St. Martin - Orient Beach BIG FYI

[mamacat3]

Thanks for all the great info. We stopped briefly at Orient in Dec. and there were very few topless or nudes. The ones we saw made us wish we really hadn't seen them as they were elderly women and men with ......

 

Something we will never forget!!!!!!!!

[wolfganghowell]

Thanks beachchick - that was exactly the info I have been waiting for. It is very appreciated! :)

[RickMG]

My Mrs. made a comment that some things are sexier if they remain covered up, and from what I saw there this past Wednesday (April 30), I definitely agree with her...;)

I certainly feel this way too, but can't wait to see it on the 15th when we'll be touring the island as I've been to many topless beaches in France and Mexico, but have never seen one that has total nudity. What I want to know is this: WHERE'S THE WEB CAM? :D

[bluejeans]

If you can get past the nudity (it doesn't bother us, but to each his own) Orient Beach is probably the most beautiful beach I have ever been to. We are sun worshippers, usually go to beaches at every port. And we live 5 minutes away from some of the nicest beaches anywhere. It is awesome. It is a must-see.

 

We were there last week, second time for me, and I agree with you, it is the prettiest beach I have ever seen. I know my beaches, I, too, love the sun. And I agree with most on here, if toplessness or nudity bothers them, they need to not go to any of the beaches on St. Martin. A few girls we saw several times on the ship was dropped off at Little Divi, and said most all the women were topless.

[RvrCrzr]

Orient Beach is beautiful! IF you want to see more clothes...keep to the far left as you approach the beach areas. You want more skin...head right.

 

The totally nude section is marked well...you will know when you are there. I strolled the entire beach to find out this for you.:D

 

And yes...when I hit the nude section...I got nude right along with the others. :cool: It was a day I'll never forget...and neither will my brother-in-law! :eek:

 

Have fun, and enjoy the different cultures of the world. Life is short...so live!

[beachchick]

Thanks beachchick - that was exactly the info I have been waiting for. It is very appreciated! :)

 

My pleasure. I hope you have a fabulous time! "Hang loose," so to speak...:p (I know, I know, wrong forum for that. I just couldn't help myself.):D

 

Orient is one of our favorite beaches. We'd love to visit St. Martin for a week, but airfare from here to there is impossibly expensive--and that was before fuel prices went through the roof.

 

beachchick:)

 

p.s., Ignore the "naysayers" here and elsewhere who are disappointed that many/most of the people on the beach are not Hawaiian Tropic models or Chippendale dancers. I think if that bothers people, they should simply not bother to look...but I guess it's a "sporting" event in some minds.

 

p.p.s to RickMG: No web cam. And don't bother taking out your camera on the Club O property. The sign says "No cameras" (well, it's a picture with a red "no" slash through it), and they mean it. No photos allowed--The people are there to enjoy the beach, not be treated like a zoo exhibit. OTOH, I know you know that because you've been to topless beaches and understand the customs; unfortunately, not everyone is as savvy as you are. If you think certain things are better/sexier covered up (and that's fine; I feel sexier wearing a bikini bottom or pareo rather than being completely nude, but that's just me), you can still enjoy Orient and not see much (or even any) full nudity. Just stay further away from the Club O end of the beach. If your goal is simply to see full nudity, than by all means go to Club O. I think that's a silly reason to visit a clothing-optional resort, but to each his or her own. Just please don't be one of those rude fully clothed (and I mean fully clothed) folks walking along gawking and either laughing or leering. (If you want to laugh or belatedly leer later when you're off the beach, feel free.)

[hubofhockey]

We LOVED that beach! It is a stellar beach...great sand, great water...nice restaurants, bars, etc. etc. Great activities...lots of things to do...you just have the opportunity to see some things that could have done without. It is a great beach though!

 

It is my favorite beach in the Caribbean. We had a week vacation on the beach at the Mt Vernon hotel (way back before the big hurricane). The nude part of the beach is very small compared to the rest of the beach. There is great snorkeling all over.

[wolfganghowell]

Ignore the "naysayers" here and elsewhere who are disappointed that many/most of the people on the beach are not Hawaiian Tropic models

 

:D :D I work in the modeling industry and have for over 20 years. We tend to forget that those perfect bodies make up a small % of the population. Also, we Americans are just raised differently when it comes to bodies and nudity. No wonder Europeans think we are without culture when we act so goofy about the same equipment we all have. ;) Sure, it can be easy to giggle at the old guy in the Speedo or the over endowed old lady in the bikini or the completely nekkid folks - but I give them kudos for having the guts to do it. "We" think certain bodies should be covered but Americans are kind of in the minority on this. Don't get me wrong - I'll be in a swimsuit but that's my comfort level. That's the beauty of international travel - tolerance and acceptance of differences as long as they don't infringe on YOUR basic rights.

