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Having recently spent a few days in Dubrovnik in Croatia, there might be some interest in a report on a naturist beach there.
First of all Croatia is very beautiful and the tourist industry is rapidly rebuilding. In mid September it was sunny and warm, with temperatures between 25 and 30 deg.C. The sea temperature was 23 deg. according to a hotel information board. Perfect for swimming - the hotel pool was a lot colder!
"All Over Hotels" lists several naturist beaches in the Dubrovnik area but I only had time to check out one, which I visited three times - twice during the week in the late afternoon and once earlier on a Sunday afternoon. It was near my hotel on the Babin Kuk Peninsula which is about 5km from the old town. All Over says that both the Hotel President and the Argosy Hotel on Babin Kuk have their own naturist beaches, but as far as I could tell they are both actually the same one - Cava Beach. The two hotels are very close to each other and there are a number of other hotels on the peninsula.
There are two other beaches close by - the President Beach, strictly textile (but topless seems OK) and the Coppacabanna Beach. The President Beach appears to be only reachable through the hotel and is largely concrete! Indeed none of the beaches is at all sandy - pebbles, gravel, stones, rocks and boulders are the order of the day. Coppacabanna Beach is also textile - a large family beach with lots of beach facilities: sun-beds, parasols, water sports, cafes, etc. The naturist beach is, as I have said, Cava Beach. It is quite rocky with mainly large pebbles and stones between the rocks. It is quite narrow (maybe 10m at most) and probably about 300m from end to end. It is easily accessible to non hotel guests. When I was there, it had no facilities. There was clearly a beach bar area near the entrance but this seemed pretty derelict.
From Dubrovnik take the No 6 bus from the Pile Gate going to Durava. The service runs every 15 minutes from early morning to late evening and it takes about 15-20 minutes, depending on traffic. The fare - fixed on all routes - is 10 Kuna (about £1) each way - better to buy tickets from newsagents or hotels when it is only 8 Kuna. If paying on the bus have the correct amount, for the driver will not give change.
Go all the way to the end where you will alight just outside the Hotel President. Pass along the front of the hotel and bear left onto the path which is signed to Cava Beach and Coppacabanna Beach. This path goes gently downhill and is a little rough underfoot, but quite easy. Go a few hundred metres and when you reach some steps coming in from the right, turn left at the end of a low wall onto a path (unsigned) doubling back down the cliff towards the sea. (Peering over a wall a bit before this you can see part of the beach at the foot of the cliff). Descend the steepish path - there are uneven steps - and you will come out at one end of the beach. Any reasonably mobile person should be able to negotiate the path and beach but wheelchair users would probably find it impossible. The path down to the beach may also be reached from Coppacabanna Beach. I saw one small car which had come up from there, but there is really nowhere to park sensibly and it is probably impossible to turn.
You will immediately see the derelict beach bar and painted on the wall is "FKK" and "Nudist". (This is also painted on rocks and cliffs further along the beach). The first area however seems to be mainly textile or topless - especially on the Sunday when there were a few children there. There is a small jetty and, occasionally, boats tie up. There is what appears to be a non-functional shower stand. Go along the beach for about 100 metres and cross a small rocky outcrop. The remainder of the area is virtually all naturist. There was a good mix of people each time - couples of various ages (from mid-twenties up I would guess), the usual single males but not predominantly so and some single women. It was busy but certainly not crowded - there was a reasonable space between pitches. There was a greater proportion of couples on the Sunday.
Although the beach is stony, there are some good flat areas which have been cleared and some low walls have been built up as shelter if it is windy. A couple of thick towels or a camping mattress should provide enough protection to be comfortable, although an air bed would be ideal. The beach faces a bit North of West, and in the afternoon, the far end has the sunniest aspect.
Swimming is excellent, but the water becomes several metres deep very quickly. Mostly, one gets in by diving or pushing off rocky shelves at the water's edge. Getting back up onto the rocks is not too difficult if you choose your spot well, even for a non-agile old codger like me. Near the textile area there are a couple of shelving stony areas where getting in and out by wading is possible, but it is a bit tricky - unstable and slippery stones underfoot. A pair of beach sandals (those cheap plastic things) is almost essential for getting to the water's edge, unless one has hardened feet. The sea is non tidal so you don't need to worry about levels changing, apart from the waves if there are any.
Keep a wary eye out though when swimming as there are a lot of boats (the channel leads to the harbour) and some of them go quite fast. Some come in quite close to the beach (usually slow ones with lots of young men aboard!) All the comings and goings create a bit of interest though.
Beach etiquette seems to be that one does not walk about much when nude (I got some funny looks while doing a bit of exploring) except when obviously heading to or from the water.
All in all, an excellent free and easy place for a few hours in the sun and sea.
Regards
Ronnie
If in Dubrovnik one should visit Lokrum Island.
There is a regular ferry service to the island from the Old Harbour in Dubrovnik takes only ten minutes. We were there last year the island is well worth a visit for both textile and naturist visitor. The naturist area is quite large with showers, a beach bar and access to the sea by swimming pool style ladders.
For more information see http://www.dubrovnik-guide.net/naturist_beaches.htm
If you have any comments about this report or wish to add further information
please email them to:
neffupdate @ ada-augusta . demon . co . uk
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