September 6, 2018: the one year anniversary of the hurricane

We just got to spend a day at Club Orient while on our Eastern Caribbean cruise. We were in the first wave off the ship and headed straight to the taxi stand. We waited for another couple heading to Orient Beach and then headed off. As we approached the entrance to Club Orient we could see the devastation. Very few of the palm trees remained and there was a big empty space where most of the circle of mini suites used to be. We continued down the access road to the beach until we got to the parking lot that used to be Pedros (it is completely gone, including the foundation). There was still a chain blocking the turn around next to the new Perch Lite, so our driver took us around to drop us off at Orient Village. The other couple got cold feet and ended up staying in the taxi to head back to go shopping, but we got out and immediately noticed we could see all the way down to Club Orient from the end of the street. The Yellow Submarine pizza place was gone and there was new construction going on in its lot. On the beach on our left the Bikini Beach Club was open, but on the right the Kon Tiki was gone. There was construction going on, so eventually the Kon Tiki will be back.

We started heading down the beach and ran into Luiz who ran the Marlyndx swimwear shop. Since the hurricane took out all of the new shops he has been making and selling pareos on the beach. We bought two and talked for a bit about what had happened then continued down the beach. When we got past the rocks to the nude section at around 9:30 we were greeted and got two chairs and an umbrella for $15. After we set up I realized the umbrella was maroon and we had rented from Pedros, so I guess it lives on. After a quick swim we went to the Perch Lite for a couple of Margaritas. We paid with Euros instead of Dollars partly to use up some leftover Euros from last years Mediterranean cruise but also to give them a little extra. After more swimming we eventually had lunch at the Perch Lite as well (hot dogs and a coke). After lunch, we walked down to Papagayo's and then through the Club Orient property itself. It was even worse up close. We found our favorite Mini Suite (156) was still standing but was missing half of the side wall, all of the back wall and the wall between the two units. The Mini Suite next to it (158?) is the only one made of concrete after a fire forced it to be rebuilt to new construction standards and the two are the only ones left. The Mini Suite Deluxes seemed to fare slightly better and most were still standing. The Beachfront units didnt fare well at all and were smashed. According to Louie, it wasnt actually the hurricane winds that did the most damage, but the 30 foot wave that washed over Green Cay and through the property and cleaned out everything in all of the units. Every building that was standing was completely empty inside. Looters took care of anything that was left, except for the treadmills and stationary bikes in the gym... they were still there.

The sport of watching the Lookie Lou's from the cruise ship was still fun, but this time we had the added possibility of running into someone we had met on the ship since ours was the only one in port. It is funny to see them come down the beach and pretend they are not looking. In years past there would be a welcoming committee that would interact with them so they couldnt pretend they didnt notice the nudists, but there werent many on the beach... maybe 20 or 30 with only about 1/2 nude. The rest were probably from our ship. September is low season anyway, so I dont know if that is a normal count or if the hurricane is still keeping people away. It was one year ago to the day since the first hurricane (Irma) hit. Several taxis did stop throughout the day with tourists getting a drink at the Perch and then continuing on with their sightseeing tours. By 2:30 we thought we should start looking for a cab back, and got lucky enough to catch one at Club Orient so we wouldn't have to walk back to Orient Village. All in all it was a nice way to spend our Anniversary on shore, but my hopes of Club Orient reopening by the end of 2019 died off completely.

I'll post some pictures we took on the property once we download them from Mrs. J&C's phone.

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RE:September 6, 2018: the one year anniversary of the hurricane

Thanks for the report. Your observations are consistent with reports Club O has posted on Facebook. It doesn't look like rebuilding is moving very fast. We cancelled our 2018 SXM plans and didn't make any 2019 plans. We will be cruising during our normal SXM time frame instead. Friends asked us to join them in SXM next February, but we declined.

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RE:September 6, 2018: the one year anniversary of the hurricane

Thank for your excellent report. My wife and I have also stayed in #158. A quick walk to pick up our
pastries in the morning and towels. We are very disappointed at the lack of progress and even wonder
if they will ever be back due to all of the new restrictions and codes.

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RE:September 6, 2018: the one year anniversary of the hurricane

Here is our favorite Club Orient Mini Suite before and after the hurricane.

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RE:September 6, 2018: the one year anniversary of the hurricane

My Wife and I are going to St. Maarten, Early April 2019. Hoping to find progress. Will report back.

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RE:September 6, 2018: the one year anniversary of the hurricane

My Wife and I are going to St. Maarten, Early April 2019. Hoping to find progress. Will report back.

Visit the Perch Lite and rent a couple of chairs and an umbrella from either the Club Orient or Pedros alumni. They can use all the help they can get. It will be interesting to see if attendance is higher in what used to be the high season, compared to what we saw in the low season.

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RE:September 6, 2018: the one year anniversary of the hurricane

Glad to hear that the lack of people when we were there was just a seasonal thing. We just got back from the annual Bare Necessities mid-winter nude cruise and some of the Club O owners gave a talk. They still plan to rebuild in roughly the same footprint as before. They want the same feel of open your front door and walk out to the beach, so no bigger condo buildings/ hotels (assuming new building codes allow it). They have talked with the island governor who is very supportive. He knows the nude beach is a very big draw to the island and wants Club O back up and running since they were one of the biggest employers on the french side of the island and brought in a lot of tourist money.

They are streamlining down to two unit types: studios (to replace the old studios and mini suites) and suites (to replace the mini suite deluxes and beachfront units). No more wooden construction. They showed the blueprints for the two unit types during the talk. Papagayo is right on the edge of being rescued or torn down and replaced... they think it will be replaced. The management company that employed all of the Club O workers has gone out of business, so the owners will have to find another or start a new one when it is time to reopen. There are a few owners who want to cash out so they offered those of us at the talk a chance to buy in. They estimated $150000 for a studio and higher for a suite. Tempting, so we might email for more info.

We got two Club O champagne glasses at the talk. We have to make it back to Boston today without breaking them.

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RE:September 6, 2018: the one year anniversary of the hurricane

While we were down, we heard comparable items regarding support from the French governor on the island and similar things regarding his recognition of the importance of Club O as tourism generator. Whether that moral support can work to speed up any re-construction is anyone's guess.

I was curious if they spoke about possible settlement of legal dispute between the two owners' groups.

Rich and Sandy

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RE:September 6, 2018: the one year anniversary of the hurricane

While we were down, we heard comparable items regarding support from the French governor on the island and similar things regarding his recognition of the importance of Club O as tourism generator. Whether that moral support can work to speed up any re-construction is anyone's guess.I was curious if they spoke about possible settlement of legal dispute between the two owners' groups.Rich and Sandy

Someone asked and they didnt want to go into that subject.

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