Artika Natura Suites & Spa

Small adults-only naturist resort in the heart of Maspalomas, on Gran Canaria: a dozen single-storey units, sold as suites but in fact bungalows with a kitchenette and terrace, grouped around a pool with artificial grass and round sunbeds. Swimwear is not allowed anywhere on the property, but staying naked at all times is not compulsory: at breakfast or when it is cool a top, T-shirt or sarong is fine. People come here mainly for the quiet: no entertainment or parties, many guests return year after year and some even find it too quiet. Included are the breakfast buffet and the wellness areas (heated magnesium pool, saltwater floatation pool, ten-person outdoor jacuzzi, sauna); the poolside bistro closes in the late afternoon, so for dinner you go out, on foot, and there are no staff in the evening. Solo travellers are welcomed without a supplement, in fact with a small discount, but all beds are double beds. The management states that it is not a swingers' resort and prohibits erotic behaviour in the common areas. The beach is about half an hour's walk away and the dunes can also be reached on foot; there is a free shuttle to the naturist beach, except in July and August. The most frequently mentioned weak points: some rooms face the back, against a wall, rather than the pool, and not everyone finds the floor area or the kitchen worthy of the name suite. Not suitable for people with reduced mobility.