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| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Jim in Boston |
Posted - 07/21/2008 : 11:48:04 PM
Club Orient has been on Orient Beach in St. Martin since 1978. It is actually the first hotel on the beach, and the second establishment there in modern history. Club Orient is a 137 unit hotel that is completely clothing optional, from the beach to the front desk, including the restaurant, Papagayo and the beachfront bar, The Perch.
Since Club Orient was the first establishment on the beach, it has set up a tradition of clothing optional along the whole of the beach, which by now has accumulated a number of textile encumbered establishments. A tradition of nude walking the whole length of the beach has developed. The Club Orient part of the beach is about a quarter mile long and the rest of the beach is about another mile and a quarter. Many people walk from one end to the other in the morning and perhaps in the afternoon too. Recently, nude use of the beach after about 10 AM has been restricted to the part of the bach in front of Club Orient, although it sometimes fringes up the beach a ways (see below).
Club Orient has a very nice, smooth and gradual beach that is protected from the waves by a reef, so even small children can play in the water and us old guys can swim laps around the swim platforms that the resort hotel has placed just offshore.
Couples and families come to Club Orient for vacations, and there is a substantial amount of repeat business. We are always there at certain times of the year: New Year's and the Fourth of July. A 'crowd' of people who know each other from being there repeatedly each year at the same time has developed, and look forward to seeing each other at their designated time. We have not had the opportunity to be there at other times, such as Halloween, we have heard that they have great parties.
Papagayo has entertainment about four nights each week, and a number of people have remarked that it is actually a pretty good restaurant. It may be one of only a few establishments in the Caribbean with real nude dancing. The entertainment ranges from Kareoke to local bands.
Just beyond the boundary of Club Orient there are a number of other interesting establishments. There is a tailor names Luiz who makes bathing suits for women (one wonders why such a place would do on a nude beach, but we ran into a woman from England last winter who forgot to pack her suit but who was bound for Barbados after she left Club O. Luiz made her a very attractive suit which she was happy to take off. Adam and Eve is a botique where you can buy pareos and beach jewelry, and there is an instance of Sexy Fruits that also sells jewelry.
Then there is BayWatch, where Andy and Cheryl do wonderful breakfasts and lunches (an absolute must if you come to Orient Beach, even as a cruise ship passenger), and Pedro's, the only place older on Orient Beach than Club O, a great place for ribs and fish. Both Pedro's and BayWatch are clothing optional.
The rooms at Club Orient are all housekeeping units with complete kitchens. The smallest units are called Studios, and are very much like studio apartments as Americans would understand. They have a picnic bench on the front porch. There are somewhat larger units called 'Mini-Suites' that are similar to the studios but with ab it more room. There are three kinds of Chalets, all with the same floor plan but with different locations: right on the waterfront, on somewhat further back locations facing the beach and in garden locations, a bit further from the beach. It is important to note that none of the units at the resort is further than maybe 75 meters from the water, so the distinction between 'garden' and 'beachfront' is not great.
The resort also has a botique that sells, in addition to botique type stuff, the necessities of life (beer and wine), food and newspapers. This, too, is clothing optional.
One adventure that most Club Orient guests do is a cruise on the Tiko Tiko. Captain Phillippe owns a catamaran that can take up to about 14 people to Tintamarre, a small island a couple of kilometers from Club O. The cruise is a lot of fun, can involve snorkeling on reefs out at Tintemarre and exploring the island, which has an interesting history. It is called the 'nude cruise'. It is clothing optional, but we have taken it many times and, while sometimes there are people with clothes on when the cruise leaves, there have never been clothes worn when it comes back.
Some of the folks who come to Club Orient take a taxi from Juliana Airport, take off their clothes when they arrive and don't put anything on until the taxicab to take them to the airport is waiting. (This was us a week ago! The taxi driver was surprisingly understanding when we explained that we were surprised that he was on time).
