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St. Martin |
Here is a trip report submitted by some
of our clients. |
| J & M - November 2013 |
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Our trip to Club Orient...
We emailed
Club Orient ahead of time for them to have a taxi (in our name) ready for
us.There was no taxi. It was no problem to get a taxi, but when they say they
would have one and don't...
Check-in was a bit of a hassle. They told
us we should pay the balance due to Castaways Travel. Didn't sound right to me,
but anyway, when we checked out a week later we did the balance due at Club
Orient.
(Castaways note: Instructions from the report require Castaways to
charge the deposit while the balance remaining is due and payable at the resort
upon check out .... EUROS, so be prepared)
Second office snafu... they
told us the Butterfly Farm was a "quarter mile" walk down the road. It was a
good "mile" at least !!
Third office snafu... they told us the "wine
and cheese" gathering was at the Perch Bar. It was not. It was at the main
restaurant.
We were never kept very well informed about anything going
on. I guess you have to stand in front of that "electric billboard" and try to
catch what it sez. That gave us wrong info also.
Happy Hours at
Papagayo's suddenly changed. It was supposed to be until 6:30. The bartender
refused to give us 2 for 1 at around 6:10pm. We did complain at the office and
they later gave us two drink coupons.
The walls of the mini suites are
way to thin. No tv, no radio, no clock. Not enuff stuff in the rooms to get by.
You have to go out and buy a lot of small stuff. Not even an outdoor grill
!!!!! Maybe we are just spoiled by the "all-inclusivie" resorts.
The
beach... not what we expected. They should have an area just for Club Orient
guests !!!!!!! We could not even get an umbrella on Sunday. On other days we
were lucky if we saw ONE security guard or employee or whatever they were . ..
. All the tags on the chairs ?!?!?!?!? All colors... etc etc. We had no idea
what was going on. Never made it to the "elite front line" of chairs.
Food was overpriced and not that great. I can get better ribs right here at
home. To many FRIES and not enuff food at the Perch Bar !!
Check out.
We had to ASK them to pick up our luggage and bring it to the office. That
should be a GIVEN. AUTOMATIC. Why would anyone want to drag their luggage up to
the front office.??? (Again... maybe we are just spoiled by the all-inclusive
resort).
Weather was GREAT !! People were semi-friendly. I think we
were the ONLY ones there for the first time. No night life. We did not venture
out into town. (We did not know where to go or have anyone to go with).
Thats our report as we see it.
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| Bill S - April 2012 |
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Both more and less than expected.
More than the old style nudists resorts. Less than Caliente 1 & 2 and
Hidden Beach, Mexico.
More people than Caliente Caribe and Hidden
Beach.
The beach was mostly full, two lines of naked people on lounges
under orange umbrellas facing a gorgeous bay. A general store along with a
souvenir/branded store. They have the basics in food: frozen, cold and dry.
Each room has a kitchenette, it seems all rooms on the island have
kitchenettes.
Club Orient has lots of convenient parking, you can drive
up to your cabin to load and unload. Or they can drive you from the office to
your cabin in a golf cart.
Wonderful island ambience; sand roads and
pathways, lots of palm trees, outside showers. Each cabin has two patios with
shade, a table and bench seats, a lounge chair, grass. If you've only been to a
trailer park nudist camp, you won't feel at home.
Less people and party
atmosphere than Caliente Tampa. Not a first class luxury resort. No pool. No
breakfast (free coffee in the lobby and available pastries in the store). The
restaurant serves good food but it is expensive. (To be fair, it was on par
with the other restaurants on the island).
We didn't see any farms, a
few goats, 30 cattle. Everything must be brought to the island which runs up
the prices. But why the fish should cost on par with the steaks is
unclear.
Not All Inclusive. You have to pay separately for food and
drink but because you're naked you just show them your room key on this plastic
bracelet and they will add it to your bill. (Which means you have a nasty
surprise at checkout.)
Not exclusively adult. Saw one or two little
kids, under ten years old, naked. There is some playground equipment and beach
toys for sale. Not lifestyle friendly. The families put a heavy hand on any
public displays and the attitude is nudist, not lifestyle. Having said that,
there's no reason a group of lifestylers can't rent one of the large villas and
play inside their room where no one is the wiser. The management really doesn't
care what you do as long as you are respectful of others. (It was apparent that
I had two girls in my room one night and there was no problem. They helped one
of the girls get a taxi the next morning. It was treated like just a part of a
vacation.)
