Should you get a suntan?

Avoiding the sun because you're afraid of skin cancer is like avoiding drinking water because you are afraid of drowning. Both are necessary for human life.

Budget Travel just had an article about suntanning. They cite the usual medical and drug industry message of the sun is bad for you, blah, blah, blah, of course ignoring the fact that because of people listening to the medical and drug industries, 70-80% of Americans have an acute Vitamin D deficiency.

Here's from the Budget Travel story:
"It's the official start of summer, and as such it's also the unofficial start of tanning season. But with increasing research and information available about the risks of tanning, is that beach-bronzed skin worth the health threats?

First off, let's go over sun basics 101. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, sunlight consists of two types of harmful rays: ultraviolet A (UVA) rays and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays. UVA rays (which can pass through window glass) penetrate deeper into the skin. UVA rays can suppress the immune system's ability to protect against skin cancer and exposure to UVA can lead to wrinkling and age spots.
The UVB rays are the sun's burning rays (which are blocked by window glass) and are the primary cause of sunburn. The Academy has this good tip: "A good way to remember it is that UVA rays are the aging rays and UVB rays are the burning rays." And note that excessive exposure to either form of UV rays can lead to skin cancer."

For the full story Click here

Sunshine is free – it has no marketing department for its life-giving benefits. If pharmaceutical companies patented and sold sunshine, the message we receive would be completely different. The American $35 billion anti-sun medical and drug industries have convinced so many people that the sun is bad for you. They have done such a good job that now 75-80% of Americans have a Vitamin D deficiency (I guess the other 20-25% are nudists ). And Vit D has been shown to help prevent at least 16 different cancers (including skin cancer), heart disease, and more.

The drug companies want to sell you Vit D cupplements which have been shown never to be as effective as your own bodies production of Vit D.

It is estimated that at least 600,000 breast and colon cancer deaths each year could be prevented in the US alone if we had more Vit D. Compare this to WORLD WIDE only 48,000 deaths from skin cancer per year. The risk reward ratio is way on teh side of the sun.

This information comes from The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology March 2007; 103(3-5):708-11

People don't realize that the American Drug and medical profession don't want you in the sun so they can sell you Vit D, all sorts of chemicals in sunscreen etc. It is BIG business in the US. And Americans are the biggest market for daily sunscreen, especially women under age 50.

In Italy, their dermatology association recommends people get at least 2 hours a day, maximum sun exposure 3 times a week for Vit D purposes.

As everything in life, use moderation.

So don't let the drug industry scare you away from the sun.

Hope to see you soon in sunny Palm Springs, California at The Terra Cotta Inn for nude sunbathing.


Tom Mulhall
Terra Cotta Inn Clothing Optional Resort and Spa, Palm Springs, CA
Call 800-786-6938 for info or reservations
Visit our website by clicking: http://sunnyfun.com
Visit our facebook page by clicking http://bit.ly/TerraCottaInnFBPage

This weekend June 24 & 25 starts Margarita Madness at The Terra Cotta Inn FREE

As nudists all know, The Terra Cotta Inn is the most popular nude sunbathing resort in Palm Springs and the western US. We have repeat guests from around the world fly here for their vacations. With over an 80% repeat guest rate (one of the highest in the travel industry) and being the ONLY nudist vacation resort out west, (we're busy 7 days a week, instead of just weekends like typical naked places), you'll always have a fun time here.

This weekend starts the Terra Cotta Inn's Margarita Madness and Baja Buffet on Saturday afternoons. Free margarita's and delicious snacks ever Saturday all summer long. Come and see why we are the MOST POPULAR nudist resort in the west. And we're a great value too.

This weekend, Just 3 rooms left. Give us a call at 800-786-6938 to getaway. Or take a week long vacation at Palm springs' ONLY nudist vacation resort.

Last November, MSNBC picked us as the Best value nude sunbathing resort in the western US.

In December, 2010 Palm Springs Life Magazine picked us as the BEST small resort in the whole Palm Springs area in their Best of the Best issue. It's pretty cool that a nudist resort is considered the best place to stay in town. We were picked not because we're exclusive and snobby, (we let other places win those categories). We were picked because we are so friendly and because the guests have such a good time here.

Give us a call at 800-786-6938 to make reservations or for information. We answer the phones from 8am-10pm PST.

Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

Visit our Facebook resort page at http://bit.ly/TerraCottaInnFBPage

Make this the year to finally say good bye to your funny tan lines forever.

The Desert Sun reports Palm Springs selected as a Hot Honeymoon Destination

We have many guests stay here that celebrate their wedding anniversaries at The Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa. We also will have maybe 10-15 couples per year celebrate their honeymoons with us. And one or 2 couples get married here.

We're the most popular nudist resort in the US for nudists celebrating honeymoons or anniversaries as we do not have noisy kids at our resort like most nudist resorts do. Thus, we are nice and relaxing and romantic.

Our local newspaper, The Desert Sun reports:

"The magazine Get Married ... is featuring Palm Springs as one of three "hot honeymoon destinations" in its winter issue..."

The magazine offers advice about bridal fashions, menus, trends, beauty tips and other wedding-related information.

Palm Springs is profiled ... include places to stay, explore and eat, as well as insider travel tips.