St Martin/Sint Maarten is an interesting island in its own right. It is said to be the smallest piece of land to be held by two sovereign nations. In this case, St. Martin is an overseas province of France, and Sint Maarten is part of the Netherlands Antilles, but is self governing. Phillipsburg is a major cruise ship terminal and a bit of a thriving metropolis, on Caribbean scale. Marigot is the capital of St. Martin and a smaller cruise ship port. It is a very interesting mix of French and Caribbean. Grand Case is also on the French side of the island, and has one of the most remarkable aggregations of fine restaurants anywhere. There is a real tug of war between the clothing optional sand gravity of Orient Beach and all of the other opportunities of the island.
For more, look at www.cluborient.com
jameslkirtleyjr |
| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| soonbnude |
Posted - 10/06/2017 : 7:06:28 PM
Go n nude
Thanks for the information. Just asking through interest. Our seasons here seem a little different to when I was a kid but that may be selective memory on my part. On average our rainfall here has reduced and seasons seem later. The frequency of bush-fires seems more often from the data available but that is the challenge, the amount and accuracy of data available to scientists.
Cheers, SBN. |
| FireProf |
Posted - 10/06/2017 : 12:18:51 PM
This was posted on Club Orient's Facebook page. If you're like us and get frequent emails from Club O, you probably got this message via email as well.
From; Club Orient Facebook Page
Unfortunately, in times of tragedy such as Hurricane Irma that recently impacted Club Orient Resort, everyone becomes a reporter. This is especially true when people are seeking answers and communication when the only real source is limited due to the lack of phone, power and internet. If answers are not available, some will choose to fill in the blanks or sensationalize the story. Others with more malicious intent will actually make up untruths to fulfill an agenda, as recently happened in the case of an article written by a disgruntled editor of a St. Martin newspaper that stated, in addition to other untrue statements, that the Club Orient Resort was destroyed and will not be rebuilt. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY FALSE! Let’s just get that out of the way. WE WILL AND ARE REBUILDING! Was the property damaged? Of course. But it is not beyond repair and replacement, and as you can see from our previous post, we have already begun the process of establishing an interim operation, while we gather resources for fully rebuilding the resort. We are still awaiting disaster relief and insurance funding, which we hope to have more information on as early as next week.
In the meantime, we would like to encourage our friends and family to verify your sources before passing along false information that could cause further damage to those who are already struggling. Please remember that our employees see these posts also and it is discouraging to them when they are working so hard toward getting the hotel up and running again. We will not knowingly post anything on this page that is untrue, so if there are questions, we encourage you to go to the source. Please visit our website, visit our Facebook and Twitter feeds or send us an email directly at flaoffice@cluborient.com. We will do our best to keep you informed along the way. Again, we are deeply grateful for the outpouring of care and concern we have received, and we look forward to welcoming you all back to the hotel at Club Orient one day soon!
Loves being naked. Plays well with others! |
| go n nude |
Posted - 10/06/2017 : 10:49:50 AM
Hello Soonbnude,
As per the National Hurricane Center data based on 1981-2010 (30 years) 2017 named storms was near normal average, but the number of major hurricanes(9) so far, is well above the average.2017 is 3.5 times more active than the average, and 2017 being the 3rd most active to date behind 1933 & 2004.
I was in Cuba when topical storm Emily went past and witnessed 5 water spouts over the ocean (white tornados) scary indeed the power these storms have is massive to say the least. Climate change is another debate.
Go n nude |
| soonbnude |
Posted - 10/06/2017 : 04:35:02 AM
Go n nude
Ok, a record number of hurricanes is predicted. What is the average / year? What is the previous maximum? Here in Oz we watch this stuff with interest as there appear more cyclones and happening over a longer period.
I have discussed the issue of climate change with others on the site and establishing a specialist thread but maybe I'm preaching to the converted. It seems our politicians in both countries are climate change deniers as any direct action may impact economic growth.
I'm guessing that is where you were going, if not my apologies. However I reckon this is a good forum to raise climate change and maybe make some statements.
