Hello Candy (or is it Candj?) ... Was there just two weeks ago and posted my reports of our SXM vacation last week on this forum. But, rather sending you hunting for those posts let me give you my eyewitness report. Club O. is no more in terms of a physical place. It was destroyed 18 months ago and it essentially lays in ruins today. This was so sad to see. About half of the individual cabins are still standing, but have been gutted and are most likely beyond repair. Others were flattened by Hurricane Irma and are just piles of debris. And, some others are just gone with just the footprint of where a cabin once was. At the southern end of Orient Beach the restaurant Papagayo has also been destroyed and should be roped off from curious bystanders because it looks like the roof is about to collapse at any time. No work at all was being done here, and what really is needed is a complete bulldozing of the former structures here and a rebuild from the ground up.

When will this be rebuilt? I have no idea, but some others on this forum may have updates that they can share. But, it doesn't appear to be any time soon.

However, all is not lost! The clothing-optional beach is alive and well and had many visitors the two different days we were there. The yellow umbrellas were flying proudly in the breeze, and people were in various groups talking and laughing just like before. On our last day there my wife and I decided to eat lunch at the new Perch Bar & Grill and support the local business man named Cedric who helped resurrect this place. It was just great! For $26 USD we hot two huge cheeseburger platters with fries an drinks. And, the burgers were delicious and cooked to perfection. Every table was taken at 12:30 that afternoon, and I would guess that 70 percent of the guests dined without clothing. Nearby other folks were playing a three-on-three volleyball game in the buff and having a great time.

In all honesty if you can avoid looking and staring at where the cabins once stood and at Papagayo (just turn your backs), and focus on what is there now and enjoy the people dedicated to this area, the same feeling is there as it was when Club Orient was open. This is just my take on it, and my wife's as well. I wish I had photos I can share with you, but I don't take my phone to the beach and suggested to my wife to keep her phone tucked away in her tote bag. Hope this helps!