:
AZCowboy said:
Bankruptcy is definitely the worst outcome for the current owners and most debtors. The problem is that the homeowners are not the resort owners, so it should be no surprise that their interests might diverge.
Exactly.
Quote:
But, back to the specifics of the "Skinny Dip Sundae", I fail to see why this isn't consistent with the interests of a traditional nudist resort in trying to attract a new generation of future members. I don't see a tie to the "swinger marketing" concerns of (some/many) homeowners.
It certainly isn't as damaging as some of the previous attempts, sure. It's related in the sense that both are attempts to get anybody in, despite how well they might fit in. The specific concern here is that many people (in particular, homeowners) might not be comfortable having random people who aren't nudists walking around their neighborhood when they're nude. When they bought their places, they were assured that this wouldn't happen.
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RichardKenner
Traveler
Joined: 11/03/07
Posts: 1438
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Quote:
Anonymous said:
Once again you sum up my thinking nicely. There was never any verifiable information to the effect that the resort was on a path to bankruptcy; there are no public financial statements. In my opinion, this is the type of rumor that a business starts by itself, in order to justify delays in paying bills and reductions in member services. If business was slow in the beginning, it could be chalked up to poor or nonexistent marketing, in my opinion. They never really marketed nudists as a group, certainly never to the extent that they have marketed swingers, "play" rooms, and now their time share sales. And they do nothing to get local business, people who live on the property or nearby and who could be there every day. I agree that a bankruptcy might not necessarily be bad. In fact, they've alienated so many people that a change in management might actually increase business all by itself.
Perhaps. But there's no question that the resort operation has always been losing money and whoever you talk to has pretty much the same numbers and it's been that way since they've opened. They've been open long enough and have already had a change in management, so I don't think this can still be chalked up to startup.
Yes, I have some things that I'd do differently were I managing it and I'd like to think that they'd be more effective than what's done in the past, but who knows. There's nobody that's an "expert in naturist resort marketing": none have done well enough to earn that title.
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Unregistered
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The ownership has not changed. And sadly, "management" has never included a nudist, or any graduate of a hospitality management school.
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RichardKenner
Traveler
Joined: 11/03/07
Posts: 1438
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Quote:
Anonymous said:
The ownership has not changed. And sadly, "management" has never included a nudist, or any graduate of a hospitality management school.
Wasn't Tom Landers a nudist? He was the previous (and maybe first) manager, right?
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tiger79
Traveler
Joined: 09/30/06
Posts: 437
Loc: England
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Quote:
RichardKenner said:
Quote:
Anonymous said:
The ownership has not changed. And sadly, "management" has never included a nudist, or any graduate of a hospitality management school.
Wasn't Tom Landers a nudist? He was the previous (and maybe first) manager, right?
Prior to opening Caliente, Tom Landers had been a member at Paradise Lakes for some time, I believe, so he's most probably a nudist. As for hotel management, didn't I read somewhere that Tom Landers built and managed over 100 hotels in his career?
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Carol_Hill
Administrator
Joined: 08/01/00
Posts: 35959
Loc: Central Florida!
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Tom Landers is definitely a nudist! He and his wife--sorry, can't remember her name  --were managing Eden Bay (at the time) when we were there. And he said that he had lots of hotel experience, in terms of building hotels, don't know about a hospitality management school.
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Bare
Traveler
Joined: 06/28/06
Posts: 1467
Loc: In the woods.
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Caliente is calling "everyone" on their mailing list and offering $399 specials for (long lost?) couples to stay 5 days and 4 nights with spa and other benefits if you listen to a 45 min presentation "about the new resort". Have been called 4-6 times this week.
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Carol_Hill
Administrator
Joined: 08/01/00
Posts: 35959
Loc: Central Florida!
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Haven't been called this week. We did get a call about 6 months ago, different offer, don't remember what it was..
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RichardKenner
Traveler
Joined: 11/03/07
Posts: 1438
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Quote:
Bare said:
Caliente is calling "everyone" on their mailing list and offering $399 specials for (long lost?) couples to stay 5 days and 4 nights with spa and other benefits if you listen to a 45 min presentation "about the new resort".
I thought that method of marketing timeshares went out of style decades ago!
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LdSandMiraVista
Traveler
Joined: 04/22/08
Posts: 40
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I got the same call yesterday.
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palmsprings
Member
Joined: 12/07/08
Posts: 2
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We've had multiple phone calls this week. Finally answered the phone and listened to the sales pitch today. Very aggressive...wanted a credit card to charge it immediately. Does not reflect well on Caliente and probably will discourage us from a return visit.
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Bare
Traveler
Joined: 06/28/06
Posts: 1467
Loc: In the woods.
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Well Carol now that I know your interested, I will book a "open" week for you, just email them your credit card. 
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Carol_Hill
Administrator
Joined: 08/01/00
Posts: 35959
Loc: Central Florida!
