The last week of January 2010 became a very unique adventure for about 250 sexy, erotic travelers from over a dozen countries as they set sail in the Caribbean on the ShoesOnlyTravel.com lifestyle cruise, a private whole ship charter.

As they boarded the Windstar, Windsurf in Barbados with anticipation of a week of sun, sex and wild adventures few dared hope that they were about to embark on what many described later as the hottest, sexiest and best vacation of their lives.

With only 156 cabins and a staff of 180+ the Windsurf, the largest sailing vessel in the world wrapped our group in an eclectic mix of amazing food, 5- star service, sizzling sexy parties, fantastic sex in the group playroom and on deck under the stars with the casual atmosphere and personal attention you would only find on the largest private mega yachts of the world.

But of course this was not just your average voyage; it was a floating luxury lifestyle resort “Au Naturel”. The normal rules were thrown overboard, as a matter of fact they were almost non-existent. By day, our sexy couples enjoyed everything from hot fun and games by the pool supplied by our Hedonism team, “Naughty Nick & “Shaquie”, to intimate rendezvous around the ship lounging with their favorite cocktail and meeting other sensuous couples.

The nights sizzled with hot theme parties like Leather and Lace, Dipped in Red, Sexy on the Seas and White Night. Everyone danced the night away to live bands and hot dance tunes from our Miami Velvet DJ. The nights continued to sizzle at the aft pool and bar to 4am. Many couples took a spin, so to speak, in our group playroom while others chose erotic play under the stars. Either way, the ship was rocking till dawn, in more ways than one.

The ShoesOnlyTravel.com Erotic Caribbean Cruise managed to combine the best sexy features of our favorite resorts like Hedo and Desire yet add the missing components such as great food, top shelf drinks, luxury accommodations and personal service.  

The Erotic Au Naturel Caribbean Cruise was such a smash hit that it has become an annual event the last week of January with the next sailing set for January 23^rd – 30^th 2011, 30% of this year’s travelers already booked before folks got off the ship!

The Verdict is in ShoesOnlyTravel.com Cruise gets a perfect score 100%

Post Cruise  -  Survey Results

1^st Annual Erotic Au Naturel Caribbean Cruise

January 24^th – 31^st 2010

Here are some of the comments from our passengers:

“It was the best vacation week that we have had in our 5 years together.” - Joel & Angela, WPB, FL

“We have very demanding jobs and 5 kids, this trip rekindled our romance and we have fallen in love again.” D&J

F A N T A S T I C !!!!!!!!!!!!! - Natasha & Jean-Pierre Geneva

“Exceeded our expectations, people were great- guests, staff, crew. We will definitely book another cruise with you!” - Marty and Holly, Phila.

“You guys did an outstanding job. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and look forward to booking more trips with ShoesOnlyTravel because we know you do things first class.” - Mark & Pamela, Tampa

“This was a great experience. Cannot think of one thing to say negative. We had a really great time and Lori and Jonathan did a great job. We met so many fabulous and sexy people. What more can be said except “Sign up for next year or miss out on a great swingers’ cruise” – Keith and Laura, TX

“We loved the trip and already booked for next year and can’t wait. We will also be encouraging friends to join us. On a scale of 1-10 it is a ten plus. We have never enjoyed a trip where everyone got along so well all of the time, just a great group of people.” - Carol & Jim, San Diego

“It was an absolutely amazing vacation. We came back saddened that it was over, but still with grins on our faces. As amazing as the Windstar staff were, we chose this vacation because of Shoes Only Travel. – M&D (San Mateo)

“This trip was exceptional and the support provided by ShoesOnlyTravel.com was a major reason for the success of the trip.”  - Kathye and Stas, WPB, FL

“AWESOME! We will see you again in 2011!” - Herb & Rhonda – Missouri

Whether you’re looking for built-in friends and fun for your first trip to a lifestyle resort, or you’re looking forward to meeting up with old friends while meeting new friends to your favorite resort, a Shoes Only Travel resort takeover week may be just what you’re looking for. 

As the name implies, a takeover happens when Shoes Only books all the rooms in a resort or on a cruise giving them full, exclusive access to all the resort has to offer.   All the personal attention results in a more luxurious vacation for you and your partner! Another takeover plus is that with the resort all to Shoes Only guests for the week, all your fellow guests are there for the duration, unlike at other times during the year when check ins and check outs happen daily.  All your new friends will be staying just as long as you are!

For newbies to lifestyle travel, filling a hotel with others traveling with Shoes Only Travel may seem to mean only that everyone in the resort booked through the same travel agent- but that’s not the only perk of having booked for a takeover week.  When Shoes Only takes over, there are fun filled activities designed to get you mingling with your fellow Shoes Only travelers.  The first night is usually spent at a get-to-know-you reception where new lifestylers meet one another and experienced travelers reunite. Listening to returning guest regale their stories and pass along tips can help those newbies decide how to make the most of their first experiences. For the rest of the week, the activities are tailored to the Shoes Only crowd offering more fun and excitement.

Returning guests to a resort can have fun with the special activities planned exclusively for Shoes Only guests during a resort take over as they take in past favorites of the resort.  They can also enjoy familiar activities with a new level of service with the increased staff to guest ratios. 

