TANKAH, Mexico (June 7) - In a world enthralled by thin, perhaps no place is more slanted toward the slender or more daunting for the double-chinned than the beach.

No more. The beach is being made safe for the amply built with the opening of what claims to be the world's first ``size-friendly, all inclusive beach resort.'' At the Freedom Paradise resort south of Cancun, the motto is: ``Live Large, Live Free!''

The resort, which formally opens June 15, targets people afraid to go out on the sand with a few extra pounds, or a few extra dozens of pounds. No more enduring cruel jokes on the beach, or wisecracks from the staff.

``We have hired personnel of all sizes, and have specially trained our slim staff, because there's a lot of discrimination in everyday life,'' said Jurriaan Klink, commercial director of the resort, about 85 miles south of Cancun. ``There are a lot of people who put off vacations, saying 'I'll buy that bikini when I lose 15 pounds.' We say, why wait to lose weight, when you can enjoy life now?''

That sounds good to Angel Alonzo, a rotund 28-year-old from Cancun frolicking in one of the hotel's four pools, which boast wide steps instead of flimsy aluminum pool ladders.

``It's marvelous because it's not just for one size. Everybody fits here,'' said Alonzo, one of the few pre-opening guests.

Alonzo's biggest gripe about regular hotels are the flimsy beach chairs: ``I don't know why they make them out of such cheap plastic. They just collapse under you.''

Freedom Paradise has big, wide benches made of tree trunks, four-foot-wide chaise lounges, and 26-inch wide dining room chairs. All the furniture is reinforced and made of wood.

No more getting stuck in a chair with armrests, because there are no armrests. No more getting stared at on crowded beaches, because the hotel's Tankah beach is 250 yards long and relatively secluded.

Cindy Sabo, spokeswoman for the Sacramento, Calif.-based National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, NAAFA, said the beach can be both a place of anxiety and freedom.

``One of the most empowering things I ever did was when I turned 40, I bought a two-piece bathing suit and went out in it. My husband thinks I look cute, and I feel good,'' said Sabo, who places herself in the ``oversize'' category at around 400 pounds.

She recalled a less pleasant experience on a recent vacation in Hawaii.

``We had some terrible experiences with some other tourists,'' she recalled. ``Especially some people from Asian countries would walk right up to you on the beach, poke you in the belly and make some rude joke.''

At Freedom Paradise, the staff pledges that nobody is going to look at you funny if you ask for second helpings. Klink says that many of the front-desk staffers are what Sabo would call ``our slim allies.''

The 112-room property has plenty of places to eat as part of its $150 per-night double-occupancy rate. The owners expanded from two restaurants to five, each with a different theme: international, Italian, Mexican, a steakhouse, a Hawaiian-style seafood room and a snack bar.

``Who better to understand the problems of heavy people than heavy people, to make guests feel at ease without being surrounded entirely by skinny people, or be all self-conscious,'' said resort sales representative Enrique Lopez.

Other vacation spots bill themselves as ``size-friendly.'' For example, Juno's Stables, near Yuba City, Calif., advertises riding classes using draft horses, saying it is ``dedicated to putting big beautiful women on horseback.''

Lopez says other resorts for large people exist are oriented toward weight loss. ``Here, we don't care. We accept all weights.''

``The tendency toward overweight adults is increasing, they're now a majority in the United States,'' Klink said. ``But this is something many businesses are refusing to accept. People are getting bigger, and products are getting smaller.''

So if we're all getting bigger, why battle the bulge rather than enjoy it? ``There's a lot of pressure about the health advantages of losing weight, but what about mental health?'' Klink asked. ``Isn't it just as important to be happy?''

Sabo said that Freedom Paradise ``is talking the talk'' of size-friendliness, but asked, ``Can they walk the walk?''

``Speaking of walking, that's not as easy for some of us as it is for other people,'' she said. ``Is the place all spread out?''

Check, says Klink: The hotel's ``big'' rooms are on the ground floor, with ample walkways. Railings and access rails on pools and in showers? Check. Extra large, reinforced beds and doublewide doors? Check.

Whatever the wrinkles that remain to be worked out, there's no doubt it's a large step ahead for big people.

``At our conferences, we have pool parties,'' Sabo said. ``A lot of people come out who haven't put on a swimsuit in years, and it's so great to just be out there, and be comfortable and be ourselves.''

06/07/03 13:00 EDT

Interesting indeed MisterE! I think we should all take trip to this place and check it out!!.... what do you think? I could go for a week in Cancun ... and a secluded beach where I can "let it all hang out" (my cellulite, that is)! Body shots anyone???

I just wanted to say thanks for the information, MisterE. I've forwarded this article to all my 'Sisters of Size' friends and maybe we'll organize a trip during Cancun's cool season (anyone know when that would be?). The big bummer, of course, is the plane ride down there, but hey, no vacation is barrier free. I love that the world is catching on to the desires of larger people. BTW, their website is: www.freedomparadise.com

I wonder if their kitchen would cater to our low carb needs?

XOXO Monika

Maybe it's just my self-loathing coming to the surface but reading that made me feel like such a loser, and not in a good way.

I don't want to go to the fatty beach where people snicker behind your back instead of to your face. I want to be normal and go to the normal beach.

I've always felt that the Fat Acceptance movement was about giving up-it's like Cancer Acceptance or something.

That's just how I feel. I'm not trying to be hostile. It just makes me sad to think I've come to a point where I can't sit in a normal beach chair or wear normal clothes and now they even want to farm us out to a special beach so we don't offend the pretty people.

