Where to now?

With the closing of Club O where is everyone going?

Honestly, most people who formerly stayed at Club O are staying at places in Orient Village, which are not c/o. You also have Club Fantastico and Adam et Eve, in that general area. Or rent a private villa with a private pool--for around the same money as staying at Club O!!

We just came home from 10 days (50th Anniversary trip) at the naturist places near Orient. I wrote the trip up in a blog that includes a comparison of them (followed by a week with family in Turks and Caicos):
Blog

Chuck--thanks so much for the comparison of the three places, and for the report.

Carol- my pleasure, it was fun and will be a nice memoir for us even if we never get back there! By the way, I debated posting it here vs the SXM forum but decided it was mainly aimed at the naturist crowd. I can move it if you would like.
C.

No problem. If you want, you can post a link in the SXM forum also.

Of course, for many of us, where we go since Club O is not available is not in any way limited to St. Martin. Since our last trip to Club O, we have been to:

The Natural in Curacao - Nice basic naturist mini-resort. Had a nice time there and really liked the island.
Hedonism II - We just always have fun there. We're not at all lifestyle, but we just have a nice time.
Grand Lido - Very nice au naturel resort. A bit more formal than we like, but you do feel pampered.
Aruba villa - There are lots of them and many are walled so you can be nude all you like. I was nude pretty much the whole time there.

We're heading to a Curacao villa in May. There are many that are very private and we picked one in the Coral Estates development where we can be nude as much as we like. Curacao has some beaches that are privately owned that are often empty or only locals and it's common to find locals nude.

We're considering a trip in March and looking at maybe Grand Lido again, which I've noticed can be quite a bargain sometimes.

We've been to Intima in Tulum and really liked it, but are avoiding Mexico for now given the travel advisories. Tried Paya Bay twice on Roatan, but will not be back and don't recommend it.

The Big Nude Boat has announced that there will be an excursion to Paya Bay during the stop in Roatan. I looked at the reviews and it seems that the first negative thing mentioned is the 90 minute ride over really rough roads. The next negative as the overselling of day passes to the cruise passengers so with 2000+ on the ship I can imagine what it would be like if even a small portion of that 2,000 went there. I also heard it was very old and needed some renovation. On the upside I read that the hosts are very nice, the food is adequate and the au naturel beach is nice. Just the thought of 3+ hours of my day being spent on traveling to and from. I think we'll stay at Mahogany Bay and hope they have a nude section set aside for us.

deputy--Did someone from BN say that there will be a nude section of the beach at Mahogany Bay? As my understanding is that it is, or WAS anyway, illegal to be nude on a public beach in Roatan...

Carol-While they didn't actually say that there will be a nude section, it appears that they are implying it. We are the only ship in port that day amd this is what is posted on the itinerary page.

"This private cruise port located on the island of Roatan off the coast of Honduras will be ours exclusively and start our journey with a nude beach opportunity, zip lining, volleyball, and lively local music, food and shops."

I am hoping that they will be able to secure an area for nude beach.

OK, sounds like they are guaranteeing a nude beach opportunity. If so, that definitely sounds like a better option to me than going 1.5 hours one way to a resort.

Couples San Souci in Jamaica is a good alternative if you want all inclusive

This is our 5th New Years on the island in 10 years and last year we saw many, many more of the “standard” pre-irma crowd. Before the storm, there were folks who came back like lemmings every year without fail. Many were hear last year, but not as many this year.

The unrest may be a factor.

But the most common thing we've heard from different people is alot of them are at Hidden Beach Resort in Mexico.

I would have guessed many were taking the BN cruises instead.

Who knows where they all are. Each passing year, we will lose folks to alternatives, some of them permanently.

yes, the unrest is a factor...miss all my club o friends

This is our 3rd time to Zipolite. The beach is about a mile long with a pretty rough surf that can be dangerous. Weather is hot and dry now. Accommodations are scarce during the nude festival usually held during the first weekend in February. Otherwise a minority nude/topless and popular with the gay community. Playa Amor is separated from main beach - and unfortunately can be pretty gross with used condoms floating about. Some terrific restaurants in town and on beach. New accommodations are being built, but still has funky small town charm.