TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Nude beach by Esmeralda?

I've read that, at times, there is a nude area of Orient Beach in front of Esmeralda near the Cocoa Beach bar. Is this still the case? The Mrs and I are making our first trip to SXM in October and are staying at the Esmeralda.

I have seen a small area at Coco Beach near the big rock. I don't know if the area is there during low season. If not, Club O is not too far to walk and Pedro's has an area next to Club O.

On request, the beach boy will set up screens and chairs on the north side by the rock. Very private with view of the surf. And you can't beat the bar/food service. Club O would make a mint if they had at your chair drink service but then again many would have a hard time getting to and remembering their chalet number if they did.
It was available in June low season. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/toast.gif" alt="" />

Club O used to have "drink service" on the beach back in the early 90's. Anybody remember Tatiana?

I remember Club O briefly having drink service on the beach during that time period! I don't recall any names though.

It is usually available, except on weekends. For ME, I will never patronize them because they charge for chairs and will not allow you to bring even as much as bottled water of your own to drink. Fine, those are their rules, no problem. They just won't ever get another penny of my money.

I could see that. Water should be a human right to possess.

We happened on it after walking from MtVernon and stopped for breakfast and we never left that day. It was not a cheap date after 3 bottles of wine lunch and more. But the service was very attentive, quick and top notch.

The traffic at that end is very light so I see they need to make their money.

The last time we were there, we spent approximately $20 on chairs and umbrella, bought lunch, including wine, at around $150, and they objected to us drinking our own bottled water. See ya!!!

If you want to be nude Esmeralda is not the place to go. They are not very friendly and often unaccommodating to guests who choose to be nude. In the past we were told we could be nude only in a screened off section but could not walk to the water or even stand up nude. We also could not be nude on holidays or weekends. We voted with our money and took our business to Club O. Always welcoming and accommodating and we could bring our own refreshments when we want!

Coachie has it right

I believe the chairs are free if you stay at Esmerelda.

There used to be rules associated with the nude area. I am unsure of the current status. They only allowed you to be nude in the actual chairs. If you wanted to go in the water, you had to put on bottoms.

Additionally, we had breakfast at CoCo's in July. Although breakfast was tasty, we will probably not eat there again as we saw several roaches during our meal.

Tide I sent you a PM. Click on the envelope next to your user name.

Yes, what coachie said...

Well, they do create the nude section which is very accommodating on an otherwise part of orient that does not tolerate nude anything. We could stand up no problem between the screens. We literally forgot there were people on the other side. 3 bottles of iced Rose will do that for you.

If all will recall a recent thread that in reality nude is against the rules on ALL of St Martins beaches and that is only tolerated at CO via an agreement. So, yes, we are lucky that CO is the most tolerated stretch. I wouldn't harp on the limits of this place that tries to do their tiny part in the AN arena.

As for cleanliness, I walked the beach every morning and watched the beach combing and putting out of chairs/cushions and coco light blue had the cleanest cushions of all including places that all rave about further south. The dark blue look great until you walk up close and they need a good tumble at the laundromat.

Our breakfast in rest and lunch at chairs was awesome.

Again, super service. In fact I'll state best service on island in 12 days in June and similar time in January. That includes our friends in grand case and nettle. We felt like we were on our own private beach with a servant. It got better with each glass of rose. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/toast.gif" alt="" />

While I love my cooler and Willie........it sure was nice to have a private, padded chair to ourselves with our personal beach boy.

Well still spend 90 percent of our time under a yellow umbrella with our toted in dollar Caribs but wouldn't hesitate to go to CB....

I definitely remember Tatiana and bought many drinks from her.

WE stayed there in the 90's after Luis closed Club O for a while.
We had no problem with swimming nude in our shared pool, walking nude from E to Mt. V, or lounging nude on the beach.
I guess times have changed E as well as the rest of OB as crowd numbers have increased.

