Charlotte, a 64-year-old living in Florida, likes to start the day by walking out on to her veranda with a cup of coffee.
There’s nothing unusual about that.
Except that Charlotte is completely naked.
The nudist retiree lives at Caliente Club & Resorts, a clothing-optional community, where residents tend to ‘leave their judgement – and their clothes – at the door’.
Charlotte tells MailOnline Travel that she first visited the Floridian resort 18 years ago and ‘loved it so much’ that she moved in permanently three years later.
‘It felt like finding home,’ she reveals. ‘It’s more than a resort – it’s a lifestyle and a real community. I call it my little slice of paradise.’
The content creator, who has over 19,000 followers on TikTok (@simplycharlotte60), says that her first experience of nudism was ‘skinny dipping’, explaining that she loved ‘the feeling of no wet bathing suit clinging to me’.
‘After that, it was the freedom of living life on my own terms,’ says Charlotte. ‘There’s something incredibly liberating about shedding not just your clothes, but your worries too. You start to see yourself – and others – without all the layers we usually hide behind.’
Charlotte, 64, lives in a nudist resort in Florida. She tells MailOnline about her life at Caliente Club & Resorts
‘It felt like finding home,’ reveals Charlotte. ‘It’s more than a resort – it’s a lifestyle and a real community. I call it my little slice of paradise.’
As Caliente Club & Resorts is a clothing-optional resort, residents and visitors have the option to wear as little or as much as they like – with one exception.
Charlotte explains: ‘The only place where clothing is required is in the gym. Everywhere else, including the pools, is clothing-optional. It’s all about personal comfort and mutual respect. You wear what you want, or don’t, and no one bats an eye.
‘There’s always something going on. We have water volleyball, aerobic classes, trivia nights, karaoke, theme nights and even 5K runs and car shows. Pickleball is big here too. The Halloween party is legendary and so is New Year’s – both have a great mix of fun, dancing and connection.
‘We’re lucky to have a boutique, a spa, a fine dining restaurant, a sports bar, a piano bar and even a nightclub – so if you don’t want to leave the resort, you really don’t have to.’
The retiree reveals that Caliente also hosts a ‘wide variety of events’ including ‘lifestyle-themed’ swingers’ parties. Charlotte tells MailOnline: ‘Events like that are usually ticketed or private and take place in designated areas.’
She explains that the resort attracts a ‘diverse group’ of people from nudists to those just looking for ‘sunshine and a sense of freedom’.
‘It’s really a “choose your own adventure” kind of place,’ says Charlotte. ‘Everyone coexists respectfully and there’s no pressure to participate in anything that isn’t your cup of tea.’
And for Charlotte, one of the few downsides of living at Caliente – apart from the extra money she has to spend on sun cream – are the ‘untrue’ assumptions often made about the lifestyle by non-nudists.
Charlotte explains: ‘The only place where clothing is required is in the gym’. She reveals that the resort attracts a ‘diverse group’ of people
She says that one of the biggest ‘misconceptions’ people have about nudism is that it’s ‘all about sex’ or ‘exhibitionism’.
Charlotte reveals: ‘That couldn’t be further from the truth. Nudism is really about comfort, freedom and authenticity. Most of us are just regular people who prefer to live without the extra level of clothing.
‘It’s a respectful, welcoming environment and honestly you stop noticing the nudity after a while, it just becomes normal.’
Charlotte’s adult daughter, Shelly, has ‘always known and accepted her lifestyle’, says the retiree who reveals that Shelly even lived with her at the resort for two years.
However, she says that she chose not to share it with her elderly mother.
‘I truly didn’t believe she would understand or accept it,’ explains Charlotte. ‘Even when she was on hospice and spending her final days at my home, my friends and I made the decision to keep it from her.
‘We all felt that knowing might have devastated her, so we kept things quiet out of love and respect. After her passing, there was no one left in my life I felt the need to hide anything from.’
And the community of friends and neighbours that Charlotte has found at Caliente is ‘hands downs’ the best part of living there. ‘It’s warm, welcoming and full of people who are genuine and open-minded’, she says.
Those new to nudism should try not to ‘overthink it’, says Charlotte. She advises newcomers to ‘bring your curiosity’
Like many naturist resorts, Caliente is a gated community and Charlotte explains that it has ’24/7 security’. Guests have to be registered and privacy is taken ‘very seriously’ to make sure the environment stays ‘safe and respectful’.
Newcomers are welcome and Charlotte says nudist newbies should try not to ‘overthink it’.
She advises: ‘Bring your curiosity. Nobody cares what you look like and you’ll quickly realize how freeing that is.
‘Respect the space, respect others, and just enjoy being in the moment. You might be surprised at how natural it feels.’
And she’s got no regrets.
‘When you’re nude, there’s no pretending,’ she reveals. ‘It’s just you and the sunshine – or the stars. It makes me feel grounded, like I’m more connected to nature, to people and to myself.
‘Plus, at my age, I’ve earned the right to be comfortable in my skin and I’ve never felt more at home in it.’
Want more from Charlotte? She shares tips and stories on her TikTok (@simplycharlotte60) and YouTube (@simplycharlotte).
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .