We're less than 2 weeks out from our trip and just trying to iron out some final logistics. We're planning to spend a day at Orient Beach and are just wondering where the best place is to park? We plan on spending the day at one of the large beach bars but not sure which one yet. What is the parking situation in that area and any recommendations on where to park? Thanks!

Lots of parking, you should not have any problem.

You may want to park in Orient Village so you could be close to everything. A few beach bars and a few restaurants are within walking distance of each other.

Parking isn't a problem. Decide where you want to be for the day and park there.

Ok, I’ve never driven to Orient before so in terms of putting something on the map, I should just choose a beach bar and head for there? Does anyone recommend one beach bar over any other, keeping in mind that I’m travelling with two kids.

When you drive into Orient village, the parking lot is straight ahead towards the beach. Park! It's free. IMHO. I would go to LaPlaya beach and restaurant! It's warm, you will love Bruno and his staff. The menu is "Superb"!! with lovely chairs/ umbrella's , beach service!!! All new bathrooms and lovely dinning cabana style tables on the beach . I've walked the beach, you should too! This is my number one choose!!

Everyone has their favorites. Other than Club O, we don't go to Orient and spend the day any more, we just go to eat. So I don't know what each of their policies are on charging for chairs when you eat or drink there and whether you can bring a cooler. Especially with little ones, you might want to pick one of the places that allows coolers. I know that Club O beach (the nude part) allows coolers without any problem, and they do have food there, but you might not be interested in that. I don't honestly know whether anyone on Orient gives free chairs if you eat there or not. Most charge $20-$30 for two chairs and an umbrella, and many of them don't allow front row to the beach unless you pay $30. One or two of the real small places are open there on Orient now also. I might suggest that you might want to just head down the main road there in Orient Village and drive straight out to the beach and park and then walk the beach a bit. To your left will be Bikini, and just past that LaPlaya, Kakao much further down that way. To the right will be the small restaurants and then further on down, Club O. Since you're staying at a villa, you probably have chairs and umbrella there that you could bring to the beach if you want. If so, you could set up somewhere along the whole stretch of empty beach and have a huge stretch to yourself. Bring along a cooler and just eat from that, or send papa to go get lunch and bring it back. No bathrooms in that scenario though..