I was at Desert Sun from late on December 30 until early on Janaury 5. The weather at that time was far from ideal. It was mostly cloudy on Monday and there were considerable clouds around on Sunday as well. Friday was sunny, but Saturday and Tuesday had some sun and some high clouds. The temperatures were cool, with lows in the mid-30's (I saw 34 one morning) and highs only around 50 most days. However, even in the 40's, if it sunny and there's no wind, sitting out nude is very pleasant and I'd say there were perhaps 30 people sitting out on Saturday.

The Courtyard rooms were out of service (see below) and the hotel was pretty close to being sold out for the weekend. There was a multi-course dinner offered on New Year's Eve (Friday) which was close to sold out in both sittings, however the restaurant was more like its usual self on Saturday and Sunday with only a few tables for each meal and almost nobody on Sunday: they were closed on Monday and Tuesday.

I stayed on east coast time, so didn't attend their New Year's Eve party, but was told that it was a lot of fun. The moved the bar to outside the room so that they can have more tables. (That should eliminate any concerns about under 21 in the club and indeed the sign wasn't up this time. However, I only saw one child the entire time I was there.)

In my last report, I mentioned there were plans to shoot three TV shows last month. As is not uncommon in that arena, only one was shot (for the Travel Channel: it should air this or next month), one was cancelled, and one was postponed (likely to February). There may also be another TV show (a major one) shooting in February as well.

The work in the area of the "quiet pool" is more extensive than previously expected. They've redone the entire concrete of the pool and the walkways in that area (which was expected), but some other work as well. The railings into the pool have been replaced with ones that don't get hot in nthe sun and so don't need the fabric covers. More importantly, there used to be a green shed near the hot tub. It was originally pool equipment and later used for tools. It's been taken down and replaced by a shack that'll be a satellite bar, with one window towards the pool and the other in the opposite direction. It's almost done and will be staffed on weekends. The lockers in that area will be moved to the end of the spa and that will open up the area, with an opening to the hot tub from all four sides.

The "planter" and fence at the entrance to the courtyard has been removed and other minor changes were made to the area. However, they're so subtle they had to be pointed out to me: even though this is the very original part of the resort, it looks like it was always that way (even including the shack for the bar).

One change that will be noticed hadn't been finished by the time I left. The grassy area on the opposite side of the pool from the spa is being replaced by a covered seating area, with seats similar to those around the fire pit and they'll also be putting in another fire pit. There'll be other heaters there and that'll create a second outdoor seating area in cool weather. That pool will no longer be referred to as the "quiet pool", but will have a new name. I've heard "conversation pool", but that has a very different meaning in the naturist community, so I suspect it won't stick. Although I think a lot of people will appreciate this new area, I know a few who'll be disappointed at the loss of grass and flowers.

Other than the usual turnover of the part time staff in both the front and back of the restaurant, there's been no other staff changes. There may be a second massage therapist available shortly.

One thing that I did notice, despite the cold, is that the resort is "nuder" than it used to be. A few years ago, most women would be wearing sarongs. I saw zero this time. Yes, many people were covered up from the cold, but that's very different. There also continue to be a surprisingly-high percentage of first-time naturists there.

I don't expect to be back there until mid-June, so this will be my last trip report for there for a while.