Shangri La Ranch

A clothing optional resort in the desert north of Phoenix, open all year round and frequented in winter by snowbirds who spend whole months there. It is a place for community life rather than a contemplative holiday: a packed daily schedule — pickleball at dawn, water aerobics, pool volleyball, cards, line dancing — and at weekends karaoke, DJ nights and dinners at the Bare Buns Cafe. There are two pools (one heated), a hot tub, a sauna, tennis, pickleball, bocce and horseshoe courts, a gym, a games room and desert trails starting from the resort. You can sleep in simple rooms, cabins, or with an RV or trailer; tents are not allowed in the hot months. The most frequently reported weak point is the accommodation itself and some facilities: rooms not renovated in decades, shared showers and a spa in need of work. The welcome divides opinion: many say they felt at home on their first visit, others describe a close-knit group of residents not very open to newcomers. Nudity is optional everywhere except in the pool, where swimsuits are not allowed. Those who come alone are admitted (annual and seasonal passes have a single rate), and the resort adopts AANR's non-discrimination statement, which welcomes everyone regardless of gender, marital status and sexual orientation.