Get Married magazine has a distribution of about 300,000 and touts itself as "the distinctive shopping and trend guide for the savvy bride."

Click here for the full story

Last year our local Magazine, Palm Springs Life Magazine selected our resort, The Terra Cotta Inn as one of the 3 BEST of ALL small resorts in the whole Palm Springs area in their annual December, Best of the Best issue. Any bets on whether Get Married Magazine did not include our resort because we're a nude sunbathing resort?

It's very frustrating that so much of the media excludes one of the BEST places to stay in Palm Springs because we're a nudist resort.

But, because you read this blog. You know about us. And you get to stay at one of the best nudist resorts in the US.

And Get Married Magazine is right, Palm Springs is a fantastic vacation travel destination.

Now is the perfect time for a fun, romantic, unique vacation experience.

Never been to a clothing optional resort before? No problem. We are the most mainstream nudist resort in the US and are perfect for couples trying topless or nude sunbathing for the first time!

Give us a call at 800-786-6938 to make reservations.

Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

Visit our Facebook resort page at http://bit.ly/TerraCottaInnFBPage

Make this the summer to finally say good bye to your funny tan lines forever.

We hope to see you soon in sunny Palm Springs.

Use of the word Nakations is becoming a world wide phenomena

In Australia, on the Australian yahoo site, au.yahoo.com in their Total Travel section, au.yahoo.com just had a story about Australian nude beaches and nakations.

AANR, the American Association for Nude Recreation http://aanr.com has done a fantastic job in promoting the word nakations and in mainstreaming the concept of nude recreation around the world.

Here's the Australian yahoo story:

"Top Aussie Nudist Beaches

Aussie nakation destinations

Those who do bare all on a regular basis proclaim it is a very addictive and liberating experience. If you've ever dreamed of an all-over tan, look no further for all the top clothing optional 'free' beaches all over Australia."

The above photo is of Maslin Beach in Australia.

"Maslin Beach, Adelaide, SA

Australia's first official nude beach

Declared a legal nudist beach in 1975, Maslin Beach is also one of the prettiest beaches in South Australia, surrounded by high cliff walls. The southern end of the beach is the nudist area, and each year this area is host to the Maslin Beach Olympics, with informal competitions including three-legged races and best bum!

For the full story: Click here

We have many Australian couples vacation at our resort every year especially in our summer which is Australia's winter.

Tom Mulhall
Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa
Palm Springs, CA
Resort site http://sunnyfun.com
Resort Facebook page http://bit.ly/TerraCottaInnFBPage
For more information or reservations, call 1-800-786-6938 (toll free US and Canada). Rest of the world call 760-322-6059.

Hotel sites being sued - Accused of spreading false information

The internet has been fantastic for the travel industry, and especially for finding nudist resorts. It is our biggest source for new guests.

There is lots of information on the net about where to go for vacations, things to do, etc.

One of the negatives about the internet though is there is lots of misleading information. Many travel sites quote low rates and then you find out there are hidden resort fees or membership fees.

Or worse some places have phony "rack rates" so they can have even phonier sales and discounts.

Even in the nude recreation field, some nudist resorts quote lower rates and once you get there, you learn you have to pay daily membership fees, or ground fees, or whatever other creative name they have for charging guests extra money.

Here at Terra Cotta Inn we have NO hidden resort, grounds, parking or membership fees. You pay what you are quoted.

Now I know the hotel industry pretty well here in Palm Springs. There are some hotels that advertise with Expedia, Hotels.com etc that they are having 50% off "sales" from their phony "rack rates."

The funny thing is they ALWAYS have these 50% off sales. And the sad thing is some people fall for the phony sales thinking they are getting a bargain or good value. Which they're not.

We've had people come here for day use at our resort. They're from out of state, have been to nudist resorts before, (not ours), but booked at a non nude hotel here in town thinking they they were getting a deal from one of these hotel room "sales."

It gets pretty frustrating when a nudist books a textile hotel that has a 50% off sale because they think it's cheaper than staying at our resort. As an example one place in town offers 50% off sales at $119 midweek. However once you factor in parking fees, resort fees, buying breakfast and having to pay us $25 for a day fee to use our nudist resort. That bargain $119 becomes about $205. And midweek our rates are only $149. Plus you'll get free afternoon snacks here too.

MSNBC in the fall said many nudist resorts are a great value and mentioned The Terra Cotta Inn as one of the best values in the nudist industry.

Well a hotel group in France got tired of other hotel sites misleading information and is suing Experida, Hotels.com and tripadvisor.

Here's the story:


"Expedia, Hotels.com and TripAdvisor accused of spreading false information

Synhorcat, a union of French hoteliers is taking legal action against Expedia and two of its subsidiaries, TripAdvisor and Hotels.com, accusing them of unfair trade practices.

The lawsuit filed by Synhorcat at the Commercial Court in Paris last week claims that the close relationship between TripAdvisor and Expedia/Hotels.com leads to situations, where hotels that are not working with Expedia are listed on TripAdvisor with no rooms available, although they have availability.

The union calls this a “discriminatory practice”, that not only leads to false information for the consumer, but is also potentially deterring consumers from contacting the hotel directly to book a room.

In addition, the lawsuit criticizes Expedia’s promotional claim of “up to 75% discounts on hotel rates” as misleading for consumers...

