I’m quite sure this new resort won’t pull the usual folk that hang out in Sandy Bay. They have their vibe. This resort will have its vibe. Anyway, a report in the Weekend Argus has said that so far, Somerset West residents (where the resort will be situated) have expressed mixed reactions, but a summer 2011 opening is definitely on.

South Africa is a relatively conservative country when it comes to this sort of thing, so it’s fairly surprising that Somerset West has been chosen as the location.

Nudist resorts already exist in Gauteng, Limpopo and the North West, but Somerset West?

Grandmothers live in Somerset West.

According to the Weekend Argus:

Durban businessman Anton Voster has bought Helderberg Forest Lodge in Parel Valley Road beneath the Helderberg with plans to turn it into a Vasnat nudist resort and spa in December. The large property is surrounded by lush bush and high trees, but there are gaps in the vegetation with a clear view of the property – which will have to be closed to stop peeping Toms getting an eyeful.

Peter Ford, chairman of the Helderberg Residents’ Action Association, doesn’t seem too perturbed by the resort, and just asked that it be behind high walls.

Voster and his wife have for years frequented a resort in Greece owned by a British couple, Mark and Samantha Taylor, and approached them with the idea, before purchasing the lodge.

The venue is upmarket and very well run. The guests staying there were almost exclusively from the UK, Netherlands and Germany. We discussed the possibility of opening up a resort in the Cape with Mark and Sam and a range of guests.

Their responses were very positive… they definitely had Cape Town as a future destination in mind.

Vasnat South Africa Naturist Spa only had 12 “likes” on their Facebook page at the time of writing this article, but there is obviously a market for this kind of thing.

[Source: WeekendArgus]