Was discussing with Richard in another thread a while back whether Caliente Tampa's Skinny Dip Sunday was an attempt to attract more lifestyle to the resort. We'll we finally took time to visit last Memorial Day weekend and here are our impressions:

We booked a highly discounted rate by taking advantage of Caliete's version of a timeshare sales promo (more about that later). The salesman described the population as 20% nudists, 20% swingers with the remaining 60% somewhere in between. Over the next few days we found that to be pretty accurate. Because of the holiday the place was packed and was a never ending pool party theme. The people we met were very friendly. The lifestyle was present and conversation could be overheard. We only went to the nightclub once, it and the pool became more lifestyle the later and drunker everyone got.

The clubhouse, multiple pools, activity areas are all superb. The place really is beautiful. The waitresses were very attentive and we didn't have any problem with charging and charges to our room. It was a little tough getting a drink from the line at the bar at times. We ate just one breakfast, none buffet, that was good.

We were in a condo that was very pleasant except for the smell of cigar smoke. It was obviously privately owned by someone who loves cigars. We like to cook and eat in after a day of drinking at the pool. The homes and condos in the complex are nice and the grounds well kept.

All in all it is a place I would visit a couple times a year if I lived in the area. I now agree with Richard, they are advertising to the lifestyle. I probably wont vacation there again, I wouldn't want to be a member and I'd probably be upset if I owned a property in the complex.

As for the timeshare pitch, we were warned by a couple we met at the pool before our "tour" that the main promise is a new hotel that would only be available to members. Apparently construction for this new hotel has been imminent for 3 years? Anyway the 45 minute tour quickly turned into an hour and a half, but, did include the free breakfast. After the pleasantries he tried to tell us how Caliente was the best place on earth and then went into the RCI exchange program and a flurry of dollars and numbers. As soon as he realized I had no intention of dealing in came the manager with more numbers. It turned into a threat of soon only members are going to be able to visit Caliente (I wanted to ask him how a non-member just spent 4 of the busiest days of the year in a condo for $600?). I was hoping to keep some of the RCI numbers to study, (maybe I'd change my mind, a good deal right?) but, as I left they took back all the materials and made me sign refusal.

If money is tight I guess you can get good deal with these "tour" promos. But really not worth the hassle for us. On this RCI deal they didn't let me keep the numbers, but, how can taking out a loan at an extremely high interest rate to "buy" points to use on future vacations, 5 even 10 years down the road be a good idea?