Evidence of the "North of Pedro's" Construction?

Has anyone actually seen any evidence that this is a "go"? Equipment, materials, workers? This all seem to be happening way too fast for SXM...

Still May. What do you expect? Not scheduled to start yet.

I believe it was supposed to start in June. Island time means June 32nd.

One can hope. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

We're there 6/2 to 6/13 we'll be watching...

We'll take over the watch from 6/10-21! --sxmdoc

We are here now through June 5th and there is no evidence of pending demo or construction. We have dined at Orange Fever, Aloha and Sun Beach and everything is "business as usual!" We haven't chatted with any of the proprietors though, so not sure what date they plan to close.

If you get the chance, would be interested to hear what the owners of the various restaurants tell you. Although the workers should know also what date they will be closing, one would think..

My husband asked the server at Sunbeach if they would be open on Friday (we want to go back for their ceviche "trilogy"!) and they said, "we are open every day, rain or shine!" They were very busy, too. We are off to Pinel today, but will be back on Orient Beach tomorrow - will see what we can find out.

We will be there June 16th through July 2nd. My parents just returned a couple of weeks ago and told me they asked the owner of Orange Fever when they have to leave, and they said probably not till July. I hope! We will see, can't imagine being there and not being able to eat a Orange Fever.

I thought I read somewhere that Cheryl said she was going to be closing the end of May? I think it's very possible that the owners of the businesses are as in the dark as we are...

I could see that happening......must make ordering supplies high anxiety.

I would agree. It's got to be a very difficult time for them.

Cheryl was closing out on her stocks of supplies as she was told the end of May was when she had to close. She had several items not available due to this situation.

I read that May 29 was last day of business for Andy and Cheryl's. I'll be there all of June until mid July. I'll keep an eye on what's going on down there. I'll be looking for you June people!

OK "June People", hope you get a last shot at your favorites! Keep us up to date and I especially hope that Cheryl is not still waiting next June!

I just hope that when all those places close they keep up with the seaweed removal on that stretch of the beach. Would be a shame to have it build up like the ferry dock at Cul De Sac. Its been a a thick stinky mess for the last three weeks.

We are here now and no signs at all. Talked to the owner of Orange Fever and he has not been given a date. I Think its going to take away that rustic beach feel

When we were there in April to May we heard that the demo was re-scheduled to start in the middle of June.

Just for fun (and maybe posterity) Here's the way the endangered 8 or so places looked on the morning of June 3, 2015. Kind of shabby.

Agreed. Cheryl's is supposedly closed until after the renovation. Were the others open? They kind of don't look it. Is Cheryl off island already? As it looks like all the license plates, etc., are still there?

No evidence as of today, June 6. Cheryl appeared to be open. Ate at Orange Fever. They are going week by week

Now hearing consistent reports from many who have visited one or more of the affected shops that they are closing by app. next Monday 6/15

So, they are all still open as of now?

Yes. For those coming here in late June or July they might not want to count on things happening on "Island Time" to keep these landmark places open for them.

We just returned Saturday, and as of Friday (our last day on the beach) Le String, Adam & Eve, Aloha and the Brothers all appeared to be closed and cleared out. Sun Beach Clubber (our favorite), Ethnic, Andy & Cheryl's and Orange Fever were all still open... and Chez Leandra (I think).

What bars will be open next month? I am not that familiar with the north end of Orient. We usually just spend the week at Orange Fever.

Bikini, LaPlaya and the others north of those.

Pedros, Kon Tiki, Kakao, Bikini, La Playa, Waikiki, Coco Beach & Palm each should all be open.

..plus Papagayo and the Perch at Club O and the restaurants in Orient Village.

Went down at app. 3pm and There were people on the roof of Le String (which was open) and Aloha (which was closed) - looking like they were taking things down. Andy & Cheryl's and Brothers were both closed... but I think that's because it was Monday... the young lady at Chez Leandra also confirmed that this was their last week.

Thanks. Makes me sad no mussels from Orange Fever.

Went down just before noon. Brothers and Aloha look like they have called it a season (Closed). All the other businesses in the proposed rehab area were open.

OK, thanks for the continuing updates!

Olivier at orange fever told me he would be closing on the 15th

Did any of the places involved have a clue when the 'renovation' will actually start?

Carol will let you know this saturday when we get there.

Oh, ok, I thought you were already on island. Have a great trip!!

We are facebook friends

Had lunch at Orange Fever today. All looks the same so far.

We stopped at Aloha yesterday and it was closed and the insides disassembled. We spoke to a gentleman who was inside and he said he didn't know exactly when construction would start and didn't know when they would be able to reopen. He didn't speak much English (French), but he seemed very sad about the whole thing. We feel very bad for Nathalie and all the others who worked very hard to put their places back together after the hurricane only to have this happen. Even though we spend most of our time down on the Club O part of the beach, we very much miss some of our favorite lunch places. While we do enjoy Papagayo and the Perch, there are just so many times we can eat lunch there without wanting a change of pace.