According to Synhorcat, Expedia’s promotional claim also has the potential to deter consumers from booking the hotel directly, as they are made believe that the deepest discounts are available on Expedia.

“We have nothing against the Internet, in contrary,” says Didier Chenet, President of Synhorcat, “but we cannot let these practices penalize hoteliers.”

For the full story click here

The Terra Cotta inn is a fantastic deal which is why we have one of the highest occupancy rates in Palm Springs.

Now is the perfect time for a fun, romantic, unique vacation experience.

Never been to a clothing optional resort before? No problem. We are the most mainstream nudist resort in the US and are perfect for couples trying topless or nude sunbathing for the first time!

Give us a call at 800-786-6938 (toll free US and Canada) for more information or to make reservations.

Join our Facebook web page at http://bit.ly/TerraCottaInnFBPage

Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

We hope to see you soon in sunny Palm Springs, California!

Travel Predictions for 2010 - Clothing optional resorts to increase in popularity

There is a great travel website called http://www.reviewresorts.com They just came out with their top 20 travel predictions for 2010.

A lot of the predictions apply businesses in the nude sunbathing industry.

Here they are:

"2010 Travel Predictions
January 1st, 2010 by George

2010 Travel Prediction #1:
Mid-market Travel Deals & Luxury On-Sale Travel Market explodes. Tom's comment, The nice nudist resorts in the US cater to the mid-market. The segment of the nudist industry that is suffering is the overpriced non nudist owned places in Mexico and the Caribbean. They've priced themselves out of the market.

2010 Travel Prediction #5:
Sorry, for this one…. Drug violence in Mexico impacts tourism. Tom's comment, many nudists I know will NEVER go back to Mexico for nude vacations as the places are so overpriced and nudists are afraid for their safety there. I also hear many nudists won't go back to St. Martin or Jamaica because of crime.

2010 Travel Prediction #6:
Hawaii begins a slow rebound. Finds ways to sell the experience giving vacationers a reason to go back to Hawaii. Tom's comment, yes you have to give nudists a reason to want to come back to your resort. Here at Terra Cotta Inn, Palm Springs, California we average just over a 75% repeat guest rate which is one of the highest in the travel industry. Plus, we are a nudist vacation destination where repeat guests from around the world want to come here instead of just a weekend getaway for locals like most places. Typically, according to Lodging magazine if a vacation resort gets a 15% repeat guest rate, they are doing well.

2010 Travel Prediction #11:
RV Camping Resorts begin offering Rental RV’s parked on the grounds so people can save the cost of owning. Tom's comment, a number of nudist campgrounds are already doing this.

2010 Travel Prediction #12:
Clothing Optional Resorts increase in popularity as people shed fake status and seek substance. Tom's comment, In December's Palm Springs Life magazine, the Best of the Best issue, we were selected as one of the 3 best boutique hotels in the whole Palm Springs area. We were selected as one of the best not because we are exclusive and snobby, but because we are very popular, and have the best most fun, friendly guests.

2010 Travel Prediction #13:
Day Spas evolve more into mini-resorts. Begin to provide resort experience. National chains begin to appear. Tom's comment, examiner.com picked us as one of the 8 best day spas in the whole Palm Springs area. Getting fantastic massages at a reasonable rate is one of the reasons people love our resort. We have many guests come out for day use.

2010 Travel Prediction #15:
The world calms down a bit. Surly the terrorist must know that if Obama fails, the extreme-right comes to power.

2010 Travel Prediction #18:
Girlfriend & Best Friend getaways increase….Married couple getaways increase MORE!. Tom's comment. Married couples getaways are extremely popular among nudists. I'll never understand why so many nudist resorts still insist on catering to families with kids instead of couples wanting to getaway for romantic vacations. Girlfriend getaways is a major under served market in by the nudist industry.

2010 Travel Prediction #19:
Travel Agents learn that increasing their “on-line footprint” is the path to success. Tom's comment, all nudist businesses including ours need to increase our online footprint. There are still too many people in the world that would love vacationing at nudist resorts, but are not aware of what we offer."

To see all 20 of the predictions click here

If you have always wanted to stay at a clothing optional resort, now is the perfect time. Last Year, AOL.com picked us as one of the 10 best clothing optional resorts in the world and the only nudist resort on the west coast that was honored. Also last year, the Vancouver Sun newspaper in Canada picked us as one of the best places in the world to go nude sunbathing.

We are the most mainstream clothing optional resort in the US. We are perfect for couples trying topless or nude sunbathing for the first time. You do not have to be a card carrying nudist to stay here.

Give us a call at 800-786-6938 for more information or to make reservations.

Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

Follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/nudist_resorts

Hope to see you soon in sunny Palm Springs!

Palm Springs businesses are marketing to the wrong customers

I posted this post back on 11/29/08. It is more true than ever today. Here in Palm Springs most businesses are still spending most of their marketing money and energies trying to woo the local Southern Californian customer. Instead, Palm Springs business needs to market more to the national and international guests.

Now it's human nature to market to the easiest customers to attract, "the locals." But, if your a tourist business and you just market to the locals, you'll only be busy on weekends and empty midweek as locals will rarely vacation with you.

