We just returned from our first trip to Club O. We were there from the 5th to 12th, and were fortunate to dodge both Fabian and Isabel.

Random Notes:

Rented car (Jeep Wrangler) from Unity. We were somewhat uneasy with Unity's location, but they were polite and pricing was accurate. The Jeep developed a fan belt squeal a couple of days into the trip which was a nuisance.

We have been to other c/o beaches - Maui and Jamaica - but had not actually stayed at a c/o resort before. We had a ball and did not feel uneasy or uncomfortable at all.

We found Club O to be about 25% occupied, which suprised us. We stayed in Chalet #52, which is about 20 paces from the beach. The Chalet was very clean and comfortable and completely air conditioned. I heard from others that only the bedrooms were air conditioned. The a/c was necessary as the temps got to over 90 a couple of days and very humid.

We ate all breakfasts in the Chalet and had lunch 5 out of 7 days at Papagayo. All of our meals at Papagayo were very good and the service was great - there were only a handful of tables occupied each time we were there. The average lunch tab was about $35 which included a couple of beers or rum drink.

On the beach we had no problem with chairs, however, we did keep an eye out for the umbrella guy so we could make sure we 'set up camp' with another couple we shared time with.

The width of the beach seemed to change day to day, possibly due to the tides changing because of the hurricanes. Most days there was not enough room for a beach chair around chalet 48 - 50. But there was always enough from 52 toward the Perch. Some of the regulars told me that the beach has improved from the last time they were there. The beach was very dirty with seaweed and was raked by a tractor each morning. The regulars said that was unusual and it was due to Fabian passing by.

It was amazing to me how much sun you get by sitting under the umbrella, especially in places that hadn't seen the sun before. People watching was fun. One afternoon a slightly built fellow took a chair behind us and was very well endowed. My wife dubbed him 'Mr. Ed' and we marveled at him each trip in and out of the water. One day there were two cruise ships in town the beach was filled with gawkers. It didn't bother us and we found it amusing watching their expressions.

Here were the dinners we enjoyed:

Friday: Papagayo -after a long day arriving.

Saturday: Largo Lounge - Marigot. Food was so-so but the waiter must have been one of proprietors and was very helpful suggesting other places to eat.

Sunday: Bistro Caraibe in Grand Case. Terrific dinner, my favorite. Had a lamb dish.

Monday: (our 2nd anniversary): L'Escapade: Very good. Our first choice for dinner was La Sammana, but it was closed. Our 2nd choice was Sol y Luna, and it was closed as well.

Tuesday: La Bistro Nu in Marigot. Very good.

Wednesday: Princess casino - buffet was good. Came out losers...

Thursday: Mario's Bistro - near Mullet Bay. Terrific meal - my wifes favorite - she almost had 'the Big O' in her seat while eating her appetizer - a baked Brie dish. Kudo's to TTOL'r JaniceBC for the recommendation.

All dinners with in the $120 range including a modestly priced bottle of wine.

The dining was one of highlights of the trip.

We enjoyed the beach at Club O so much we didn't venture anywhere else, even though we were told we should.

Will post the pics after the film is developed. Happy to share anything else if requested.

Had a great time, will definitely be back.