Post #10 - Oriental Village Resort - Nudist destination review

Destination - The Oriental Village (nudist resort). 
Location - Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Review duration -  A Friday during October 2018
Official link - https://orientalvillage-chiangmai.com


Brief review

Visit the Instagram page for more pages with more bullet points on this destination.

Brief background

• Although public nudity is illegal in Thailand, it is legal within enclosed environments, as in resorts.
• There are several nudist resorts in Thailand, in almost 3 or 4 cities. The Oriental Village is the first such resort in Chiang Mai.

Detailed Review

Weather

• It was a pleasant sunny day. With temperatures between 30 and 34 degrees Celsius, it was a great day to chill with some drinks by the pool side.

Visitors

• There was only one couple that day. Including me, there were 3 visitors.
• The resort service staff told only about this couple visiting that day, so I assume that there was none else inside the cottages.
• As per the resort service staff, it was an off season when I visited. He said the crowd is much bigger during the Thai Lantern festival, Loi Krathong, which was coming up during end of November that year. 
• Just to give some perspective, on my visit to Barefeet Naturist Resort in Bangkok, during the same week that October, I found a bigger crowd.

Entry

• Entry was available for me on spot for a day visit. However, during peak season, it would be a good idea to call them in advance, to confirm booking. 
• They charged a fixed 500 THB for a day visit. I spent some 2 hours there. 
• No affiliation to any nudist association needed. 

Nudity rules

• Nudity is allowed everywhere within the resort. 
• For personal hygiene reasons, guests are required to always sit on a towel or sarong when using the sunbeds.

Other rules

• For more rules, refer to the FAQ on their official website.

Gender ratio

• Women : men was 1 : 2.

Age bracket ratio

• It appeared that both of them were 40 plus. So, including me, ratio of (18-40) : 40+ was 1 : 2.

States of undress

• Everyone, including men and women were completely naked.

Racial & Ethnic composition 

• Only browns found, and no whites or yellows, for the first time, out of so many of my visits to various nudist destinations. If the term yellow in this context is new for you, refer color terminology for races and this map distribution.
• The male appeared to be from the Indian subcontinent and the female, with a dark brown skin, could also be same or may be from one of the neighboring countries, like Malaysia.

Body sizes ratio

• Ratio of Plus sizes to others was 1 : 2.

Solo visitors present? 

• Yes, male only, that's me!

Facilities/attractions

• Gym, and cottages for stay seemed available. 
• Other than these, the official website mentions various in house activities like pentaque, badminton etc. however, when I visited, there were not enough people to play with.
• One particular thrilling aspect about the resort was the open air lawns with low walls and the chances of visibility from the nearby paddy fields. From some points, like the swimming pool section, almost an entire person could be seen from outside. However, I did not observe anyone trying to peek.
• This resort running with such openness in a residential area in Thailand got me amazed at the tolerance and the cool attitude of Thai people. For me, coming from an Indian background, and having found many similarities in culture, and observing some orthodox religious practices being more strictly followed here, like disallowing women from entering many temples in Chiang Mai, it was really relieving to see such a cool attitude.

Sexual activities observed? 

• No.

Capacity

• The resort seemed to have almost 10 cottages for stay and as many tanning beds by the poolside. The official website however mentions capacity for 30 people.
• The pool itself was quite small to hold 10 people at a time.
• The resort was quite spacious overall, with large lawns with a few shaded tables with good spacing.

Interaction level 

• Medium- If one is looking for interaction with other visitors, the pool side is always a good place. During proper season, with more visitors, people can probably interact while involving with the activities.
• For those needing some solo space in the open, the shaded tables and hammocks in the spacious lawn were perfect.

Difficulty level

• Medium, I would say, given that when I went, it was not peak season, so I could not see anyone when I entered the resort. I ordered some food at the restaurant and still could not see anyone. The service staff said there was only one couple present. It felt a bit awkward hearing that given the large area of the resort making the probability of the couple stationed anywhere and added to my anticipation of awkward moments either due to suddenly facing each other or due to feeling each other's presence from a distance, but not being able to come closer, as it would look awkward. However, thankfully, it was nothing like I had thought. The couple was relaxing, completely naked by the poolside. I had no hesitation in going there, getting naked and saying hello.

Overall rating

• 2.5 out of 5.
• For people visiting from India, or similar cultures and couples in particular, I would highly recommend this resort in Thailand, during the right season, for two reasons - 1. Thailand being a budget destination and 2. this resort being a very spacious one.

What is The Gender Ratio Project?

The Gender Ratio Project is the parent project of The Nudist Calendar Project, which covers beyond nudist destinations (events/platforms/apps etc.) and provides primarily gender ratio information.