14 years ago, we specifically bought a resort that had big rooms, was very spacious and was geared for vacationers. Thus, about 80% of our business comes from out of state and/or out of country. We are busy 7 days a week, not just weekends like other places. There is nothing more boring than going to a nudist resort or a town and finding out no one is around on Sunday thru Fridays because you booked a weekend getaway.

I wrote the paragraph above a year ago. We are now in our 15th year of business. We have found our out of state out of country business has grown to about 85% of our business. Last year was the first year that Washington become the #1 home state of our guests, followed by Canada, and then California.

I read in the paper this week that the states with the most mortgage problems are Florida, followed by California, Arizona, and Nevada. It said currently 1 out of every 7 mortgages in California is in default or behind on their payments.

It makes good sense to diversify your customer base which is why we are the ONLY nudist resort outside of Florida that is busy 7 days a week because out guests come from all over the US, Canada, England, and Australia.

I am a past president of the Palm Springs chamber of commerce. When I was president, I tried my hardest to teach other businesses that you have to cater to the vacation market, not the Saturday night getaway market. Unfortunately, a lot of businesses in the tourist industry did not listen and are now out of business or struggling, including some nudist businesses.

Here is a story about tourism in Palm Springs from our local paper which applies to many tourist destinations:

"Valley Tourist Hot Spots Seeing Downturn, Hoping for Local Turnout

It's the season for travel but tourist spots here in the Valley are just not seeing numbers like they used to.

"We've seen about a 10% drop in our attendance so far this year," says Kimberly Bowers with The Living Desert. She says the struggling economy is delaying what is usually the time things start picking up. Desert adventures, which offers jeep tours of the Coachella Valley have seen nearly a 20% drop in tourism...

"We've increased our advertising in the L.A. and San Bernardino areas and also here locally, we've also been doing some P.R. efforts and we also have a lot of special events coming up," says Lena Zimmerschied with Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.

"We'd like to see tourism in Southern California increasing as far as regional tourism is concerned. So with our feeder markets for example San Diego and Los Angeles hopefully seeing more people coming in from those areas as well," said Bowers...

The original story was from the Desert Sun newspaper 11/28/08. It is no longer on line.

Well this year tourism is down another 20% on top of being down last year. In my opinion a lot of that is due to the short sided easy thinking of marketing local.

Palm Springs needs to do what big cities like Chicago, New York, Las Vegas, etc do, market nationally and internationally.

We have the best resort weather in the world. We are the sunniest city in the US and the last time it rained here was over 9 months ago in February. No other vacation destination can guarantee nice weather like Palm Springs. We need to constantly remind people of that.

Palm Springs businesses should be marketing to Seattle, Portland, Chicago, Minneapolis, Vancouver, Calgary, London, etc. Market to where the winter weather is cold with snow and rain. Then make sure you take care of your customer so they want to come back.

Sadly, we have had more guests from California cancel then ever before this year. Always they say one of them lost their job or they are behind on their mortgage. This breaks our hearts as we have known some of these guests fro more than 10 years.

However, we have found lots of other repeat guests that have cancelled their Hawaiian, Caribbean, Mexican, European, and Floridian vacations and flown to our resort instead because we are such a great bargain.

We just had a couple from Atlanta who we hadn't seen in 11 years stay here for a week. They had been going to Club Orient in St. Martin. This year they cancelled St. Martin. They estimated that in that 10 year time they would have saved about $50,000.00 if they had continued coming to Palm Springs instead of going to St. Martin.

Palm Springs is a great value just like out hotel The Terra Cotta Inn.

So if you have always wanted to try topless or nude sunbathing, give us a call at 800-786-6938. It will be your most fun vacation ever.

Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

Friend us on facebook at http://facebook.com/terracottainn

Hope to see you in sunny Palm Springs!

Labor Day Vacation spending to be up this year

Here at the Terra Cotta Inn, we too feel the pent up demand for Labor Day getaways. Our guests have ALL taken extra time off of work then and are stay from 4 nights to 2weeks over Labor Day.

Of course we are the only nudist resort in the western US that caters to couples on vacations, so it is only logical that we will be busy.

Here's the story:

...Capping a rough stay-cation summer for the tourism business, the American Automobile Assn. estimated that about 39.1 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home between the Thursday and Monday of Labor Day weekend -- down 6 million, or 13.3%, from last year's holiday traveler tally. It's also the first decline since 2006.

About 4.7 million Californians will travel over the weekend, off 13% from 5.4 million last year, AAA said.

... Vacationing more cheaply and closer to home has been popular in Southern California, said Carol Martinez, a spokeswoman for LA Inc., the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau.

..."People are looking at shorter-distance trips more nowadays because it's usually not as expensive," Martinez said. "One of our leading visitor markets right now is San Francisco, and we've begun to market more within the region and the state because of that."

...While fewer people are expected to travel this coming holiday weekend, 2009 should still produce the third busiest Labor Day weekend this decade, trailing only 2008 and 2003, AAA said.

Hotel consultant David Brudney sees pent-up demand for pleasure travel and thinks AAA's estimates may be conservative.

"There's no question about it," said Brudney, an independent hotel consultant based in Carlsbad. "I think we're going to have a better demand for Labor Day rooms than is expected right now, across the board, all segments of hotels."

The reason? People feel entitled to a vacation, he said.