According to this post on tripadvisor construction is to start June 23.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g10..._St_Martin.html

Assuming that information is correct and that all restaurants will have to vacate at the same time, at least now they know.

I did not ask her when construction was starting, but it was a sad to watch her organizing all the 'plates' today.

that picture says it all!!! sad. hope she reopens soon.

Wholeheartedly agree. Of all the restaurants, Andy and Cheryl's was meant to be a beach shack, and it will no longer be that.

I wonder if people here really understand what is happening? In the plans there is drop off parking for 3 buses at a time ( the buses can drop off , go park elsewhere and return to pick up their passengers). These are the large "greyhound" style buses. You think Orient was touristy before wait till the cruise tours start dropping off 180+ cruise passengers at a time. OB will never be the same all in the name of progress. AND now instead of the money being spread out to many 9 passenger bus/taxi drivers it will be given to a charter bus company.

SXM??? Wendell

So I'm guessing the beach will still be open in front of those restaurants during the construction? If not I guess we will expect a influx of cruise ship folks heading to Club O's beach next week? This should make for interesting people watching. Can't wait!

I don't see any cruises listed on the cruise schedule for next week. Are there really none coming or are they just not on there yet?

[/quote] Wholeheartedly agree. Of all the restaurants, Andy and Cheryl's was meant to be a beach shack, and it will no longer be that. [/quote]

The whole feeling of Orient (at least to us) was the individuality of each beachfront bar/restaurant. That ambiance is being taken away now all in the name of bureaucracy and the almighty dollar. Ah, progress, gotta love it. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />

This whole thing is starting to sound pretty devastating. The whole bus drop-off idea is going to destroy the entire vibe of this beach. The number of people that are going to pour onto the sands will be ridiculous. Reading this thread will be like watching a train crashing in slow motion. I can understand that they want to build something that has staying-power through hurricanes. But doing so at the expense of the whole nature of this spectacular beach is really, really sad.
The beach shacks made this beach what it is, along, of course, with Club O. And between the Disney-fication of the area with these new sterile buildings, and the huge influx of tourists, nothing good is going to come of this.

My wife and I made our first trip of the week yesterday to OB. We like to get there by 8:30 and enjoy the morning sun and grab some good chairs to begin the day. How relaxing it is! Stopped in at Adam and Eve's later to make our annual purchase of a swimsuit and thank goodness we did. It was her last day open for business before the destruction begins. So sad to see this happen. We have always loved the character of all these shops and eating establishments. I guess all of us are the lucky ones, if you can call it that, as we will all have the memories of how these places were. Other than good memories I don't see much good coming out of all this destruction.

We're hoping that since we go every October, low season, the beach will be reasonably quiet.

Unlike so many here, I have faith in the people who helped make Orient what it is today. The building they are in won't make much of a difference. The buildings will be cold and sterile for about a month and then the talents of the owners and operators will once again come to the fore and we will see their character expressed again.

Yes, it will be hard for the owners in the short term, yes, there will be some long term changes, but some of the responses here make it sound like the plan is to put in a strip mall with a CVS and a Burger King, then make the beach itself into the world's first open air Chuck E Cheese. It is just new buildings.

And the buses and minivans have always brought the cattle from the cruise ships. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/cloud.gif" alt="" />

I don't see any cruises listed on the cruise schedule for next week. Are there really none coming or are they just not on there yet? [/quote]
check out this link for cruise ships.
http://201.220.14.28/sxm/MainMenu.aspx?ShipScheduleType=2

Talk about Burger King reminded me a Mc Donalds was suppose to open on the French side. Has it happened?

Yes, it's in Marigot, close to where Match used to be, which is now.. sorry?? Super U or something??

Cattle??

We respectfully disagree. It's not just 'new buildings'. It's government-sanctioned sterile cement box buildings that take away the whole 'beach-shack' ambiance. If we want that, we can go to Aruba (no disrespect to Aruba or the folks that love it; but let's face it, it's not SXM). And, if it pans out, there's a big difference between taxis and vans bringing cruise ship passengers and huge tourist buses trucking them in. With the additional expense being spent, you can bet rents will go up and they'll be heavily promoting Orient Beach to the passengers even more so than now. Something tells me they're not just doing this because of hurricanes. We'll see where it goes from here. I guess time will tell whether our ''strip mall' fears are founded or not.

As someone else said, there are already huge tourist busses coming to Orient, to the Palm Beach area, and used to be Waikiki and/or Kakao. I really don't see this changing much as far as cruise ship traffic to Orient. Virtually all of the places that are being displaced do not really have sufficient seats to handle a huge crowd anyway, certainly not in the restaurants. I am with Durathror, I think the complaints of the end of the earth are a little over-reacting. I think the end result will be a better experience for visitors.

On the other hand, I do feel very genuinely sorry for the business owners who will be without income for several months. That will be extremely hard on them.