Everything, but security, is closed up tight by 10 PM. (Most
everything on the island, except the nightclubs, is closed up by 10
PM).
No easy drive up entrance to the resort. If you are driving
yourself we recommend asking them to send you detailed driving instructions. If
you are being driven, everyone seems to know where Club Orient is located. (A
taxi from the airport is around USD $40 and $25 to/from Philipsburg.)
There's entertainment in the restaurant most nights. Breakfast can be found on
the beach two buildings north from 8 AM.
The Club Orient manager,
Steve, used to manage Desert Shadows in Palm Springs, now Desert Sun.
Electricity is 110 volts with American style plugs, they generate their own.
The tap water is drinkable, they desalinate their own. My approx. costs:
$1,200/4 nights including 1 lunch & 1 dinner for 2 and $150 items at the
store.
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| TW - Winter 2011 |
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Of all the locations we have traveled to
this was by far the best location, setting, and island we've visited. We were
very happy with resort (no TV, but that can be good), the beach, and the staff.
We highly recommend this to other Castaway clients.
St. Martin is an
island that you can roam without concern for your safety unlike Jamaica and
Mexico. Of the nude vacation options available Club Orient / St Martin has by
far the best combination of beach, cleanliness, staff, location, and ease to go
offsite for dinner, lunch, shopping, dancing, and so on. It is not all
inclusive but that didn’t bother us and gave us more opportunity to roam
the island. The beach is not private but we found everyone to be respectful and
almost everyone participates. Great people, great location. |
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| VG - Summer 2010 |
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We enjoyed our trip to Club Orient in May
2010 so much I just booked with Castaways for 10 more days in November.
The staff at Club Orient was very accommodating. The place was clean
and friendly. The beach was fantastic. We did get into Grand Case for a few
meals and had a fantastic meal at Auberge Gourmande
http://www.laubergegourmande.com/home.html . We ran into the
owner's wife in a clothing shop she owns in Philipsburg and of course she
recommended it and we were treated very well. Spoke to a few merchants and it
seems like the shaky economy has hit hard there too. We also had a great day on
the Tico Tico on their dinner cruise.
Club Orient is not Hidden Beach
but I must say we felt more comfortable traveling around the island then we did
in Mexico. There is a lot to be said for all inclusive but more then anything
we like to venture out for the local feel and food. St Martin was a great place
to do that. |
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| March 2010 - Sandy |
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Club Orient was a very relaxing vacation.
Quiet with beautiful surroundings. Everything you need is right there. The
beach was great and good for taking long walks and the people are all very
friendly.
We had many great experiences at local restaurants for
dinners and enjoyed the Beach BBQ at the Perch Bar on the premises. Excellent
ribs. This is a trip I would take again. |
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| December 2009 - Jack Brown |
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We had heard that Club Orient fulfilled
this criteria and had briefly visited it while on a nude cruise. The resort
proved to be all that we had envisioned when we arrived on December 14th. We
had booked a mini-suite for two weeks and were assigned #157 just across from
the office from the store. The suite was perfect with a full kitchen, bedroom,
and a living room opening onto a patio where we had breakfast every
morning.....
See Jacks
complete report in PDF format
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| August 2008 - ahshea2000 |
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I was a day tripper from a cruise ship on
an excursion to Orient Bay. The tour operator said from the start that we could
go naked on the beach; so I did. The tour took us to Boo Boo Jam at the
opposite end of the Orient Beach resort. Two of my fellow cruise ship
passengers asked me if they could take pictures of me nude. I consented to this
because they were complementing me on my physique. After this I proceeded to
walk down to the opposite side of the bay to Orient Beach. Going there I had no
problem. However, when I began my journey back to where my group was I was
stopped twice by lifeguards telling me that I could not proceed back to my
group in the nude. I explained to them that there was nothing I could do about
this. That I had no clothes on my person. Both of them proceeded to non
sensibly tell me things like I had to walk along the waterline or swim back to
where my group was. They both even threatened to call the Gendarmes. When I
returned to my group I asked the tour operator out what had happened. She said
that she's lived on St Martin all her life and full nudity has always been
allowed on the entire length of the beach.
ED: See Sept 2007 Report below |
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| December 2007 - Anon |
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Our experience at Club Orient was very
good. The rooms were great, staff was very friendly. Everything about CO was
great. The only real frustration was the horrible traffic on the island and a
flat tire on the car from Budget. It took us 4 hours from the airport to CO.