"I still believe vacations, if they're mini or full blown, are something people stick to," Brudney said. "They feel like they deserve it. They might think, 'We didn't do it in July, we didn't do it in August, so let's do it now.' "

... "They're trying to win back customers and for them, right now, it's all about those two things -- price and value."

...A sign of a growing belief that the country's economy is beginning to rebound can be seen in how much travelers are willing to spend; AAA's report said 80% of the surveyed travelers said they're planning to spend more this year on their Labor Day trip than last year.

Travelers also should be motivated by gasoline prices, which are down compared with this time last year. The U.S. average price of a gallon of regular gasoline was $2.633 on Wednesday, $1.05 less than a year ago, according to the AAA's daily Fuel Gauge Report.

"Our forecast shows Labor Day travel will be up over this summer's Fourth of July holiday, and that's a positive sign," AAA Chief Executive Robert L. Darbelnet said.

Only 4% of travelers are expected to fly to their destination, while an estimated 84% will drive, the auto club said.

For the full story click here

If you have always wanted to try topless or nude sunbathing, now is the time. We are the most mainstream clothing optional resort in the US and perfect for couples topless or nude sunbathing for the first time.

Last year AOL.com picked us as one of the 10 best clothing optional resorts in the world. And in July, Australia's major media site news.au.com picked us as one of the 10 best nudist resorts in the world.

So say goodbye to your funny tan lines forever. Give us a call at
800-786-6938.

Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

Follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/nudist_resorts

We hope to see you soon in sunny Palm Springs!

National Tourism Week is May 9th - 17th in the US - Support the US Travel industry by vacationing only in America this year

Last year and this year have been pretty tough because of the recession. It has been especially tough in the travel industry and the nudist resort industry. Some nudist resorts and campgrounds have gone out of business or filed for bankruptcy. One big nudist resort in Florida decided that nudists were not supporting them, so they changed their marketing strtegy to cater to swingers instead of nudists.

Luckily, we have done OK. Last year we were the ONLY hotel in all Palm Springs that was up in sales. But, then we have always been the only nudist resort in the western US that catered to couples on vacation. There are a number of nice weekend getaways for locals to go to on Saturday nights. However, if you want to getaway for more than just a Saturday night, and you like staying at a popular resort where you can meet people from around the world everyday of the week, we are the place for you.

I have been saying that American nudists need to support American nudist resorts this year. People always ask, "why aren't there more nudist resorts in the US?"
My answer is people need to stop going to non nudist owned places in the Caribbean and Mexico. The reason there aren't more nudist resorts in the US is many Americans don't support them. They are the reason.

I am also always surprised when people tell me that they just got back from a week long vacation in St. Martin for instance where they spent over $10,000 for a week, yet they tell me they can't join AANR (the major nudist organization that protects nudist rights in the US) because membership is too expensive.

I was reading up about National Tourism Week. It starts this week May 9 - 17th. It promotes what I have been telling people. Support your fellow Americans. Vacation in the US this year!

The tourist industry in the US has 7.7 million employees. Every dollar you spend in the US, goes directly into our communities. Further, every dollar you spend at a nudist resort in the US directly helps nudism in America. When you stay in Mexico or the Caribbean at a topless or nude place, they are not owned by nudists (except Sorobon and Club Orient).

The money you spend in Mexico and the Caribbean go to big impersonal corporations that don't care about nudism. You are just another dollar to them. This is one of the reasons why those places overcharge nudists for their rooms compared to non nudists.

This is the year to help the American nudist economy by vacationing only at American or Canadian nudist resorts. If you want more options to enjoy nude recreation, it is important to support your local club, nudist resort like ours, and nudist organizations like the American Association for Nude Recreation (ANNR), etc.

Here is some information about National Tourism Week:

"History of National Travel and Tourism Week
National Travel and Tourism Week was established as National Tourism Week in 1983 when the U.S. Congress passed a joint resolution designating the week to be celebrated in May 1984. In a White House ceremony, President Ronald Reagan signed a Presidential Proclamation urging citizens to observe the week with "the appropriate ceremonies and activities." Industry leaders and public relations professionals from the major travel and tourism trade associations were the first volunteers to manage the annual event. By January 1986 industry leaders had formed a permanent full-time office at the U.S. Travel Association to sponsor the event and expand tourism awareness into year-round programs."

Go to the US Travel Association to learn more about this week: http://www.tia.org/pressmedia/TWFA/ntw_week.html

We hope to see you this year in sunny Palm Springs!

Tom
http://sunnyfun.com
The Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa

British citizens advised not to travel to Mexico for Health and Safety reasons

The BBC reported that England has issued a travel advisory against going to Mexico except for essential travel only for safety and health reasons. British travel firms are all cancelling their flights to Mexico, especially Cancun. Here is the story:

"Travel firms cancel Mexico trips

Several UK holiday operators have cancelled their flights to Mexico due to the outbreak of the swine flu virus that has claimed 152 lives.

Thomson and First Choice, both owned by TUI Travel, said they has cancelled planned flights to Cancun from Manchester and Gatwick airports.

They said they planned to start flying customers in Mexico back to the UK.

Rival Thomas Cook also said it has cancelled all flights to Cancun for the next seven days.

'Health and safety'

Thomas Cook, Thomson and First Choice said their decision followed the UK Foreign Office's decision to advise only essential travel to Mexico...

