TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Club O, Any progress?

We are headed down again on November 30th for two weeks and were wondering if there has been any progress on rebuilding Club O? I tried to search the forum for any past treads but didn't find anything. We were there last December and there was only the makeshift Perch Lite and the bathrooms were terrible, but better than nothing. We were hoping that there might have been some progress in the settlement and some rebuilding? When we were there last year, there was no weekly chair rental and we were hoping that might have changed?

It's just about the same. No rebuilding, yet.

Chairs and umbrella rentals were available during our stay in May. Restroom still basically a wooden porta-potty. Property behind the beach in shambles. But we had a great time.

That's so sad. Club O was an amazing place...none like it.

Yes it was.
But at least there is a Perch Lite.
If only the washrooms were restored.
I used to love how nice and clean they used to be.

Club O and Pedro's for that matter, was never connected to any island power or drainage systems, they produced everything themselves, that infrastructure is now gone so generators and porta potties are the only answer at the moment :-(

If anyone needs to use restrooms while on the Club O. beach, all that's needed is a short walk over to Kontiki (after you put your swimsuit back on), buy a drink (or two), and use their washrooms. Problem solved.

Just got back. Observations:

Beach is there, same as always, with chairs and umbrellas available.

Three-piece set-up was $20. That's what we did.

Men working the beach were friendly. However, they were not good at security, and there was insufficient enforcement of the "no camera" rule.

The further south you go, the more... uh, single men... you will see (south is to the right as you face the water). One offered weed to a couple single female cruisers.

Also on the south end, some folks set-up on their own little private "mini-beach," beyond the remains of the restaurant. A couple free chairs are there.

Plenty of "cruisers," out for a peek. Same as always.

The property itself is a disaster. You can walk through the shambles (I did a couple times). If you fancy a stroll, wear footwear, and you will be OK. Avoid entering buildings.

I never saw a porta-potty. We didn't need one, so we didn't look or ask.

Lots of clothed use at Perch. So a lot of people got dressed to go there. Especially on Sunday, all locals, all dressed. Didn't stop me, though.

Walking around, my biggest concern is this: It's possible that a company will purchase the property for a traditional beach resort. That's some valuable real estate there.

The porta potty is in the container by the perch lite parking lot. As far as the "no camera" security I'm sure club orient had paid security people. Cedric & staff are doing what they can for us to be able to enjoy life at the end of the beach. I'm so happy they took initiative as without them there would be only sand beach & maybe not clothing optional. Yay for Cedric & people running perch lite!

Yeah, perhaps I was a bit harsh in my initial post. I completely understand that the "chair guys" are not security. That's not their job (and it really shouldn't be). However, more security = more visitors.

A couple people did speak up, and told people to stop taking photos. So self-enforcement was also present.

Me, right now ...

Thanks for the update - it's pretty much what we experienced when we were last there
However, several times we did see the chair guys telling people not to take photos, in case they couldn't read. There was also the normal amount of self-enforcement.
I believe Perch Lite is now Perch Bar & Grill, at least that's what their sign reads.
I'm in agreement with your biggest concern. A large hotel and/or restaurant chain would love this valuable location.
Of course, one more shout-out to Cedrick, his crew, and the Perch staff for once again making the beach as enjoyable as ever. We'll be there in 86 days.

By the time the land ownership/title issues get resolved we'll all be dead so don't worry about some company purchasing the land.

Gosh, I hope your prediction isn’t accurate.

I understand that Cedric and his team are doing there best.
But it's a little bit scary to think people are taking photos there now.
I love to swim sans clothing but I sure wouldn't like to end up on the internet.

Looks like that's the chance you take now.

My husband says wear a Halloween mask on the beach & you are good to go. 😂😎

Halloween Mask 🤣.
I think if that is the situation at Orient I will only go nude at Cupecoy.

I don't know if I agree with more security equals more visitors. We were in Mallorca and Ibiza earlier this summer and hit several different beaches, some of them 'official' nude beaches. There were cell phones and even cameras all over the place. No one even noticed or even cared. The attitudes of the people in Europe when it comes to nudity are so different from those of us in North America I actually find it refreshing. The security that was there was minimal, and more concerned with things such as petty theft, etc. The beaches -- everyone of them -- were packed (though there was an incredible heat wave hitting at the time we were there).

I guess walking nude on public beach should mean I don't care who sees and I shouldn't be worried about being on camera but tho I like being nude in SXM wouldn't like my parents, in laws, uncles etc. to see me that way.

Were the beaches in Mallorca and Ibiza comparable to Orient (water color and sand color)?

We've been naked at cupecoy but it's actually not allowed with signs. You could be arrested. I would rather have my picture taken than be arrested by the cops. Lol 😁😎🤔

🤣 yes I think you're right.

I was almost arrested in Antigua for swimming nude at Half Moon Bay.
Was let of with a warning.
Had a lot of mojitos and tequila before we got there.
It was my 24th birthday.

Figured I would chime in... We're a gay couple from Massachusetts. We love SXM, especially Cupecoy and Orient. We go to Haulover Beach in Sunny Isles Florida, which is about 25 minutes north of South Beach. It's a state-sanctioned nude beach which is basically informally broken down into two sections: a "straight section" (families and couples) to the south and a "gay section" (primarily gay men) to the north end of the beach . People sometimes pose for group photos in both sections of the beach. No one seems to have any issues with it. My husband and I are fine with it. No big deal. We've had people ask to take our picture and we've said okay to that.

It's 2019, and everyone's phone has a camera in it. I imagine plenty of people are discreetly photographing or even taking videos of the ocean views of Haulover in Florida, or Cupecoy in SXM, or Orient. However, if someone is taking photos/videos of others who are nude and who don't want to be photographed, i.e., weren't ASKED if they want to be photographed, and DID NOT CONSENT to such photography, that is a horrible thing to do to complete strangers. Granted, it isn't exactly an easy thing to monitor, as someone might just be using the internet on their phone. Are people walking up to strangers and checking to see why they're holding their phones up? That's bizarre, if they are that paranoid. EVERYONE uses their phones at the beach ALL THE TIME to check social media, news feeds, etc.

It depends alot on the unspoken etiquette of the respective locations. Clearly, cameras are not welcome at Orient or Cupecoy, but Haulover is different. People are more tolerant of people using their phones to take pictures either WITH the consent of others or amongst themselves.

Tammy ... we were there in 2018 (and near Nice, France) and the beaches were truly outstanding. Clean, no seaweed, white sand and sand bars that extended out far into the water so you could venture a long way from the shore before reaching deeper water. No rip currents to worry about, etc. And, many of the beaches had lifeguards. This year in July the beaches of the Balearic Islands were still very nice, but like much of the Caribbean I was dismayed by the sea grasses and seaweed that was quite thick in some areas. But, if you walked along the beach you would reach areas without seaweed so you had to look things over first before parking your umbrella and towels. The beaches of St. Martin are still my personal favorites, but the European experience is definitely worth a try if you don't mind the 8 hour flights to-and-from Spain or France.

A few photos from July