Highlights of our 40th or so return to Orient Beach; this time staying at Club Orient. Our hotels are in fine condition. The island is green w/ recent rains and no serious storms this year; the new palms at Club-O now providing meaningful shade & coconuts, the lush landscaping at Green Cay Village, La Plantation and L’Hoste was especially notable. Severe beach erosion at parts of the beach w/ water at the edge of Papagayo restaurant and again between Pedro’s past Kontiki, but still lots of sand for beach lounges in between. Hotel management changes- at St Tropez, hotel closed until new management company takes over in November. Elisa left Palm Court to give full time to Bikini restaurant w/ hotel management taken over by Emmanuel and Cecile of Wind Adventures. A new manager arrives at the Sunrise Hotel this week replacing Christophe who returns to France. Natalie, formerly assistant manager at Esmeralda is now resident manager of the Alamanda Resort. For those who knew Delphine at Cap-Caraibes and Caribbean Princess, she had a baby and returned to France – Cecile and Erwan manage the front desk.<br><br>The new Alamanda resort joins the growing number of luxury properties with 24 hr front desk services w/ accommodations up to 5 adults; all units w/ complete kitchenettes including microwave ovens, but no full kitchens. Topless sunning permitted at the Alamanda as elsewhere, but no nudity at the hotel. Recent hotel improvements- L’Hoste opens a new gym/fitness room for guests this week, joining Green Cay Village, La Plantation and Club Orient w/ those facilities. New guest internet room added by Cap-Caraibes as previously at Green Cay Village and Club Orient. New furnishings will be arriving in November for Hotel L’Hoste that follows recent upgrades at the Esmeralda & Sunrise Hotel. Also inspected were several new residential villas, especially noteworthy at the luxury level, Villa Alamanda (not to be confused with the resort) that is comparable with the Azul and Coccinelle.<br><br>Our restaurant excursions were minimal w/ the highlight being a mountain-side dinner at Loterie Farm off the road to Pic Paradise. Relaxing-excellent-reasonably priced with Julia who we have known for years as chef. Reservation need for dinner. Le Piccolo was also excellent, but our most costly dinner compared to the past .. due mostly to my allowing the waiter his choice of a “reasonably-priced” wine (it was very fine, tho)! Le Pinel, one of our favorites, was closed pending new management with a probable re-opening in November. The several evenings at Club-O’s Papagayo Restaurant were enhanced by excellent live music and entertainment (not being a dancer, I actually participated ... ahh with the help of a few coladas and some mystery drink called a BBC).<br><br>There is concern about crime on the island and we are advising our clients to use an extra amount of common sense when traveling about the island, especially late at night. While petty theft, as elsewhere, has always been too common to ignore, there have been recent reports of purse and necklace snatchings and also holdups at isolated areas as Pic Paradise. The good news is that the government is addressing the situation with additional security and enforcement measures. I am unaware of any recent problem at Orient Beach.<br><br>Jim .. Orient Beach Hotel Rep<br>