Travel insurance providers are likely to pay out if a holiday is cancelled after the official advice has been not to go to affected countries...

For the full story Click here

This year I have been suggesting that Americans you should vacation in the US. Every dollar that you spend on airlines, hotels, restaurants, and tourist attractions goes directly back into the US economy.

And I have been suggesting that American and Canadian nudists should support American and Canadian nudist resorts this year by vacationing at them instead of in Mexico or the Caribbean where non nudists run overpriced resorts charging nudists more for rooms compared to non nudists.

I have heard people say they have a hard time finding American goods to buy. Well vacationing in America is 100% AMERICAN!

We have had lots of guests this year book our resort for the first time as now they are looking for value on their vacations. They were tired of overpaying for a Caribbean or Mexican vacation. In a recession, value is king.

And our resort, The Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa is considered the best value nudist resort in the US.

And now with Mexico especially Cancun so dangerous to travel to because both of both swine flue and the Mexican drug cartels, it makes even more sense to vacation in the good ole USA. And on top of this, hurricane season starts June first in Mexico, Florida, and the Caribbean, so you will want to vacation where there is good weather instead of risking a tropical storm raining our your vacation.

Palm Springs, California is the perfect alternative to Mexico and the Caribbean. We are the sunniest city in the US averaging less than 3 inches of rain a year.

And our resort, The Terra Cotta Inn is the perfect place as both AOL.com and tripadvisor.com have picked them as one of the 10 best clothing optional resorts in the world.

Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

Give us a call at 800-786-6938 for more information or to make reservations.

We answer the phones from 8am-10pm PST.

We hope to see you in sunny Palm Springs!

Beware of phony hotel and travel deals

All the time I see hotel "sales" that once you look closer, really aren't sales at all. They are just trying to con people into thinking they are discounting their rooms.

I just saw a big textile hotel in the Palm Springs area advertise a 45% off room sale for the summer. Their rooms are advertised midweek at $149/night. This "sale" has been picked up on many travel sites like Los Angeles Times as a "real" deal for budget travelers.

Now when you read the fine print, you'd also see that you'd have to pay a $25 resort fee and parking at this resort.

For the room rate to be 45% off, that means the current rate would be $270/night. I know this hotel NEVER sells for that amount. I checked travelocity and expedia. How much is a room currently at that hotel? $149/night plus $25 resort fee plus parking. Big deal, where's the discount.

People have to watch out for these phony "deals." Hotels all over the world are creating phony come ons so they can submit them to the gullible media as room sales. Let the buyer beware.

Now we have never ever had phony rates in which to offer phony discounts at our hotel. That is why we are considered one of the best value hotels of ALL hotels in Palm Springs. This is also why we have one of the highest occupancy rates of all hotels in Palm Springs.

In the summer, in July and August, we have a true sale on Monday thru Thursday of stay 1 night, the 2nd is half priced. We have had these special rates for the last 14years every July and August which is why we will be full in the summer. We have NO resort fees and no day fees and no parking fees. Also we include complimentary breakfast and afternoon stacks. We also allow early check in (10am) and late check out (5pm).

This year should be the year that you de-stress and try a fun new kind of vacation experience. A clothes free vacation. Stay at our resort, The Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa to see why repeat guests from around the world fly to our nudist resort. AOL.com picked us as one of the 10 best clothing optional resorts in the world last summer.

Give us a call at 800-786-6938.

Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

Hope to see you soon in sunny Palm Springs!

Americans need to vacation only in the US this year

Here's something everyone can do to help the US economy this year. Vacation only in the US. The job you save maybe your own.

Right now the US is in the worst recession since the great depression. Lots of people are losing their jobs. Yet, millions of Americans are taking vacations in Mexico and the Caribbean. That is taking jobs away from Americans, don't they see that?

According to Wikipedia

"In the US, tourism is either the first, second or third largest employer in 29 states, employing 7.3 million in 2004, to take care of 1.19 billion trips tourists took in the US in." click here for quote

Every time I hear someone brag about going to the Caribbean or Mexico, I think how unpatriotic. If you want an island feel, go to Hawaii. If you want people to speak English with a Spanish accent then come here to California, or go to Texas, or Florida.

Nudists especially ask me all the time "Tom, why aren't there more places like Terra Cotta Inn in the US." I tell them the truth, American nudists in general do not support the American nudist industry.

For instance, Caliente in Florida said one of the major reason they switched to marketing to swingers was they did not get enough bookings from nudists.

I will never understand why nudists go to the overpriced places in the Caribbean and Mexico, especially since most of them are not even owned my nudists.

Now some people are slowly changing their mindset this year. People are waking up to the fact they have been overpaying for years to go to nude places in Mexico and the Caribbean. For instance we just had a couple here for 3 weeks that used to go to St Martin in the spring. They said for the cost of 1 week in St. Martin they could spend 3 weeks at our resort and still go home with thousands of dollars. We have had a lot of guests cancel Club Orient and Hidden beach this year to save money as our resort is considered the best value nudist resort in this hemisphere.

Nudists, cancel your vacations to the Caribbean or Mexico and only vacation at American nudist resorts this year. Also get an AANR membership and support that great organization.

Non nudists, if you are complaining about the US economy and are vacationing outside of the US this year, shame on you.

Vacationing in the US is one way to help boost the American economy and help people save their jobs.