Through the darkness while it rained! Fortunately we made without additional
problems and found a friendly bartender on way for a margarita to calm my
wifess nerves. |
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| September 2007 |
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Orient Beach
FYI, in case
you have heard bad news about nudity at Orient Beach we can confirm that nudity
on the beach, on the floats and in the water is perfectly acceptable in the
beach area adjacent to Club Orient but is not tolerated outside that area.
Nudity was also not a problem on Happy Beach which we approached via water taxi
from Grand Case Beach Club.
Grand Case Beach Club
We
wanted to tell you that all the arrangements went smoothly and according to
plan. Island Rep NV Transfer were right on the ball and on time both on arrival
and departure. The Grand Case Beach Club was everything we expected.. We would
recommend it to others and would happily make a return trip to this venue. A St
Martin vacation is anything you want to make it - we wanted peace & quiet
to unwind qand decompress and found it at GCBC but could have easily have hit
the town in the Margot Phillipsburg had the mood taken us. GCBC is a quality
location on which to base a St. Martin vacation. |
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| June 2007 - Brew |
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RE: Hotel L'Esplianade St Martin
We choose to stay here (and it is an excellent accommodation) because within
walking distance there is a lovely little beach to go topless on in addition to
great restaurants so we do not have to drive after the bottle of wine we
usually get. Folks are friendly and several remembered us after our first
visit.
We go to Orient Beach during the day and frequently see nudists
doing their morning walk on the whole beach - later though they tend to stay on
the Club O side. Topless is OK everywhere on the (Orient) beach.
Pinel
Island was a fun side trip and we found one secluded beach to go nude on. We
stay away from the Dutch side for the most part because of the traffic. We
enjoy our June visits - the crowds are not bad at all - except for the cruise
ships - and the weather has been excellent. |
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| December 2005 - SS |
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We visited Club O for the fourth time in
Dec. '06 The owners continue to make improvements to the property and to the
roads accessing the resort. The resort is very well maintained and the people
are very friendly. This is a family type resort so don't come here if you are
expecting wild parties and no kids. There are more children in the summer of
course. The atmosphere is very laid back and we are usually some of the younger
people there who don't bring their children (My husband and I are 38). But
don't let the older crowd keep you away, everyone is friendly and outgoing. You
will generally need to leave the resort if you are looking for excitement. The
bar is generally low key and by 10pm it is pretty quiet. Orient Bay is just up
the beach however and an easy walk for dining and bars. You will need to drive
to the Dutch side for casinos and nightclubs. I would highly recommend this
place if you want to go and relax perhaps reconnect with your spouse. There is
no TV or phone, bring a radio! We will be returning in July. |
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| April 2005 - Bill & Karen |
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Club O is a nice place with a gorgeous
beach. We found the resort a bit too quiet. The bar typically was seldom
crowded and often closed by 10:00pm. Many guests were up at 6 am so they did
not stay up late. The typical age of a guest for this time was 50s or 60s. We
found the roadway to enter the resort to be a disaster. The pot holes are large
enough to swallow a small car. The euro has made the French side outrageously
expensive. Prepare to pay $30 to $40 per person US for a simple meal. Add
extras or bottles of wine and the cost goes up significantly. Be prepared for
sticker shock on meals and drinks. |
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| September 2003 - Bob and Jackie |
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Martin has some of the best (fantastic
restaurants, great beaches, deep blue water, fun island atmosphere, great
shopping) the Caribbean has to offer, it also has some of the worst (too many
cruse ships, too many fast food joints, horrible traffic)-especially so on the
Dutch side.
For that reason, and because we are true Francophiles, we
prefer to spend our time on the French side of the island. The best restaurants
are there, good value on genuine French fashions, and really cheap prices on
some pretty great French wine. And you just can't beat staying in one of the
beach chalets at Club O where you catch every sunrise, sunset, and everything
else in between. Plus you never have to wear clothes while on the resort. The
beach is one of the best and certainly the longest on the island, the water is
blue and clear, and the view spectacular.
That said, be forewarned
that the crowd at Club O tends to be older and nightlife is pretty limited.
Papaguyos generally closes before 10:00PM for lack of customers. At night we
generally prefer to sit naked on our patio, watch the sunset, and enjoy French
wine and cheese. Of course you can always go to Marigot for lots of late night
clubbing-on the French side most nightclubs don't even open until midnight. We
like to visit during September, generally a slow time on the island, because of
the discounts offered by Club 0 during that time.
If you are really
into not wearing clothes, want a great beach and calm, clear water, and
want/need to go somewhere just to completely relax, Club O is your place.
Bob and Jackie |
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