Magnolias Natura Resort in Gran Canaria, Spain: Review

Gran Canaria is one of the most popular clothes-free destinations in Spain, and that is largely thanks to the famous nude beaches of Maspalomas and Playa del Inglès. For those who want to spend more time in the nude than just on the beach, right in between those two popular destinations is Magnolias Natura. A boutique-style hotel where you can be 100% clothes-free

As Gran Canaria is an island, there are only two ways to get here: Either by plane or by ferry.

Ferries between the Gran Canaria and Tenerife or Fuerteventura operate several times per day. If you’re planning to travel by ferry from mainland Spain (Huelva or Cadiz), it is important to take into account that there are often no more than one or two ferries per week which easily get fully booked. So it’s recommended to book these long in advance.

Gran Canaria Airport connects to about 150 destinations operated by over 60 companies. Nearly every European country is served, along with select African destinations such as Morocco, Senegal, and Mauritania. If you’re travelling from any other country, you’re likely to have a layover somewhere in Europe.

Tenerife has a decent public transport system so renting a car is not a necessity to see the island. But if you want to explore some of the more remote areas, which is where some of the nude beaches are, you will need your own transportation. If you need transport from the airport to the resort, it’s cheaper and more convenient to organise this with the resort rather than taking an airport taxi.

Given its location, Magnolias Natura is a rather small resort with just 28 bungalows. We stayed in bungalow 103. This doesn’t matter much, because all bungalows look alike, but we like mentioning this. Anyway, each bungalow has a large living area, a fully equipped kitchenette, a bedroom with a huge closet and a bathroom with sink, toilet, and shower. Additionally, there’s TV and air conditioning.

What we enjoyed a lot is that all bungalows have a private terrace, which is perfect if you want to be alone and still like to enjoy the warm Canarian sun. We found it an excellent place to have our first (and often second) coffee of the day. If you’re new to the clothes-free world, this is also a great spot to take your first steps and enjoy some time nude in the sun alone before mingling with the other guests.

The main highlight of Magnolias Natura is its large pool, which is heated by the way. As well as its hot tub, which is heated even more. Throughout the day, most guests who decide to stay inside can be found here. Dozing away or reading a book in one of the sunbeds, having an occasional swim, while keeping an eye on their watch so they don’t accidentally miss happy hour.

Happy hour is at 4 pm, by the way, but the bar is open throughout the day and drinks are at very reasonable prices. The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast is buffet style, for lunch, you can choose between a number of snacks like sandwiches, pastas, soups, and more. Dinner is with a fixed menu that changes every day and gives you the choice between two or three starters, two or three mains, and dessert. If we remember correctly, there are vegetarian options as well.

For many visitors to Gran Canaria, the greater Maspalomas area is all they’ll ever see. Which is totally fine, it’s a tourist hot spot packed with bars, restaurants, nightlife, and, of course, one of the world’s largest nude beaches (or two, if you count the Maspalomas part and the Playa de Inglès part separately). Another thing we loved about Magnolias Natura is that it’s located in one of the few quiet areas in town, but is still within walking distance from all the fuss. There’s also a free shuttle service that takes you to the city or the nude beaches.

If spending your whole vacation inside or on beaches and in beach bars is not your thing, no worries. Gran Canaria has a surprisingly large variety of things to do. Have a look at the video below to see where we went, but we definitely didn’t cover all of it.

Briefly summarised, the west coast is the most desolate and has some excellent hiking opportunities. You’ll also find some very remote nude beaches here. The north coast is greener, but also a bit colder, yet you can find some lovely spots here like Puerto de las Nieves, Sardina, or Bañaderos. Or you can head into the mountains of the interior of the island to find picturesque villages like Teror or taste local Arehucas rum.

Anyway, lots to do in Gran Canaria. If you want to organise excursions but don’t know where to start, talk to the staff of Magnolias Natura, they will help you out.

As the resort is British-owned, we weren’t surprised to find quite some Brits among the guests. However, the availability of a full English breakfast may have something to do with this as well. Other nationalities we met were Dutch, French, Spanish and Swedish.

The vibe at Magnolias Natura is very chill and relaxed. It seemed like most guests just stay here to unwind, either from their busy life at home or from long nights in town. We didn’t ask about details. In any case, we get it. It’s the perfect getaway from the beach while still being just around the corner.

A great thing about the Canary Islands is that they have naturist weather year-round. The islands tend to get very busy during the summer months when it’s vacation season in Europe and the weather is hot. But naturism-wise, this is actually more like the low season on Gran Canaria.

Most naturists head over to the island in winter, when it’s more or less the only place in Europe where you can be comfortably naked. But also the shoulder seasons seem to be a popular time to get naked on a warm Spanish island.

The best ways to book at Magnolias Natura are:

The staff speaks Spanish, English, Dutch, German, and French.

During our stay, we asked on Instagram what you wanted to know about Magnolias Natura. Here are the most common questions answered:

No, only guests who stay overnight are allowed inside the resort.

The resort is very quiet, which we found surprising given its location, but yet, quiet it was.

You are allowed to be naked throughout the whole resort. Although there are no specific rules, guests are expected to be nude in and around the swimming pool area. In the bar and restaurant, it’s more like dress or undress as you wish, and obviously, in and around your accommodation you can be as nude or clothed as you want.

There is no specific minimum stay, but most guests book per week (7 days). During important holiday periods, like Christmas, you might be expected to book at least 10 days. Other times, you may find a bungalow for only 5 days. Also important to mention is that the maximum stay is one month.

We would say yes, in the sense that the resort is rather flat and one or two bungalows are accommodated with a ramp for wheelchairs. But some mobility may be required to fully enjoy the facilities.

It’s quite a walk, about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how much of a walker you are. But as mentioned above, there is a free shuttle service that takes people to and from the beach several times per day.