No one should be going to Mexico or the Caribbean this year.

Support American workers, vacation only in the US in 2009!

Tom
Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa, Palm Springs, CA
http://sunnyfun.com

Jet Blue announced a major 1 day airfare sale today Wednesday March 4th

Jet Blue announced a major airfare sale today on Wednesday March 4th. Here are the details:

"We have a huge inventory of flights to assorted destinations at super low prices! Casual, business, family–no matter your Jetting personality, we're sure our free TV, free snacks, lots of legroom and award-winning service will fit you to a T. Quick! Grab a seat now, our sample sale is today only and at these prices–they'll be gone before you know it.
Oneway flights from $29–$99*
Fares are valid on March 4, 2009 from 12:01 a.m. MST to 11:59 p.m. MST
Fares are available for travel from March 10 to April 1, Tuesday and Wednesday only

Click here for Jet Blue sale page

To get to Palm Springs you would fly to San Diego or Long Beach.

An example of some of these rates are $138 round trip from NY, Boston, or DC to Long Beach.

I hope you find this helpful even if you are able to fly somewhere else besides Palm Springs.

I have had so many people thank me for pointing out airfare sales so they could see relatives, take cheap business trips, etc.

Give us a call at 800-786-6938 to make reservations or check on availability.

Now is the perfect time to take a vacation at our resort, The Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa. we are perfect for first time topless and nude sunbathers as we are the most mainstream nudist resort in the US.

Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

Hope to see you soon in sunny Palm Springs!

A travel book says The Terra Cotta Inn, Palm Springs is the perfect getaway destination

We have always been the popular clothing optional resort of Southern California. This time of the year, although most guests are flying here for vacations, we always have Southern California guests stay with us for quick getaways on Sunday through Thursdays.

We just had a guest check in from LA. They are here today and tomorrow nights. They told us they found us in the book, 52 Great Weekend Escapes in Southern California. The book is published by Insiders' Guide which is the third largest travel guide publisher in the US right after Fodors and Frommers. What sets Insiders' Guide travel books apart is they do in depth reporting on where to go, where to stay, things to do, etc. They are highly respected by travelers. We are honored to be recommended by them.

For instance, we are featured as one of the 52 Great Weekend Escapes. They wrote 4 pages about us. We were the ONLY place or activity that was recommended in Palm Springs. Now that is cool. Insiders' Guide felt that staying at our nudist resort is considered the only activity and place to stay in Palm Springs.

Click here to see all 52 recommended escapes

The press has always called us the most mainstream nudist resort in the US, and this recommendation again proves it. We are the only activity recommended in Palm Springs. The other 51 activities are regular textile activities like Hearst Castle, Visiting Malibu, San Diego Zoo, Magic Mountain amusement park, touring Southern Californian missions, etc.

The writer and his wife were first timers and loved our resort.

To read an excerpt from the book CLICK HERE

Now is the perfect time to stay at our resort in sunny Palm Springs. We are perfect for first time couples trying topless or nude sunbathing.

Give us a call at 800-786-6938. We answer the phones from 8am-10pm PST.

Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

Hope to see you in sunny Palm Springs!

Palm Springs needs to market more to the national and international guests

Nudist resorts operate just like many resort cities. They market to the easiest customers to attract, "the locals" and wonder why they are only busy on weekends.

14 years ago, we specifically bought a resort that had big rooms, was very spacious and was geared for vacationers. Thus, about 80% of our business comes from out of state and/or out of country. We are busy 7 days a week, not just weekends like other places. There is nothing more boring than going to a nudist resort and finding out no one is around on Sunday thru Fridays because you booked a weekend getaway.

For instance over Thanksgiving, we have more guests from Canada here then we did from Southern California. And the Canadians were not coming here for our Thanksgiving holiday, they just wanted to getaway from the cold and snow.

I am a past president of the Palm Springs chamber of commerce. When I was president, I tried my hardest to teach other businesses that you have to cater to the vacation market, not the Saturday night getaway market. Unfortunately, a lot of businesses in the tourist industry did not listen and are now suffering as Southern Californians rein in their their weekend getaways.

Here is a story about tourism in Palm Springs which applies to many tourist destinations:

"Valley Tourist Hot Spots Seeing Downturn, Hoping for Local Turnout

It's the season for travel but tourist spots here in the Valley are just not seeing numbers like they used to.

"We've seen about a 10% drop in our attendance so far this year," says Kimberly Bowers with The Living Desert. She says the struggling economy is delaying what is usually the time things start picking up. Desert adventures, which offers jeep tours of the Coachella Valley have seen nearly a 20% drop in tourism...

"We've increased our advertising in the L.A. and San Bernardino areas and also here locally, we've also been doing some P.R. efforts and we also have a lot of special events coming up," says Lena Zimmerschied with Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.

"We'd like to see tourism in Southern California increasing as far as regional tourism is concerned. So with our feeder markets for example San Diego and Los Angeles hopefully seeing more people coming in from those areas as well," said Bowers.

The tourists we spoke with say they're traveling less than before this year and that could be a silver lining for the tourism business here in the valley.

We were usually going to go to Florida for the season and we decided to stay local because of that reason," says Cindy Colberg who is visiting from San Diego...