*pouting*

I tend to agree with Murph on this. At first glance it seems like a nice, secure place to go for those of us with imperfect weights. Then I remembered an article I read concerning how much easier it is for large women to be stylish, as opposed to the days when the only thing available was polyester stretch pants and tent-style dresses.

One of the women being interviewed said, "Designers have discovered we have a lot of money in our fat, little hands. We're the last frontier of untapped consumerism."

Call it cynicism, self-consciousness, whatever, but as Murph says,

I don't want to go to the fatty beach where people snicker behind your back instead of to your face. ....

I don't like feeling patronized.

As for the size acceptance movement, I believe they have done some good things as far as legislation goes, and there's a lot to be said for their message that good people come in all sizes and shapes, but many years before I made the carb=fat connection, I went to the NAAFA website and recall many of them saying that years and years of dieting screwed up their metabolism and they couldn't lose weight anymore.

YES, YOU CAN!

I also learned about chubby chasers and plumpers, but that's a whooole different thread.

i feel very suspect about the whole fat acceptance movement. when you allow yourself to become 300 pounds 400 pounds you have bigger problems than a chair without arms is going to be able to fix.

my two cents.

After 10 drafts to reply to these posts, I've finally come to this conclusion: "Grandma said if you can't say anything nice..."

Monika

hhmmmm I never looked at this article as possibly being a negative thing. Interesting reading the previous posts with different points of view. I suppose at the end of the day 'to each there own'.
If I had the money I'd definitely pay the place a visit though.
I've lost count of the amount of times I've 'chosen' not to do something because I feel self concious etc due to my size. This sounds to me like it would be a nice holiday spot. I wouldn't see it as a place to 'slack off' because most everyone else is large, I'd see it as an oportunity to go somewhere nice, relax and enjoy and not feel self conscious while I'm on my path to a healthier lifestyle. Life is short and I like the idea of having somewhere to go and do things I wouldn't normally feel comfortable doing due to size. Just my opinion.....
Cheers, Kiwifriend.

I think I was okay until I got to the part where "no one will look at you funny if you ask for a second serving"...

Because, of course, that's all I want. Second servings. And thirds. And fourths. And no one to look at me funny. Yep. That's my dream.

*sighs*

Sorry. Just a pet peeve. Tired of skinny people assuming that my goal in life is to eat as much as possible without attracting negative attention.

Sorry....didn't intend to make anyone angry -- was just expressing how I felt.

Wow what a RELIEF to read that someone is taking the time to cater to the larger sized crowd.

Soooo many people DON'T go places like Cancun, because of the size ZERO teeny boppers have taken the place over. I would think that this atmosphere would be fun, but also more mature.

I don't see it as a place where you can have a smorgasboard, but a place where "if" you asked for a 2nd helping someone wouldn't smirk.

I would take a vacation here. Of course, I doubt that I would be able to afford it at a $150 a night. But one can dream!

Thanks for enlightening us MisterE!

Tanya

no reflection on the op. . .but as I started to read the part where no one has an issue if people have second helpings. . .and it made me nauseous. Somehow it makes me think of the old 50's sci-fi "How to Serve Humans" (OMG! It's a cookbook!) I would love to know the investors. . .Nabisco? Hershey? Domino? redawn

(BIGGER silly grin!)
When I put this news article on the board I never for one second considered that it could be offensive. I just thought it was interesting that people would be kind enough to think of people my size (or any size for that matter). I DO have problems sitting in a normal chair. So I appreciate the thought to have a chair to fit me. Know what? I NEED one!
And for those of you who have managed a bufffet style meal at a resort...you know the kind that serves lobster or your favorite eating plan dish...for ME (your milage mayvary GREATLY), I appreciate that IF MY WOE allows a 2nd lobster or whatever that I can have it without some nitwit steward looking at me like I just asked for a whole side of beef! And yes, skinny people do take 2nds and 3rds. Go on any cruise and watch the skinny people eating frenzy!
I don't think the article or the people funding this resort mean to slight any one. Note: I said I don't think. You are welcome to your opinions and I am not trying to change your mind.

I have been there. Done that. And am darned happy that for those who chose to use it this opportunity is here! Don't like it? Don't use it.

I think it was a great idea to post this article, MisterE...

...in fact, I read it myself on a news site this morning and my first reaction was that it's a cool idea.

However, by the time I got to the end of the article, I felt differently. It's not that I don't approve of a business being enterprising enough to target an audience and offer a service in order to make $$$$. Of course I support that. And I think it's A+++ that they have done their homework and will outfit the place with suitable furnishings and sensitivity/awareness training for their employees. It think it's great that larger folks will have their place in the sun like everyone else.

What turned off on the deal was the thought of ME choosing to vacation there for exactly those same reasons. It just doesn't mesh with who I want to be. In my mind, it's the vacation destination equivalent of a Big n Tall clothing store. I don't want that for me no mo. I don't want to self-identify, first and foremost as a big person. I'm just a person.

As I said, it's a cool idea whose time has come. For big people that want to feel comfortable it's great. And for big people that are totally happy with who they are and just want a place to have fun in the sun with other big folks, it's wonderful. But I have my sights set on being happy on any beach/poolside that I find.

Sorry for rambling...

Donald

Hey Mr. E,
Thanks for posting a very thought provoking article. I've enjoyed reading the different viewpoints. Although this might not be the ideal solution for everybody it does provide options and it could indicate a trend. The market is certainly ripe for targeting us. We are the majority, we are the buying power. What might be or seem to be condescending at this time could well be the "New World". We're not getting any smaller as a people. Present company excluded.
Signey