Agreed! Not many of those packing up this week looked too happy. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Sad.gif" alt="" />

Not only will it be harder on them.....you can bet that we all will be paying a lot more for lunches, chair rentals etc. Betting the days of 15-20 dollar chair rental for two with umbrellas will be up at least five bucks. Then of course.....the pricing at the restaurant will have to show the new increase of rent, PLUS the loss months of income. I hope we all will be able to afford going from now on.

With this happening in low season it shouldn't be too much of a set back. Some of those places close during the lowest part of low season anyway.

Does anyone know where to find the thread that had the sketch drawing of the propsed new structure?

The thread you most likely want is: Orient Bay project to start in June

Link to the Overhead, overlaid view of the Project

Link to the View of the Proposed Structure(s)

Was trying to say "thank you" but the message wasn't showing up?

In looking at sketch #3, I must say, I will miss having lunch with my toes in the sand at places like Sun Beach and Aloha!

Where do people get their information that rents, prices for food, drinks, chairs, and other things will be going up? Sounds like pure speculation based on nothing specific. Maybe that will happen, but no one knows anything for sure.

It's just the nature of some people to find fault in anything that is planned to happen in St Maarten. Those same people probably were the ones balking about the proposed causeway before it was built. Now they love it.

I think some people just see it as the "end of an era" - and change can be difficult especially in a place that so many people hold dear. Plus, it is truly sad knowing how hard these businesses worked to recover from the utter devastation of Gonzalo, just to watch it all be demolished again.
Only time will tell!

Well let me put my two cents worth of speculation in then. Over the years I have seen the businesses come and go in that area and each change brought new décor to the existing structure. The creativity of each new owner gave each transformation its own flair. It is my hope that that is what will happen all over again and what looks like a one size fits all design in the artists renditions will be replaced with a new burst of creativities by the new occupants. I think that history may well repeat itself and a new era will be born in that area.

<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Sick.gif" alt="" />

I like your positive spin and I agree.

Me too !! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Sick.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Sick.gif" alt="" />

By your response to me it looks like you agree with me that it's a good thing and you disagree that it is a good thing to the same post. Can't make your mind up??? <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Yikes.gif" alt="" />

We can only hope that diversity will return once again when the new buildings are finished.

January,

You obviously were talking about my post. I may not be a rocket scientist, but have been in real estate for three decades now, and am smart enough to know thatt when a landlord builds a very expensive building, and adds all sort of parking, someone will obviously have to pay for all this. I will bet my house that the tenants wont be getting this new stuff without a bump in the rent. Higher costs by these tenants will obviously have to be made up somehow. I dont think it will be speculaative to know where this will lead...and it leads right to us! If you can think of other means I would love to hear them

If it was a private investor doing this remodel I would agree. But it is the French government doing this with tax monies so maybe not.

Wow, hold the presses!! For the SECOND time in recent memory, I agree with Scubaman!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Rofl.gif" alt="" /> Since the government is doing the rehab, who knows? They SHOULD keep the rents the same, as they are using tax money to do the rehab, one would 'assume'. It seems like none of the current tenants have been offered a specific lease yet though. I think the most that can be said is that everything is up in the air.

LOL! I agree with him as well, but just couldn't bring myself to post it publicly. Now that you have, I guess I'm safe. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

Carol, GaKaye. This is too much for me to handle. Just about spayed coffee on my keyboard from the shock of reading this. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Yikes.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Y'all are too funny. Thanks for the smile in what is a rough day.

As none of the current tenants have been offered anything yet, does anyone even know if they are even first in line for the chance to occupy?

Wow! I just assumed that was a given!

The question is "Do the displaced beach restaurants have the deep pockets enough to stay closed for so long and are able to reopen?"

SXM??? Wendell

Perhaps the government is going to offer some type of assistance. I'm sure they're not having to pay their lot rents while they're closed, and perhaps their rents in the new location will be reduced or deferred for a time to allow for recovery. France is effectively a socialist society, so I'd be very surprised if some assistance wasn't offered to these long-time business owners.

Did you neuter your computer as well? <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

All these speculations are just too funny!Perhaps all visitors to the island should just wait until the dust settles and see what is actually going to happen. There are too many unknowns in this situation and nobody knows anything for sure, not even the government!

Yeah, well, just don't get used to it!!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Post deleted by Carol Hill

There was nothing insulting about my use of that term. I was referring to the country's policies regarding employment.

Why bring THIS ^^^ into the discussion ????

I'm confused - you take offense that France was referred to as socialist, and then seem proud that the Nazi party is thriving in France. If in fact that is true, I would suggest that weapons be made legal in France, as they will be needed. I believe the last time the US invaded France was in June of 1944.

This can go nowhere good. We should probably all ignore the troll; I apologize that I didn't.

So, getting back to the original subject here <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" /> ....If anyone on island could post pictures as the tear-down and reconstruction happens, it would be much appreciated! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/thanks.gif" alt="" />

OK, let's do this. Let's go ahead and close this one, as it is way long anyway. Someone can start a new thread, just no crazy political comments (which I knew that Georgia didn't mean it that way anyway..)