Caliente Club & Resorts is the largest clothing-optional resort in Florida and one of the most prominent in the continental US — 111 acres in Land O' Lakes, 25 miles north of Tampa International Airport. The current Caliente opened in 2004 on land that had operated as the Joie de Vivre naturist club since 1987, when Richard LaRiviere founded the original property as a 111-acre nudist club.
Joie de Vivre to Caliente
The property's first identity was as the Joie de Vivre (or "Joy of Life") Club, founded April 26, 1987 by Richard LaRiviere after he assembled the 111-acre parcel between 1985 and 1987. Joie de Vivre operated as a traditional naturist club through the 1990s. Caliente Club & Resorts emerged from a major rebuild that started in 2000 and opened in 2004 under the new name — chosen for being the "hottest" nudist-and-lifestyle resort in North America.
Hotel + condos + RV in one property
Caliente operates as a multi-format property: a traditional hotel with ~180 rooms, owned and rental condominiums (residential community), and a sizable RV park. The mix means guests range from one-night drive-in visitors to year-round residents. This is unusual among lifestyle resorts and gives Caliente a permanent community of regulars on top of its rotating travel guests.
Naturist-and-lifestyle
Caliente sits in the naturist-lifestyle category — its roots are naturist but its current programming includes significant lifestyle takeover events, themed weekends, and designated adult-play zones. The property positions itself as clothing-optional rather than fully nudist; some guests are there for naturism and some for the lifestyle scene, and the property handles both audiences.
Amenities
Five pools — including a quarter-acre lagoon pool with stunning waterfall and two islands — anchor the property. Two tiki bars, multiple restaurants, The Retreat Spa, tennis, pickleball, fitness, and the on-site nightclub round out the offering. Pricing is European plan (room only) with optional food and beverage credits, which makes shorter weekend stays more accessible than at all-inclusive resorts.
How Caliente compares
Against Paradise Lakes (also Florida), Caliente is larger, newer, and slightly more lifestyle-oriented. Against Hedonism II, Caliente is the US-domestic option — no passport required, weekend-friendly. Against the Desire properties in Mexico, Caliente is European plan rather than all-inclusive, and singles-friendly rather than couples-only.