[bluejeans]

:D :D I work in the modeling industry and have for over 20 years. We tend to forget that those perfect bodies make up a small % of the population. Also, we Americans are just raised differently when it comes to bodies and nudity. No wonder Europeans think we are without culture when we act so goofy about the same equipment we all have. ;) Sure, it can be easy to giggle at the old guy in the Speedo or the over endowed old lady in the bikini or the completely nekkid folks - but I give them kudos for having the guts to do it. "We" think certain bodies should be covered but Americans are kind of in the minority on this. Don't get me wrong - I'll be in a swimsuit but that's my comfort level. That's the beauty of international travel - tolerance and acceptance of differences as long as they don't infringe on YOUR basic rights.

 

Well said wolfgang, kudos to all who are comfortable in their skin. Americans are so uptight about this subject. :confused:

[The Big Booper]

........

Orient is one of our favorite beaches. We'd love to visit St. Martin for a week, but airfare from here to there is impossibly expensive--and that was before fuel prices went through the roof..........

 

beachchick:)

 

JetBlue now flies to SXM from JFK at reasonable prices, just a few dollars more than JFK-LongBeach.

 

We will be on SXM on our November TA on the Indy OTS, but on a Sunday. I assume the beach and all the vendors will be open and going strong, but the stores will have limited hours.

[shark_bait]

We spent a week on St Martin last February and while doing my research on another travel forum specific to St Martin, there was alot of talk about the new rules/law:confused: in regards to walking the beach nude on Orient Beach. I guess there have been quite a few complaints from some of the local establishment's stating that the naturist's walking the beach was affecting their business.

 

Sooo, the police have been out patrolling the beach and telling the naturist's to cover up their bottom's while off of the Club Orient property. Speculation is that this pressure was coming from, you guessed it, Cruiser's. Wouldn't have thought that the cruise business at Orient Beach would have been that important but maybe so.

 

Orient Beach is by far my favorite beach of all time. Some may have a little nicer sand, some may have a little calmer water, some may even have more bar and restaurant's to choose from, and no doubt some are not as crowded, but for the whole overall experience OB is awesome. Doesn't matter to me if you are dressed in a tuxedo or just the bow tie.:D

 

Beachchick recommeded some very good spot's. We like to hang at Pedro's and Baywatch (used to @ Pirate's) as these are closer to Club Orient and tend to be not as busy as Bikini, Waikiki, La Playa. Couldn't tell you if any of the Naturist's walked down that far cause honestly I wasn't paying that much attention, but with the new rules I can just about assure you that you're not going to see anybody nude in the Bikini Bar area. We did head over to the Perch Bar (Club Orient) for their Happy Hour (2 for1) and were the only one's there in bathing suit's, not a word or wierd look was given toward's us. Just not that big of a deal.

[libertybelle41]

We are booked with Bernard's tours 5/27. Is there a place on Orient to rent waverunners?

[Puddincat]

Orient Beach is beautiful! IF you want to see more clothes...keep to the far left as you approach the beach areas. You want more skin...head right.

 

The totally nude section is marked well...you will know when you are there. I strolled the entire beach to find out this for you.:D

 

And yes...when I hit the nude section...I got nude right along with the others. :cool: It was a day I'll never forget...and neither will my brother-in-law! :eek:

 

Have fun, and enjoy the different cultures of the world. Life is short...so live!

 

ITA Jollymon. When I hit the nude section, I, too, got nude along with the others. I'm a grandma, wouldn't consider myself elderly, but I'm no size 2, gravity has taken its toll, etc. but I didn't give a rat's you-know-what about what anyone else thought. I wanted to experience the feel of the sun and the ocean on my skin, and it was beautiful and felt healthy. Not there to put on a show or be ogled at or snickered about...just there to enjoy life and feel good. Some people are still stuck in adolescence, too bad...

[MDSue]

I've been to Orient beach twice and have not encountered any totally nude people there [maybe that's just Club Orient.] There was a fair share of topless women strolling down the beach but where we were, most were adequately covered. Our last stop we were at Kakoa beach [at Orient]and we enjoyed it, padded chairs, umbrellas, waiters on the beach, etc.

For anyone heading that way, the taxi drivers know what parts of the beach are best. There were plenty of families there also- the kids didn't seem to pay any attention to the topless strollers. Most weren't model quality anyway.

Other thans the crowded beaches, I love Orient beach:)

[beachchick]

JetBlue now flies to SXM from JFK at reasonable prices, just a few dollars more than JFK-LongBeach.

