My wife & I just returned from a much too short vacation at Club O. After staying at Esmeralda
during our last four trips, we opted for a Beach Chalet at Club O this time. The situation at Coco
Beach prompted our change. Although we were only there for five nights, I believe that I can give
some insight into the differences between the two resorts. First, I must confess that we are rather
spoiled. We can afford to stay at five-star resorts, and often do. The villas at Esmeralda are not
five star, but they were very spacious & reasonably nice. We never had any problems at Esmeralda.
Rather than going into great detail about the accommodations at Esmeralda, I’ll provide this link to
our Esmeralda pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/1marksmandebbie/SaintMartin
Beautiful landscape, nice villas, nice pools, beautiful views from some of the villas (especially #46).
As for Club O, well…, I’ll start with its strong points. Have never met a nicer group of people
in my life, than you will find on the beach at Club O. They will welcome you & make you feel like
a part of their family. Spend time there & you will make friends. The wine & cheese party was great.
It wasn’t the food or wine, it was all the great people coming together to talk, meet new friends &
have a good time. We were also very impressed with the entire staff at Club O. They were all very
nice & efficient at doing their jobs. Security was FANTASTIC. Those guys carry clubs & they mean
business. I witnessed them take away cell phone cameras & escort people off the property. Also,
watched them “shadow” a couple of shady-looking guys as they walked the beach. Security was with
them step by step, until they left the property. If you want to feel safe, spend your time at Club O.
The property is gated & very secure. More so, than Esmeralda. If you enjoy adult beverages, you can
bring your own cooler to the beach at Club O. Can’t do that at Coco (Esmeralda’s beach). This can
save you some serious $$, if you are staying for a few weeks. You can use a charcoal grill & cook on
your patio at Club O. We took advantage of this a couple of nights. Club O has internet in each room.
Bring your own cable, none provided. Not wireless in the rooms. Now for the bad news. The
accommodations at Club O (at least our chalet, #72) were rather rustic, to say the least. Think, renting
a cabin in a state park. A rather old, well-worn cabin. A cabin with blue, cloudy chemicals in the toilet
water. A cabin without a soap dish in the shower. A cabin with air conditioning that does a great job of
cooling the bedroom, but not the rest of the living area. No TV (I never watch TV anyway), no stereo,
no alarm clock. No iron or blow dryer (available in the office, I’m told). Kind of like camping. OK, I
already admitted that I’m spoiled. Bottom line: I would give Esmeralda 4 stars. Club O, 2 or maybe
2 1/2 stars based on the quality of the accommodations. My wife says staying at Club O is good for me.
She is probably right. We’ll be back in November.
Other random thoughts:
Gave out beads on Tuesday to “cruisers” who were willing to shed their threads. Had 3 beautiful young
woman & one young man collect their beads. Great fun!

Kokomarina Restaurant: Fabulous. See my post about it.
Spiga in Grand Case: Always a great meal. We go every trip.
La California in Grand Case: Good food, fantastic view. We’ll be back.
Toppers & Lido BBQ: Great food at bargain prices. Stop on your way to or from the airport.

Next Post will be on taking self-defense weapons to St Martin & my experience with the San Juan
“Puffer Machine” (explosives sniffer). You don’t want to miss that one!