Cheers, SBN. |
| NaturistDoc |
Posted - 10/05/2017 : 6:08:35 PM
Oldnudyman, I don't have any up-to-date information. Once the last American tourists were evacuated, the news media seemed to lose interest. (To be fair, there were other urgent stories to cover.) I don't read enough French or Dutch to glean much information from non-English sources. The English-language Daily Herald has some (Dutch-side) information. The airport will open next week, and most of the marinas are up and running. Water and power have been restored to about half of the customers. Some small resorts are even talking about re-opening this winter.
www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/69844-40-50-electricity-60-water-already-restored
www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/69845-grassroots-hotels-readying-for-visitors
Another Dutch-centric English-language source is St. Maarten Island Times.
http://sxmislandtime.com/island-times/island-marine/42783-assessments-of-environmental-damage-carried-out-post-hurricane-irma-by-the-sint-maarten-nature-foundation.html
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| go n nude |
Posted - 09/17/2017 : 9:55:01 PM
This year climatologists have predicted a record number of hurricanes, at up to 15 storms and so far the damage to Texas, Florida and the Caribbean is beyond millions may be billions and its toll is adding up, loss of life and many have lost every thing, choosing to go nude and having to go nude is truly something different and God help them. This is not an act of God, at all.
Go n nude |
| Nude in AK |
Posted - 09/17/2017 : 09:11:18 AM
The pictures of the damage is impressive! Does anyone have pictures of this area before all the damage! Hope all goes well for their rebuild!! |
| oldnudyman |
Posted - 09/17/2017 : 07:49:52 AM
NaturistDoc, have you heard of any relief groups getting to the Island yet? I don't know what, if any supplies are available to even keep these people alive. |
| oldnudyman |
Posted - 09/17/2017 : 07:44:43 AM
quote:
Originally posted by NaturistDoc
The good people at Bare Necessities have set up a GoFundMe site for the employees of Club O. I would imagine that the housekeepers and the guys who show up early to set up your beach umbrellas are not paid lavish salaries, and even a modest amount of help from everyone on NRO who has ever spent time at Club O (or hopes to someday) would work wonders.
www.gofundme.com/hurricane-relief-for-club-orient
I donated yesterday. Those people have absolutely nothing. When my wife and I were there the people treated you as if you were family. I pray that the new hurricane - Maria - that is coming will not make things worse. |
| NaturistDoc |
Posted - 09/16/2017 : 1:54:55 PM
And if you need further motivation, click on the GofundMe link to see a picture of Papagayo's ... or what's left of it. |
| NaturistDoc |
Posted - 09/16/2017 : 1:45:57 PM
The good people at Bare Necessities have set up a GoFundMe site for the employees of Club O. I would imagine that the housekeepers and the guys who show up early to set up your beach umbrellas are not paid lavish salaries, and even a modest amount of help from everyone on NRO who has ever spent time at Club O (or hopes to someday) would work wonders.
www.gofundme.com/hurricane-relief-for-club-orient
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| oldnudyman |
Posted - 09/14/2017 : 7:33:54 PM
I have been getting regular updates from Club O via email. They have been virtually destroyed, but they are already planning their recovery. They have no access to their financial records as yet, but they are aware of deposits that have been placed for future reservations. My wife and I have one for the end of November into December. I'm not concerned about the deposit, but we do want to get back there as soon as they are ready to have us. There is a lot of work that also has to be done in order for any resort or business to function. |
| NaturistDoc |
Posted - 09/10/2017 : 9:16:44 PM
Here are some pictures from Club O. Some of the masonry structures seem to have survived, but even those have sustained heavy damaged.
http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=1743541&page=0&fpart=4&vc=1 |
| NaturistDoc |
Posted - 09/10/2017 : 8:18:57 PM
A friend sent me a photo taken at Club O after the hurricane passed, but I can't seem to upload it. All I can tell you is that the place is devastated. The wooden chalets are simply gone, right down to the foundations. The picture shows some more or less intact structures in the background, but i doubt they are undamaged.
I'll see if Admin can help me upload the picture. |
| nudesunguy |
Posted - 09/10/2017 : 12:59:41 AM
Unreal, and it sounds like the suffering is just beginning. So sad to read this about such a beautiful place.
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