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Orient beach questions and general vibe these days. #287087
08/08/2022 12:04 PM
08/08/2022 12:04 PM
Joined: Aug 2022
Posts: 1
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Brian q Offline OP
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Brian q  Offline OP
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Joined: Aug 2022
Posts: 1
Firstly thanks for the great forum, lots of good info in here.

I was wondering about the general vibe on Orient Beach and what the demographics are like these days.

We visited last time pre-Irma, once on a cruise stop for a day trip, and one time we stayed on the Dutch side and popped over for a day. We are planning to stay in Orient Village this time and spend most of our time on Orient beach and down by the old club O beach. The two times we have been there previously, we spent a bit of time on the club O section and would like to make that our ‘beach base’ this time, though my wife is a bit cautious.

A few questions:

What is the general vibe these days? From what I’ve read from other reports it seems to be business as usual with the Perch lite now. The one time we were there pre irma, people were listening to music and dancing by the perch and there was a lot of activity with people mingling in the water and on the beach. From the reports I’ve read it seems like it might be a bit lower key these days?

From a demographic point of view, our last two times it seems like the ages skewed older (we are in are late 50’s so fit in well). Curious if it’s the same without Club O there and perhaps a different crowd enjoying the beach since they have to stay elsewhere?

How late can you stay on the beach? We were just day tripping last time so left mid afternoon, not sure how late you can stay at the beach before cleaning up for dinner.

I want to make sure my wife will be comfortable, last time she went topless only but wants to fully join in this time if comfortable. I know they say no-one is really paying attention to you, which is likely true but she’ll feel best if she can blend into the background. I hate to ask but last question, my wife has super sensitive skin so doesn’t fully remove all of her body hair in lieu of just trimming. On our last visit it was a rare sight to see hair anywhere but on peoples heads lol, any change to this trend or will she be OK without removing everything?

Thanks

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Re: Orient beach questions and general vibe these days. [Re: Brian q] #287089
08/08/2022 02:16 PM
08/08/2022 02:16 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,475
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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Carol_Hill  Offline
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Posts: 82,475
Central Florida!
I'm surprised that no one has responded to this yet. Hopefully someone with a more recent experience will chime in, as we didn't get there this year. I will say that the Club O crowd always skewed towards an older crowd, and I don't really think that has changed much since Irma. The Perch does a great business. One thing that has changed in the past year or so is that local men have become more visible hanging around the Papagayo end of the beach and have made several people feel uncomfortable. For relative newbies, you are very much better off staying in the section closest to the Perch. I would say that these days, most people are gone by 5 and I would not feel comfortable hanging around after 5. As far as body hair, I honestly have never paid any attention to what other people do in that respect. Do whatever you feel comfortable with, as far as body hair AND as far as her apparel. If for your wife, that includes wearing a pareo, have her do that. She can wrap it around herself and cover up or uncover, as she feels comfortable.


Carol Hill
Re: Orient beach questions and general vibe these days. [Re: Carol_Hill] #287091
08/08/2022 03:38 PM
08/08/2022 03:38 PM
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 18,566
Auburn, WA
SXMScubaman Offline
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SXMScubaman  Offline
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Posts: 18,566
Auburn, WA
"Do whatever you feel comfortable with, as far as body hair AND as far as her apparel. If for your wife, that includes wearing a pareo, have her do that. She can wrap it around herself and cover up or uncover, as she feels comfortable."
Great advice.

Re: Orient beach questions and general vibe these days. [Re: Brian q] #287093
08/08/2022 06:09 PM
08/08/2022 06:09 PM
Joined: Jun 2022
Posts: 12
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Kelly G Offline
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Kelly G  Offline
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K
Joined: Jun 2022
Posts: 12
Spent about a week there back in June (around the 10th to the 20th). Also commented on a similar thread, but a few callouts specific to your questions:

-The C/O side was pretty full in terms of chairs being used, but there seemed to be less activity in terms of people mingling in the water, hanging around and chatting, etc. so at least the experience for me was a bit more serene. I didn't see any dancing/music, but I spent most of my time at the far south end. I'm not sure even if there were any cruise ships in port when I was there, but I can't recall seeing any cruisers/tour groups this time.

-From a demographic standpoint, I'm 36 for what it's worth and spent the entire week on that part of the beach pretty much everyday except for a jaunt over to Pinel. The crowd pre-Irma was a bit older, and it remains so today from what I could tell. There were a handful of younger folks, but not a ton and I'd say late 40's/50's/60's is most common.

-The latest I was on the beach was around 6PM. It dies off quite a bit after 4PM IMO. It is nice once the sun goes behind the hills so I did enjoy the late afternoons, the different colors you see in the sky and water, and it feels like the wind died down a bit the afternoon I stayed later.

-In terms of your wife's comfort, for what it's worth I walked the beach from where Pedro's use to be to the far south end past Papagayos at least 3-4 times every day and I am completely natural (don't shave/trim). While I wasn't inspecting, most are probably groomed/bare, but if I got any looks I chalk it up to being spectacular and I am not shy lol! She won't stick out either way, although now I'm curious if I did ha ha.

Re: Orient beach questions and general vibe these days. [Re: Kelly G] #287094
08/08/2022 07:54 PM
08/08/2022 07:54 PM
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 18,566
Auburn, WA
SXMScubaman Offline
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SXMScubaman  Offline
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 18,566
Auburn, WA
"now I'm curious if I did ha ha."
🤔😉

Re: Orient beach questions and general vibe these days. [Re: Brian q] #287096
08/08/2022 08:00 PM
08/08/2022 08:00 PM
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,225
Middle Tennessee
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TravelHat Offline
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TravelHat  Offline
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Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,225
Middle Tennessee
Looking forward to your trip report as we are thinking of returning after or pre-Irma trip.

Re: Orient beach questions and general vibe these days. [Re: Brian q] #287103
08/09/2022 06:56 AM
08/09/2022 06:56 AM
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 27
NC
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KandG Offline
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KandG  Offline
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 27
NC
We're on the island now day tripping from the Dutch side. We started visiting St. Maarten/Martin in 2006, and we've stayed at Club Orient nine times pre-Irma. So we have at least a little perspective. Our observations and comparisons may be skewed by the fact that it's August, and all of our other trips were in mid-June.

The vibe at Club O now is definitely low key. No music or party atmosphere at Happy Hour. Much less conversation on the beach. The age profile seems to be the same as usual--dominated by late fifty-ish. We started coming to SXM when we were 57 (so now we're 73), and my wife pointed out that we're now the oldest ones on the beach. At least that's been true the last three days.. So the crowd now looks a lot younger to us!

As far as body hair goes, it seems there are more unshaven/unwaxed than in the past. But no one is going to feel out of place for that reason. When not staying at Club O, we've always left around 3:30-4:00, and sometimes umbrellas start coming down around that time. I did notice a new sign this year that the Perch Lite parking closes at 4:30 (and I think they chain the lot entrance then). But the beach is public and there's no closing time there.

Re: Orient beach questions and general vibe these days. [Re: KandG] #287105
08/09/2022 08:51 AM
08/09/2022 08:51 AM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,475
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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Carol_Hill  Offline
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,475
Central Florida!
K & G--thanks for the reply. I thought they were chaining up the parking at some point, wasn't sure the time. And they definitely do collect the chairs at some point also, so if one wants to stay later you need to bring your own chairs and possibly park over by the carbets.


Carol Hill

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