I think the nudity in the shared pools there is very much a function of whether it's ok with the other folks in your building. If the other people are ok with it, I think that is still ok. On the beach has become increasingly more hostile to nudity, not really worth it to me to come in from outside. The OP is staying there, so worth checking out anyway.

Thanks for the information guys.

We've never been anywhere that had clothing optional possibilities, so we thought Esmeralda with the c/o pools (provided your villa mates don't mind) and within walking distance of club O would be a good way to ease into it.

For me, Esmeralda is a bit far of a walk to Club O, if you're carrying a cooler and a bunch of other crap like we do, so I would probably drive, but I'm sure you'll do fine. Enjoy!

That's part of the plan. If we decide that C\O is not for us, then it's not really right there in our faces either. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

October at Club O beach is a very good time for newbies. The beach and chairs are pretty much empty. A good time to ease into the nudity thing. Also, plenty of parking at Club O lot or behind new restaurants near Pedro's, if you prefer to drive and both are free Club O charges $5 from Nov 1st-May 1st).

Go CO on your first day there. If you decide it is the best way to go you won't be mad that you wasted any days. Club O is a great place to ease in as well. Just set up, get comfortable and see that it is no big deal. I think it is a better setting than a pool.

I agree with last post, go to club o. You don't have to be nude it's optional. But you are most likely to try it there than anywhere. Don't just walk up and back. Have a seat, get a drink, have some lunch. Odds are by end of day you'll do it if it's in your card deck.

As much as I talked up cocoa, it would not be an easy place to do it first as odds are it might only be you two or another couple which is not the same as several dozen or more folks going around without a care.

Agree but half the fun is swimming, beach walking and hanging out at the perch. That's the full experience. Can't get that at Cocoa or Happy Bay.

Been to Happy Bay many times and always swim nude there. No issues.

Our timeshare week is the second week of October each year. When we go to Club O to visit, which we do several times in the week we're on island, the chairs don't fill up as quickly, so it's easier to get them. We usually get there by about 10am. But all the chairs are pretty much filled by noon, or so.

The pools look really nice, a lot bigger than I imagined these private pools being. The buildings were also lower and smaller than I imagined. Not sure what it would feel like to ask my neighbors " hey do you mind if we swim in the altogether. They should have a colored flag system....it would be a bummer if one pool was AN and your neighbor gave you the thumbs down. Kind of need a nude/prude matchup system.

We have been to Orient Beach about 5 times over the past 12 years and always stay at Esmeralda. There are about 15 separate buildings with 3 or 4 units and each building has its own pool only a few feet from your porch. The pools are very nice. My wife won't go nude on the beach but will at the Esmeralda pools. We ask for a unit with a more secluded pool and they always oblige. Most people hang out at the beach so typically we are the only ones using our unit's pool. When we see any of the guests in the other rooms we always ask if they mind if we swim nude. No one has ever objected.

On our first trip there was a much larger nude area at Coco Beach (the beach area in front of Esmeralda) with more than a dozen people nude. Now as noted by others, it is very limited. If you are going to go nude on the beach, now I also suggest CO. Some one mentioned going down there and having a drink. If either of you are a little reluctant to go nude, have another drink.

Sure do! I believe it was stopped because people were harassing her. Shame!

We always take bottled water to Club O beach and have never had a problem. We do pay for chairs and an umbrella. We were last there in June this year.
We have not tried nudity anywhere else on Orient, except in the water.... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/dancingmonkey.gif" alt="" />

Club O beach? No one has said that you can't take whatever you want, in terms of food and/or drink to the Club O beach.

I always wondered why the water sports guys that collect for the chairs don't run drinks like the Pedro's guy. I think that maybe it has something to do with separate entities. Not sure. I think the Pedro's guy make some cash during the high season.

It stopped because Tatiana left the Island and nobody took her place. Everybody loved her. Besides, I have never, in 30 yrs, seen or heard anyone harass any employee or guest of Club O. Watersports is just that, Watersports. They do not have a drink concession because it would impact The Perch and Papaguyos businesses.