Because take over weeks are 100% Shoes Only guests, bear in mind that there have to be enough guests registered to fill the resort requirement for take over.  This means you have to book ahead and pay in advance early enough to ensure a commitment to the vacation.  It also means it’s a great time to talk your friends, either real life or online, to join you. What a great way to meet friends from an online site such as Couples Touch or other social networking sites.  Even if you don’t click as well as you did online, there will be more playmates for you to meet in the course of your stay!

Shoes Only Travel has a variety of resort takeovers & group trips planned for 2009 at Desire, Hedonism, and Hidden Beach resorts as well as an exclusive Lifestyle Luxury Cruise, giving you 9 chances to give in to the private pleasures of an exclusive Shoes Only experience.  The first planned trip for 2009 is a holiday recovery in Desire, Los Cabos.  What could be a better gift than a get away in the sun with a nice group of  friends right after the stress of the holiday season?  It might be hard to put a bow on, but it is one gift you’re certain to remember forever! 

Things to know before you go

South Beach.  Mexico, Jamaica, European beaches. They’ve always held interest to you.  Something about being that exposed in nature, every inch of your body caressed only by the sun holds appeal for you.  Clearly you’ve done your homework, learned that Shoes Only Travel offers great clothing optional travel excursions and found yourself here.  The first thing to do (after reading this blog!) is to find your travel personality in the travel personality profile. 

Before you know it, you’ll have your travel dates planned and be ready for the adventure of a lifetime.  And as you plan, it’ll hit you, you don’t know what to take, what to do, what to expect!  Don’t worry.  Keep reading and we’ll help you with the basics of Shoes Only Travel because even though the name implies grabbing a pair of flip flops and your passport, clothing optional travel does not always mean everything goes; here’s what you should know before you go.

The heat of the Caribbean starts with the sun. You’ll want to protect yourself with a good sunscreen (SPF 70 works great for those special areas), sunglasses, and maybe a sunhat.  The sand can be hot too so good shoes are a sure bet.  Swimwear can be mild to wild and no one knows who you are so take this opportunity to show off your efforts in the gym with a suit you wouldn’t dream of wearing to the neighborhood pool- if you want to take anything at all!

If you’re a slave to your workout routine, you’ll be glad to know that most resorts and cruises offer fitness centers, but of course you’ll want to bring workout gear for lifting and sweating.

Hedonism, Desire, and other resorts and cruises have theme nights to help turn up the fun factor.  If you want to join in, you don’t want to be without a costume!  Check the resort page on the Shoes Only Travel site to find out what theme nights will take place during your stay and raid your costume chest for pirate costumes, disco wear, and the like.  If you’re ready to let go of your inhibitions, costumes for nights like “All That Glitters” can be contained in a small package of rhinestones to be creatively placed. 

Surrounded by sun, sand, and festivities, it will be tempting to load up on pictures, but remember to be sensitive to fellow vacationers.  The CPA and his wife in the next room who you’ve been drinking buddies with since check in may not want pictures of the Mrs. taking a body shot in your online gallery.  However, they may not mind getting a copy of that shot , so experienced travelers recommend taking personal calling cards with your name and email address to hand out to new friends.

It is better to be over packed than under prepared but overall, don’t forget that this is a vacation.  Take what you need and trust that the rest will take care of itself. 

Alternative lifestyles are getting a lot more attention in the media lately.  Of course polygamy (the practice of being married to more than one woman) creates headlines in the news, but the internet is crawling with forums for people living alternative lifestyles and now TV is has waved bye-bye to the taboo line of same-sex kissing on the small screen and gone to full on bisexual and gay relationships, and swinging has made it to the big 3 networks.

CBS’ new television show, Swingtown, has brought open marriages into prime time and made it available to anyone with basic cable.  It is exciting to see misconceptions about open marriages being corrected. Just because Tina and Tom are swingers, does not mean that anything goes.  There are still just as many emotions involved, and they are just as sensitive as the next person in line at the grocery store. Their discussion forum is heated, though many people under the guise of anonymity are posting their experiences and support for the show. 

Not being so anonymous, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith have recently brought their marriage into the open.  Of course, this is also sparking a lot of debate.  To me, the important thing is that he’s talking about honesty in the relationship which is really the key to any successful relationship, open or closed.

The surge in exposure is driving people to websites for all types of lifestyles.  The conversations are important.  It is great to see people talking about what they want and how to get it either in their current relationship, by working on the relationship, and/or changing it as needed.  It’s also good for people to share experiences.  Not every open marriage stays open. Not every polyamorous relationship ends up happy.  Then again, monogamous relationships don’t always end in a ride into the sunset either.

If you’re looking to take a walk on the wild side, Shoes Only Travel offers great travel packages to places like Hedonism resorts, Desire resorts, and other exciting clothing optional excursions like Au Naturel, Lifestyle cruises where the Vegas tag line, “what happens in _____________ (Hedo, Desire, vacation) stays in _____________” apply.  The warm Caribbean waters can bring out some hot adventures.  Let Shoes Only take care of the travel arrangements while you prepare for the time of your life.

Regardless of where people fall on the relationship spectrum, the most important thing is dialogue in relationships; being able to talk about your needs and desires. Perhaps when we start with our own relationships, we can begin to think about other types of relationships and how they fulfill our needs.