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Jim in Boston
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 Posted - 07/21/2008 : 11:48:04 PM
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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
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Arizonasnip
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Posted - 08/06/2008 : 3:19:14 PM
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Jim - Thanks for the excellent report. I read somewhere that recently, the police have been restricting nude use/walking of the entire length of the beach after 8am and prior to 8pm. And if you want to walk the entire beach nude, it's either got to be early or late in the evening. My wife and I enjoy our nude walk before breakfast, but we're not early risers on vacation, so I figure we'll be on the sand around 9:00 am, and I'm a bit concerned. Did you experience any problems with police or business owners complaining about nude morning walking along the entire two mile stretch??
Thanks
Roger
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FireProf
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Posted - 08/07/2008 : 01:00:42 AM
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I can answer that question for you. There has been lots of talk about the french police and their individual enforcement of nudity beyond the Club Orient property lines.
Even though the entire Orient Beach is and has been clothing optional...the nudists have decided to restrict their nude walks during these times;
In the morning, be back near Club O...BayWatch, Pedro's...by 9-9:30am. Many families begin to arrive past those establishments and have complained about the "naked" people. So that the police stop harassing us...we've decided to be done with our morning nude walks before then.
In the afternoon; I've heard but not seen nude walkers after 4:30pm. Most I've seen venture over there are closer to 6pm. Problem is that many of the bars/restaurants are already closed because most of the textile visitors have already left. So if you're heading down that way for anything else other than the walk...you'll find little open.
There has been considerable communication between nudists and tourist officials about the nudity crackdown and it seems to have let up and the harassment has stopped. While there in June we did see one policeman on the beach and only a couple at Pedro's but they didn't stop or harass anyone.
FP
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Edited by - FireProf on 08/07/2008 08:41:00 AM |
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Rodders
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Posted - 08/07/2008 : 07:29:40 AM
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We go to Club Orient every October as the season is starting and just love the place. It's a long way & we have to fly via Paris but it's well worth it and the first swim each year makes us realize just how perfect the beach is and by 12.30 Willy & the Perch Bar draws us for a couple of mind blowing cocktails. Most mornings we take the walk along the beach in the nude before breakfast or even walk over to Le Galion, the next bay which also is now clothes optional. Bay Watch seems to us (uninitiated) like a tiny suburb of New Jersey and the breakfasts are just great. Must go & mix myself a Bloody Mary A La Andy! Roll on October when we will be there again feeding the sugar birds, swimming out to the rafts, dining nude at the restaurant, and popping into Marigot for the odd breakfast of Crepes by the Marina. Club O is a truly great place to chill out and two weeks is just not long enough.
Rod
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Arizonasnip
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Posted - 08/07/2008 : 1:25:50 PM
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FIREPROF -
Thanks very much for the advice. I was concerned we would have to curtail our long walks completely, but we'll just start a bit earlier and get back to Pedro's before the cruisers and gawkers hit the textile side of the beach. We really love Orient beach - especially prior to the hurricane in '95, before all the commercial activity, but I guess that's "progress."
Thanks again,
Roger
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Jim in Boston
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Posted - 01/09/2009 : 1:15:36 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Arizonasnip
Jim - Thanks for the excellent report. I read somewhere that recently, the police have been restricting nude use/walking of the entire length of the beach after 8am and prior to 8pm. And if you want to walk the entire beach nude, it's either got to be early or late in the evening. My wife and I enjoy our nude walk before breakfast, but we're not early risers on vacation, so I figure we'll be on the sand around 9:00 am, and I'm a bit concerned. Did you experience any problems with police or business owners complaining about nude morning walking along the entire two mile stretch??
Thanks
Roger
As far as I know, that enforcement lasted only a few days and nobody has been hassled about what they are wearing for more than a year. That said, I did encounter a bit of lip from a couple of beach boys last week. You should have no problem at all walking the beach if you are by by 9 or 9:30 (the cruise ship people don't arrive until after 10).
Business owners have their own agendae. Some will object to nudists, others will welcome them. Andy and Cheryl are great, especially for their regular customers (but of course if you walk in nude you are likely to become a regular...). Annie at Adam and Eve sometimes IS nude, despite the fact that she sells clothing. She was very happy when I walked in nude and walked out with a pareo. The big beach bars ('The five stars') tend to be more restrictive, but even there almost 'anything' will do (wrap, g-string, ...)
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nude charles
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Posted - 01/09/2009 : 3:58:16 PM
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When I was there (a few years ago), Annie had no problem with pix as long as she gave permission. Great place for women shopping for minimal apparel.
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bobski96
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Posted - 01/16/2009 : 09:51:39 AM
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By far Orient Beach is my favorite place on earth. I love everything about it. When I die I told my wife that I want my ashes sprinkles in the sand so I will be there for all of eternity.
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NaturistDoc
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FireProf
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Posted - 02/20/2015 : 7:15:22 PM
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Well ... WHEN we finally get back there, we will have to take this cruise as well. We love Tiko Tiko and have never had a bad cruise or experience on the several trips to Tintamarre or the cruise around the island.
Miss SXM and Club O.
Loves being naked. Plays well with others!
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ddoger
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Posted - 02/20/2015 : 9:15:33 PM
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DW and I will be there in less than 2 weeks. We haven't done the tiko Tiko trip but have done Paul's nude snorkeling trip. We we hoping to do it again this year but maybe we should try this one.
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NaturistDoc
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 Posted - 02/21/2015 : 4:30:38 PM
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The local government has placed major restrictions on nudity on the island of Tintamarre. In January they imposed an outright ban on nudity, but the good people of Club O and Tiko-Tiko managed to get a (very) limited exemption. As it now stands, you can only be nude on the swim from the boat to the beach and under the umbrellas placed by the Tiko-Tiko crew. If you want to stroll the beach or explore the island, you'll have to cover up.
First they made the nude Orient Beach walk a thing of the past, now this. You have to wonder how long Club O will be able to keep the textiles at bay.
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nudesunguy
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Posted - 02/19/2016 : 7:22:20 PM
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Thanks for the info, Doc. This is really annoying. Club O. and nudists were the first to really put this beach on the map; now it sounds like there are being slowly pushed away. Who would be offended by nudity on a tiny offshore island? We're going to be there in one month...hope the entire place isn't textile by then 
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oldnudyman
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Posted - 02/15/2017 : 08:46:49 AM
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My wife and I just came back from Club Orient on Feb.2nd. We love the club and the freedom from clothes. The beach is nice and is only clothing optional at Club O. Beyond there property nudity and even topless is now against the law and it is enforced. I went onto the beach clothed from the Bikini Beach area and didn't see anyone topless or naked in either direction.
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FireProf
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Posted - 02/15/2017 : 09:41:08 AM
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Wow, that's quite a change from out last visit and definitely from our very first visit. Back in 2001, we were still walking the entire beach nude at all hours of the day. Many of the bars and restaurants still welcomed nudists into their places, as long as you had something to sit on.
We shopped at Adam & Eve and Sexy Fruits while naked and even talked to some of the cruise people that were shopping there. We'd stop in a Coco's, Kon Tiki and have a drink and then head to Baywatch and have lunch and make it to the Perch for Happy Hour. It was actually quite a fun, long walk.
Too bad it's all changed now.
Loves being naked. Plays well with others!
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rkitek
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Posted - 02/16/2017 : 1:23:37 PM
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I don't think topless is against the law. If this had changed, the other St. Martin boards I'm on would be talking about it. I know the frequency of topless varies throughout the year. Depending on the height of European vacationers.
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Club Orient: St. Martin