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Wow, thanks for that kind offer, but I think I'll pass! 
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Wcstflyer
Traveler
Joined: 11/08/07
Posts: 161
Loc: California/Florida
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I normally abstain from most of the Caliente commentary but you people aren't the only ones receiving calls regarding this $399 deal-of-the-century. I answered a call from a woman who asked for me by name, and then energetically launched into her sales pitch. When I jokingly asked her if we could get an additional discount if we stayed at one of our properties at Caliente there was a pause, followed by "oh...sorry." This is obviously an off-site marketing company using a computerized phone bank and a master list of some kind. Since she called us at our California number I'm thinking it is just the phone contact on our original membership application rather than the Caliente Master Association list. I've heard a member on our elected association board has also received a sales call so I'm in good company.
This is why they invented call screening.
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DenitaLC
Traveler
Joined: 02/15/08
Posts: 122
Loc: WA State
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Quote:
Bare said:
Caliente is calling "everyone" on their mailing list and offering $399 specials for (long lost?) couples to stay 5 days and 4 nights with spa and other benefits if you listen to a 45 min presentation "about the new resort". Have been called 4-6 times this week.
Got a call about 6-8 months ago and again two weeks ago. Both times we were asked for by name. It must be a list of anyone who's visited.
I cut the guy off letting him know I personally don't like their new policies and would not be interested in returning to their resort. He kinda choked on his words and I said goodbye and hung up. My vacation dollars will continue to go to resorts that I wouldn't feel ashamed taking my kids to.
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Unregistered
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I have never been there, but have considered going. What is the vibe like? There seems to be alot of people talking around some issues there, but no one is naming them. Just would like to know.
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RichardKenner
Traveler
Joined: 11/03/07
Posts: 1438
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Quote:
Anonymous said:
I have never been there, but have considered going. What is the vibe like? There seems to be alot of people talking around some issues there, but no one is naming them. Just would like to know.
I'd suggest you read this thread and other threads about Caliente carefully since the issues have been discussed at length. The "vibe" there is secondary to how the resort is being marketed and the effect that's having on naturism as a whole.
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Algae
Unregistered
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To understand why the marketing calls, just look at Caliente's ad for telemarketers in the AANR Bulletin.
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Algae
Unregistered
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Quote:
Anonymous said:
To understand why the marketing calls, just look at Caliente's ad for telemarketers in the AANR Bulletin.
Correction: The Caliente ad for telemarketers was in the NUSA Sun NOT in the AANR Bulletin. My apologies for any inconvience that may have been caused by my misrepresented statement.
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DenitaLC
Traveler
Joined: 02/15/08
Posts: 122
Loc: WA State
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8:00 AM PST this morning I received another soliciting call from Caliente. AGAIN, I told the guy that I don't like their direction and to take me off their calling list.
He said that "they highly discourage the meatmarket mentality". Yeah, right!
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RichardKenner
Traveler
Joined: 11/03/07
Posts: 1438
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Quote:
DenitaLC said:
AGAIN, I told the guy that I don't like their direction and to take me off their calling list.
I wonder how many responses like that they're getting.
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DenitaLC
Traveler
Joined: 02/15/08
Posts: 122
Loc: WA State
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Quote:
RichardKenner said:
Quote:
DenitaLC said:
AGAIN, I told the guy that I don't like their direction and to take me off their calling list.
I wonder how many responses like that they're getting.
Hopefully A LOT!
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arehouse
Traveler
Joined: 12/26/03
Posts: 85
Loc: Long Island, N.Y.
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I told them the same thing when they called last week...
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tiger79
Traveler
Joined: 09/30/06
Posts: 437
Loc: England
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Quote:
DenitaLC said:He said that "they highly discourage the meatmarket mentality". Yeah, right!
I find it odd that a telesales guy would use a phrase like that. However, Caliente's sales people aren't, in my experience, very sophisticated. We had a "vacation club" presentation whilst at Caliente Caribe this year, and it was the worst sales pitch I've ever experienced!
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DenitaLC
Traveler
Joined: 02/15/08
Posts: 122
Loc: WA State
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Quote:
tiger79 said:
Quote:
DenitaLC said:He said that "they highly discourage the meatmarket mentality". Yeah, right!
I find it odd that a telesales guy would use a phrase like that. However, Caliente's sales people aren't, in my experience, very sophisticated. We had a "vacation club" presentation whilst at Caliente Caribe this year, and it was the worst sales pitch I've ever experienced!
I know Tiger, I found his choice of words a bit strange myself!
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Unregistered
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AZCowboy asked for proof of a connection between the new Skinny Dip Sundae events and swinger promotions.
This link from 06-18-2010 is an example of "someone" semi-officially involved in promoting the Sunday clothing-allowed events. What starts as an explicit description of a single swinger's experience at Caliente becomes an open invitation for more single males to come and enjoy this event where "we suspend the rules".
