Euronat is a naturist holiday resort near the

CHM Montalivet CHM Montalivet (CHM for "Centre Hélio-Marin", "center of sun and sea"), also known as CHM Monta, is the world's first naturist holiday resort located south of Montalivet, in Vendays-Montalivet, France. CHM Montalivet opened in 1950, and the In ...

naturist resort, in

Grayan-et-l'Hôpital Grayan-et-l'Hôpital (; oc, Graian e l'Espitau) is a commune in the Gironde department in southwestern France. Population See also *Communes of the Gironde department The following is a list of the 535 communes of the Gironde department ...

, France. After the success of CHM Montalivet, it was apparent that there was a need for even more capacity. Euronat was founded by Hubert Lacroix (1931–1995) in a pine forest away from the beach. This is reached on a

boardwalk A boardwalk (alternatively board walk, boarded path, or promenade) is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway built with wooden planks that enables pedestrians to cross wet, fragile, or marshy land. They are also in effect a low type of brid ...

through protected dunes or by a roadway where there is parking near the beach. The whole area is naturist. Euronat opened in 1975. It is in area making it the largest naturist holiday centre in Europe. It is licensed for permanent residence.Histoire de Montalivet et des Naturistes du Medoc, Marc-Alain Deschamps, pub. Editions Publimag Most of the area is taken up with

chalet A chalet (pronounced in British English; in American English usually ), also called Swiss chalet, is a type of building or house, typical of the Alpine region in Europe. It is made of wood, with a heavy, gently sloping roof and wide, well-suppo ...

s but are reserved for caravanning, and for

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more na ...

. It also has two mobile home park sections. It has a covered indoor heated swimming pool, a new outdoor pool, an outdoor slide pool, a large

conference hall A conference hall, conference room, or meeting room is a room provided for singular events such as business conferences and meetings. Room It is commonly found at large hotels and convention centers though many other establishments, including even ...

, and boasts a

Thalassotherapy Thalassotherapy (from the Greek word ''thalassa'', meaning " sea") is the use of seawater as a form of therapy. Note: Thalasso therapy is a sub-definition under the listing for Thalasso. It also includes the systematic use of sea products and shor ...

centre. The center includes fitness classes, a weight room with machines and free weights, although they are about 30 yrs old. There are services like massage, mud baths, seaweed treatments and the other latest beauty treatments. Located near the camping section are basketball courts and tennis courts. There are 25 shops in the

shopping centre A shopping center (American English) or shopping centre ( Commonwealth English), also called a shopping complex, shopping arcade, shopping plaza or galleria, is a group of shops built together, sometimes under one roof. The first known colle ...

. These include a bakery, wine shop, a grocery store, a fish market, and a general merchandise shop. Among its cultural offerings, Euronat has had a strong connection with Francois Malkovsky (1889-1982), a proponent of '

free dance Free dance is a 20th-century dance form that preceded modern dance. Rebelling against the rigid constraints of classical ballet, Loie Fuller, Isadora Duncan and Ruth St. Denis (with her work in theater) developed their own styles of free dance ...

'. Also in the center is a pizzeria, seafood restaurant, French restaurant and ice cream stand. A few bars complete the center. According to the center's bylaws, users must adopt total nudity in all parts of Euronat, including the shopping mall. The two supervised beaches are in total and have two

helicopter pad A helipad is a landing area or platform for helicopters and powered lift aircraft. While helicopters and powered lift aircraft are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fabricated helipad provides a clearly marked hard ...

s, for

air ambulance Air medical services is a comprehensive term covering the use of air transportation, aeroplane or helicopter, to move patients to and from healthcare facilities and accident scenes. Personnel provide comprehensive prehospital and emergency and cri ...

use.

References

External links

* * Naturist resorts Nude beaches Beaches of Metropolitan France Landforms of Gironde Naturism in France {{France-stub