 

We will be on SXM on our November TA on the Indy OTS, but on a Sunday. I assume the beach and all the vendors will be open and going strong, but the stores will have limited hours.

 

Have a wonderful time on your cruise and on the lovely island!

 

Still can't consider SXM by air though. Unfortunately, we have to get from our regional airport to Long Beach, LAX, or even SFO. Then we have to get to somewhere on the east coast before we get to finally head to SXM. Besides the hassle of so many transfers, all those legs of the trip add up to more $$ then we can even think about right now.

 

beachchick

[Desert star]

I have no problem with anyone being comfortable enough with themselves to be nude on the beach in fact I applaud it, and maybe it is just me being from Arizona and skin cancer is so prevelent, but please people, use some sun screen!

Most of the people we saw looked like over baked cookies.

[The Big Booper]

For a Leftcoaster, that is a problem.

 

Blue from JFK-SXM is $169, but the flight leaves at 10:30 AM NY time so that is not practical for you.

 

Where in Ca. do you live?

[beachchick]

It is my favorite beach in the Caribbean. We had a week vacation on the beach at the Mt Vernon hotel (way back before the big hurricane). The nude part of the beach is very small compared to the rest of the beach. There is great snorkeling all over.

 

Would you mind detailing where the great snorkeling is on Orient? The only area I've even heard to have decent snorkeling is the area to the right on the Club Orient end of the beach. Where else and exactly how good is it? We certainly didn't see any areas where we were sorry to have left our gear on the ship that day. There was plenty of nice sandy bottom though.

 

For a Leftcoaster, that is a problem.

 

Blue from JFK-SXM is $169, but the flight leaves at 10:30 AM NY time so that is not practical for you.

 

Where in Ca. do you live?

 

Yeah, we kind of get hit no matter which way we fly. You'd think Hawaii would be a bargain for us, but it's usually not. We're on the central coast smack in the middle of one of the state's premier wine regions. At least we get great prices on wine!

 

beachchick

[hubofhockey]

The beach right before the nude beach had great snorkeling right from shore when I was in St Martin. That was a long time ago - 10 years. Maybe things have changed. But that's my plan for next year.

[beachchick]

The beach right before the nude beach had great snorkeling right from shore when I was in St Martin. That was a long time ago - 10 years. Maybe things have changed. But that's my plan for next year.

 

Hmm...We were there in 2004, so things may well have changed again, but that's the area where we spent the day. We aren't frequent visitors (more's the pity), so I can't speak with any real authority. We rented lounges and umbrellas at Pedro's (they were full size padded loungers, not the sling chairs I'm reading about now), which is right the area next to Club Orient. (BTW, Club O is completely clothing optional, not nudist; seems a small distinction, but it is significant; naturist/nudist typically = all people fully nude, where fully clothing optional = wear whatever you want or wear nothing but a smile).

 

As it's all Orient beach, I'm guessing that you're referring to the Pedro's/Baywatch area as the area you snorkeled from right off the beach? I suppose you could snorkel if you went out to the "strip" of rocks/coral that I'm remembering seeing, but I'm not sure what the conditions would be. There was no one snorkeling out there that we saw, but that doesn't mean no one ever does. There were a fair number of people snorkeling off the right side of the Club O area, which I have heard can have decent conditions and snorkeling.

 

Thanks for the feedback. I think we'll still leave the gear on the ship and enjoy Orient as a relax/stroll/swim/eat/drink beach day.

 

beachchick

[drogerm]

We are booked with Bernard's tours 5/27. Is there a place on Orient to rent waverunners?

 

Yes there is a place to rent waverunners. I think it was $75/hour. They take credit cards, too.

[kal]

Just a heads up -

...out of about 800 people, only maybe 4 or 5 had on anything at all. Yes, men and women, young and old....

 

This is a very interesting comment about Club Orient. Given the detailed numbers, the observation seems to be the result of far more than a casual view of the area. However, maybe it's good to have such an analysis available for all to review. My guess is there's more data to come on such things as "jewelry and tats".

[d56]

Just a practical question- how long does it take to get to Orient Beach from the cruise piers, and in traffic, how long does it take to get back.

 

Thanks.

[cherylroslyn]

Just a practical question- how long does it take to get to Orient Beach from the cruise piers, and in traffic, how long does it take to get back.

 

Thanks.

fifteen minutes..... and don't let this thread that you have revived scare you. Although you will see topless and the occaisional nude it is really no big deal at all...........

[Localitcompanies]

Any live music playing during the day on the beach?

 

Thanks..