My apologies for the explicit sexual language on this link, but this of course is part of the problem. The post appears on a swinger's discussion board, and becomes a blatant invitation for more of such activity in the context of visiting the Sunday events.
I've noticed a pattern of behind the scenes promotion of Caliente by third and fourth parties. Who can say whether they are being paid or otherwise compensated by Caliente management. And does anyone know who "JC n Syn" might be?
WARNING! Extremely explicit language.
http://www.swingersboard.com/forums/swin...sort-tampa.html
If this link is removed by the moderators, perhaps they'll let remain this instruction. Search Google for "Recent experience at Caliente Resort Tampa" with the quotes.
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RichardKenner
Traveler
Joined: 11/03/07
Posts: 1438
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Quote:
Anonymous said:
I've noticed a pattern of behind the scenes promotion of Caliente by third and fourth parties. Who can say whether they are being paid or otherwise compensated by Caliente management.
My understanding (but I don't know this for certain) is that the relationship is much the same as when promoters promote any party in a club venue (e.g., non-nudist and non-lifestyle): there are various profit-sharing relationships between the promoters and the club.
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AZCowboy
Traveler
Joined: 03/25/06
Posts: 144
Loc: Atlanta, GA
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Quote:
unregistered wrote:
AZCowboy asked for proof of a connection between the new Skinny Dip Sundae events and swinger promotions.
So this "someone" is semi-official? Paid? Are you sure? Couldn't they simply be a member of Caliente, and as a swinger, interested in meeting other like-minded people?
The "rule" they are talking about suspending is the "nude only" in the pool rule. I think we had established that rule-breaking already...
But no need trying to dissect the marketing any longer, it appears that Skinny Dip Sundae has its own website now (to minimize exercising your sub-woofer, find the "pause" button in the top right corner of the mainpage).
Nearly two weeks ago when I first posted in this thread, a "Skinny Dip Sundae" google search yielded only one relevant link. Now it returns 39,900 results. Add the word "swingers", and it nets down to 7. One of them was this thread. One of the other links happened to be the link you posted.
Color me unimpressed.
Edited by AZCowboy (08/02/10 06:49 PM)
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RichardKenner
Traveler
Joined: 11/03/07
Posts: 1438
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I think you're missing the point. It's not so much "is there a connection between Skinny Dip Sundae events and swingers promotions", but how and to what extent the resort is being marketed. Is it being marketted mostly to nudists or mostly to people who aren't nudists? There's no problem in doing some "outreach" marketing to people who aren't currently nudists in the hope of "converting" some, but, if they want to view themselves primarily as a nudist resort, they should be mostly marketing to nudists. But they aren't. Indeed, they've alienated all the major nudists and naturist organizations and can't market using them anymore.
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CPK
Traveler
Joined: 04/13/05
Posts: 1393
Loc: Westchester County, NY
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Well, I think and probably against my gut feeling, I'm going to chime in here. Club Orient is a clothing optional resort. What if textiles started to stay at ClubO, remained clothed within the resort and suited on the beach? What if that became popular amongst textiles? Don't want to speculate but I think it would be a problem with naturists. I know it's not exactly the same but I think this is what Cowboy is trying to say.
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Carol_Hill
Administrator
Joined: 08/01/00
Posts: 35959
Loc: Central Florida!
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Hey, I don't feel so left out now, as I got a sales call from Caliente last night while I was preparing dinner. I knew what they wanted, as soon as they said who it was calling, so I said I wasn't interested and hung up. Lots of practice in the years before National Do Not Call.
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Unregistered
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Although we are currently full members to the Caliente-Tampa resort, we haven't been there in a few months. So, we were thinking about going for a week-end. We have enjoyed the ambience of the resort. I'm confused though, after looking at their website. Can someone advise us no how things have changed? For one, we're not sure we understand the Skinny Dip Sundae. What does it mean to club members? It looks like Caliente has turned Sunday over to an entertainment venue. Has anyone been to one of these and can comment? Are they are charging current club members an additional fee for the day's event? While we are not complete prudes, we tend to like the old format of relaxing, swimming, sunning for a week-end. Any information may help us decide if we want to rethink our plans about going for a week-end, and whether or not we will want to consider renewing our current membership, if they even have that arrangement any more. Any information is appreciated.
Thanks.
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We are also members at Caliente Tampa and do not intend to renew. We live 400 miles away & don't understand paying the same for a membership($1600) as a Tampa resident, who can use facilities daily. We are turned off by current management and their emphasis on Vacation Club and textile events. Without a membership, the cost of $100 ground fee +$200 hotel room +$150/day restaurant/bar makes it too expensive. We were there in April and spent $2000 for 4 days. Hopefully, management will get their head out of the sand and return Caliente to the great resort it used to be.
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