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Domaine de Bélézy is situated on the lower slopes of Mount Ventoux in Provence. From the moment you arrive, you get the sense of being invited to enjoy not just a holiday but a whole alternative lifestyle, almost a philosophy, in which naturism is only one element. A prominently displayed sign states 'Full-time nakedness is a basic obligation and a foundation of a naturist lifestyle in Bélézy'.
There is an enormous range of activities on offer, and the sheer variety gives a flavour of this lifestyle. Whilst we were there in August 2003, we managed swimming, chess, life drawing (both as artist and model), pottery, body painting and watercolour painting. I even managed a couple of hours’ piano practice, whilst our daughter made a reasonable first attempt of milking a cow. Also on offer were adults’ and children’s swimming and diving lessons (including synchronised swimming), archery, tennis, scuba diving, wine tasting, French language lessons, choral singing, yoga, and salsa. There is also an excellent on-site hydrotherapy centre offering a range of treatments from massage to acupuncture.
Entertainment at night was in keeping with the general ambience of Bélézy. The advertised attraction on Friday, for instance, was a musical evening with the residents as performers: but this was a far cry from a boozy holiday karaoke night. To open, we were given a Bach chorale, a Concerto Grosso by Corelli, then a Beethoven piano sonata (Opus 49 No 2 to be precise) followed by an hour or so of baroque and classical pieces with the odd jazz piece thrown in for good measure. (A tenor sax player was staying the week we were there.)
With so much activity at hand, you could easily spend your entire time on site. That said, it would be a shame to miss the excellent market in the local village of Bedoin on Monday (via a gentle walk through the woodland), whilst Avignon, Orange and the Pont Du Gard are only a short drive away. For the more ambitious, a mysteriously popular pastime is to cycle up to the summit of Mount Ventoux and back down again (at 2,000 metres, this is the highest mountain in mainland France outside the Alps and Pyrenees). Our German neighbour made the journey one morning and told us it took her about three-and-a-half hours up, and one hour down.
The site itself is effectively split into two parts, one where pitches and mobile homes are situated, the other the communal area where you will find the shop, two swimming pools (plus a paddling pool for the very young), pizzeria/brasserie and excellent restaurant. There are also volleyball courts, a children’s playground and the kid’s farm complete with goats, chickens, donkeys, one very placid cow and a rather indolent pig. The staff – who are all naturists – are extremely helpful and English is spoken widely, including in the daily kid’s club. Cars are not allowed on site (other than at arrival and departure), which makes the grounds perfectly safe to let young children walk around.
The pitches are fairly closely packed together. This maximises the sense of camaraderie (to judge by the communal conversations all around us each evening), but could prove a disadvantage if you have noisy neighbours.
Some of the permanent accommodation - like our maisonette by the Allée de la Lavende - is beginning to show signs of age. In particular, some wooden decking outside would have allowed us to walk from our front door to our sun terrace without the need for shoes. And it was a real challenge to use the shower without flooding the kitchen. But these are minor complaints – and, in any case, there was an excellent modern shower block with free hot water a minute’s walk away. (Although I have no idea why the cubicles had doors on them. Nobody bothered to use them.)
In short, Bélézy is simply wonderful. Already we’re planning to go back there next year for a full fortnight. And who knows - perhaps next time I’ll take a mountain bike.
Send an E-mail to the NEFF team about Domaine de Bélézy.
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