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Bristol Post
Bristol Post
World
Olivier Vergnault & Emma Grimshaw

Inside the West Country's answer to 'Benidorm' - with nudist beaches and cheap beer

Spain has long been hailed a holiday destination where Brits can let their hair down and have some fun, while also enjoying the country's breathtaking beaches. And for tourists hunting for cheap beer and low-cost clubs, Benidorm is the Holy Grail for most tourists.

But now, one West Country spot is giving the city a run for its money. Bournemouth has an impressive offering of bars and clubs, and surprisingly cheap beers for the south coast.

The seaside town also has beautiful beaches – it even has a popular nudist beach nearby, and the area is a hotspot for stag and hen dos. Last Night of Freedom, a stag and hen do organising company, organised twice as many trips to Bournemouth in 2022 as Barcelona, with 76 groups visiting the coastal town in one weekend alone.

READ MORE: Family's West Country holiday 'ruined' by ant infestation and theft at caravan park

Research shows that more stags and hens currently head to Bournemouth, beating out the likes of Ibiza and Krakow. This surge in tourists could have been instigated by clubs' going all out to keep crowds happy.

From shot girls ferrying Jager bombs around the dance floor to confetti cannons, the atmosphere in Bournemouth's nightlife has been described as wild. A series of bars run along the seafront and during the hotter summer months, the town's iconic beach can feel more like the Mediterranean than the Dorset coast.

Away from the clubs, party cruises with onboard DJs and BBQs are staged for tourists, there are also beer bikes and packages that offer the likes of outdoor spas and hot tubs and Spice Girls themed dance classes. And for tourists who want to experience a nudist beach, Studland is around five miles away.

One Tripadvisor reviewer wrote: "I decided to walk the length on the naturist beach. On route I found someone had stayed in a tent over night.

"What way to live, I wished it was me in there, waking up nude a washing in the sea, I can but dream. Anyway I continued on.

"The naturist beach itself is about three quarters of a mile, the most beautiful soft sand. Unfortunately I returned to the place I had left my clothes and it started to rain really heavy. I took my clothes off again so to protect them from the rain and made my way to Studland Beach Car Park. "

Read next:

  • Tourists slate 'rude' staff and expensive parking at West Country beach
  • West Country beach named one of the best in the world - but it's not for the prudish
  • The incredible beautiful West Country cove that is famous all over the world
  • Incredibly beautiful West Country town that looks 'Mediterranean' voted one of the best in UK
  • The incredibly 'charming' West Country seaside town that tourists can't pronounce
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