For the full story click here

Palm Springs needs to do what big cities like Chicago, New York, Las Vegas, etc do, market nationally and internationally. We have probably the best resort weather in the world, yet, businesses here are marketing to Los Angeles, and San Diego. They should be marketing to Seattle, Portland, Chicago, Vancouver, Calgary, etc. market to where the winter weather is cold with snow. Then make sure you take care of your customer so they want to come back. Then they would be busier.

This year will be our busiest year of business. We have found lots of guests have cancelled their Hawaiian, Caribbean, Mexican, European, and Floridian vacations and flown to our resort instead.

Palm Springs tourist officials need to realize that we are in competition for tourists around the world. And the one trump card we hold is we have the best weather anywhere since we are the sunniest city in the US. I wish they wouldn't spend so much money marketing to Southern California, but instead market to vacationers.

So if you have always wanted to try topless or nude sunbathing, give us a call at 800-786-6938. Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

Hope to see you in sunny Palm Springs!

Nudism in Decline according to Time Magazine back in 1971

I just came across the naturist library blog. They list 59 articles from Time
Magazine about nudism. The one article title I thought that was so interesting is here:

"07/19/1971 - The Decline of Nudism"

For the full list of articles click here

It is too bad that the article isn't reprinted, so everyone could read it.

Nudism in decline back in 1971? How interesting. Now a days vacationing at nudist resorts is called the fastest growing trend in the travel industry. My how times have changed.

And if you have always wanted to try topless or nude sunbathing, give us a call at 800-786-6938. Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

Hope to see you in sunny Palm Springs!

Nude Beach vacation recommended by GoGirlfriend.com

There are so many websites out there. I never heard of gogirlfriend.com before. Here is what they say about their site:

GoGirlfriend.com - Travel with confidence
GG is a travel based opinion site for women going places
GoGirlfriend is where intelligent women go for travel information that matters. We inform, connect and inspire women to live their travel dreams.

Well today they are trying to inspire women to take a vacation at a nude beach in Florida. Here is the story:

"Florida Beaches Guide - Playalinda Beach


Move over wooden bangles and dangly earrings, we're shedding it all when we visit Playalinda Beach, a barrier island on Canaveral National Seashore. Yes, we understand nudism is illegal in Florida, but this is one beach you can shed your clothes and no one will notice - or care.

The most northern parking area of the beach is so secluded that nudism laws aren't enforced. You'll find a wide variety of visitors here from heterosexual couples to gay men to true naturists. If this describes you, Playalinda Beach should be on your (nude) vacation radar. If you're not into public displays of your body, Playalinda has a more conservative section along the parking lots leading up to spot 13..."

For the full story click here click here

Here is another example of the mainstreaming of nude recreation. A women's travel site recommending women to take a vacation at a nude beach.

Of course they made an error in their story. Nudism is NOT illegal in Florida, it is just illegal at most beaches. Why they did not recommend Haulover Beach, I'll never know.

Also why they didn't recommend Cypress Cove which is the best nudist resort in Florida and just minutes outside of Orlando I don't know.

Finally, why they recommended a summer vacation in Florida is beyond me. Everyone knows Florida is the rainiest state in the US in the summer. The National Weather Service says 3 of the 10 rainiest cities in the US in the summer are Miami, Tampa, and Orlando. And this summer the weather has been worse then ever in Florida.

Gogirlfriend should have recommended a nude beach in California. Or better yet, they should have recommended staying at our resort in sunny Palm Springs, CA.

So for your best vacation ever give us The Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa a call at 800-786-6938. Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

Hope to see you in sunny Palm Springs!

Elvis Presley's Palm Springs estate is for sale

Elvis Presley's estate in Palm Springs is now for sale. If you ever wanted to buy some history, now is the time.

Palm Springs is the coolest vacation destination in the US. There is so much Hollywood history in our town. Lots of movie stars have or had homes here.

Elvis Presley honeymooned here and later bought a home. It is now up for sale.

Here's the story:

"Elvis Presley's Palm Springs Home On The Market


Some names add cachet to a house years after they have moved on. Elvis Presley definitely falls into that category. Now his Palm Springs home, basically his "Graceland West" is up for sale... The home is located in the foothills of the San Jacinto Mountains in Palm Springs. Elvis lived in the home for almost eight years (he purchased it in 1970) and spent his last birthday there.

The approximately 5,000 square foot home has four bedrooms. Architect Albert Frey designed the Spanish-style stucco home which includes Presley's bedroom suite with two complete bathrooms, a sunken black and red tile tub, and dressing area. The living room has a cathedral beamed ceiling and overlooks the pool. The home is being sold with Presley's original kitchen appliances, a separate indoor sauna and steam room, plus his private covered Jacuzzi...

The property is approximately two acres and is listed at $17 million. For more information about the property, or to request a showing, contact Honey Brooks at 415.435.2585"

And if you want to stay at another famous Albert Frey designed Palm Springs hotel, you need to stay at The Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa. We are a unique, fun, romantic nudist resort.

Never been topless or nude sunbathing? No problem. It is the fastest growing trend in the travel industry.

Terra Cotta Inn is considered the most mainstream nudist resort in America and perfect for couples trying nude sunbathing for the first time.

So give them a call at 800-786-6938. Visit their site at http://sunnyfun.com

Hope to see you in sunny Palm Springs!