We used Kenny's Car Rental on multiple occasions. Leslie Bruce runs the business Pick up and return at the airport.

Don't know about snorkeling, but for us, the best beach is the beach at the old Club O on Orient Beach. Cedric runs the chair/umbrella concession, and there is the Perch Lite for lunch. Hard to beat Club O beach; everything is there.

Only the Club O beach is nude. On the rest of the beach, something must be worn to cover the genitals. I have a Wicked Weasel G-string that barely covers my genitals and what little hair I have down there. It is mesh and is transparent, completely so when wet. Never had a problem wearing it on the topless only part of the beach.

If you have more questions, just ask away; there are some longtime St. Martin posters on this board. My expertise is mostly limited to Orient Beach.

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Welcome coolbreeze. Great name BTW. There are many reputable car rentals on island and a few are less than. We use Automax and have always been pleased. Pick up and drop off at the airport with minimal paper work. If you find one that peaks your interest, just ask around first.

The best nude beach to be around people is definitely Club O beach on the south end of Orient Beach. $25 for two chairs and an umbrella from Cedric. Look for the orange chairs and yellow umbrellas. The Perch serves excellent food and two for one happy hour drink specials from 1:30-2:30. Don't miss Mussels day on Saturday.

Ask away if you have anymore questions.

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Life's a beach!

Thanks so much to those who replied to my post requesting info on Orient Beach. We are now looking for a place to stay as close to OB as we can get. Sounds like OB is the place we want to be. We are ready for sunshine, drinks, beach, and nude friendly people. I'm not a techy guy so I'm still on the learning curve with navigating this form.

Orient Beach Hotel is a relatively new hotel that has received good reviews on this site. We haven't stayed there, so I can't tell you first hand. It is run by Florence, who was a long time employee of Club O. It is just a little north of the beach entrance to the Village. I believe the name of the street is Avenue des Plages, which is about a 12 minute walk to Club O Beach.

Or you can drive there by one of two routes. You can go out to the main highway, turn left (south), go over the hill and turn left into the road to Club O. Use of a map is necessary.

The shortest route is via the service road between the beach and the hotels. It leads directly into Club O. There is a gate just before the Club O property, which is supposed to be open until 7:00 PM. But we found it to be unreliable. What we would do is to take the highway in the mornings. In the afternoons from Club O we would drive to the gate to see if it is open. If so, just scoot through the service road and be back to Avenue des Plages in three minutes. If not open, we would take the highway back.

When driving anywhere on the Island, especially the French side, be aware of the motorcycles and scooters. They are unpredictable and dangerous. Also, be aware the Gendarmes set up road blocks at night to catch people driving under the influence. They have no sense of humor.

We were stopped in a roadblock one night, and the Gendarme was not happy that the couple in the back seat wasn't strapped in. He made it clear that he could have given my husband two citations, but he didn't. Probably because my husband was so polite, we were strapped in, and the Gendarme was looking for DUIs and not seat belt violations. He appeared to be a bit arrogant, though. May have been because of the language barrier.

So, go and have fun, but remember you are in a foreign country that is mostly controlled by the French.

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And another tip: Read the posts on this board. You will glean a lot of information from the regular visitors to the Island who post on this board.

Vive la nudité

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We stayed at Orient Beach Hotel during this years trip and it was very nice, so nice that we have booked our reservation for 2023. We walk the beach from the hotel to Club O daily using the beach. If you decide to stay at the hotel you will be very pleased. It's
a great hotel in a very good location.

Google maps shows the Pirate Hideout Beach Bar roughly where Pedro's used to be. Anyone know anything about it?

I saw that, but when I go to image view, there is no structure there. Pedro's seems to have been razed. As others have reported, the rocks in front of Pedro's are no longer there. It must have been expensive to remove them. Why?

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I think they are trying to restore the beach to a more natural state. I suspect the rocks were put there to help calm the water at Club O

It looks real on google maps. I suspect the pin is misplaced.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Pirate+Hideout+Beach+Bar+%26+Restaurant/@18.0842712,-63.0189827,18.46z/data=!4m15!1m9!3m8!1s0x8c0e6f6e1d6289ed:0xefe043724321524a!2sOrient+Beach+Hotel!5m2!4m1!1i2!8m2!3d18.0885455!4d-63.022052!3m4!1s0x8c0e6fe2651cd909:0x576db065fcfa2b5f!8m2!3d18.0841797!4d-63.015628

i agree with Christa, Leslie Bruce and Kenny's Car Rental is great. The beach at Club O is awesome. Perch Lite is serving some wonderful food. We ate there 4 out of 7 days. You have to spend at least one night in Grand Case having some of the best food in the Caribbean. Our favorite is Bistrot Cairibe http://www.bistrot-caraibes.com. Here is a photo of their Scallops over bacon foam.
We use Wilfred Brooks taxi service.

Originally posted by bc9913 It looks real on google maps. I suspect the pin is misplaced.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Pirate+Hideout+Beach+Bar+%26+Restaurant/@18.0842712,-63.0189827,18.46z/data=!4m15!1m9!3m8!1s0x8c0e6f6e1d6289ed:0xefe043724321524a!2sOrient+Beach+Hotel!5m2!4m1!1i2!8m2!3d18.0885455!4d-63.022052!3m4!1s0x8c0e6fe2651cd909:0x576db065fcfa2b5f!8m2!3d18.0841797!4d-63.015628

Yes, the pin must be misplaced. Past the old rocks in front of the old Pedro's, to the north, most everything has been rebuilt. To the South, the rubble hasn't even been cleared. Most frustrating. So much so that we have given up on ever returning.

It has now been almost 5 years and Club O is still the same as the day after Irma. .

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coolbreeze. We stayed at Orient Beach Hotel In May for 3 days due to some scheduling issues with our regular unit, and it is a very nice place. We did not see Florence, but Junior, also from Club O was at the front desk and they are big on hospitality!

We have used VRBO and Airbnb since Irma and have found units with a 2-3 minute walk to Club O beach. Look for the complex with the two pools.

Pirate Hideout was built not to code at first and has finally opened some how, at least as of May. It is on the last lot south just before Pedro's. We did not go there, or anywhere other than the Perch for lunch, as the food was so good, and the atmosphere didn't hurt either!

As far as Club O goes, on a FB post it was reported that the owner dissension is now cleared up, but now waiting on clarity and permits to where and how they can rebuild. So back in the governments hands!

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Life's a beach!

Originally posted by sxmbeacher coolbreeze. We stayed at Orient Beach Hotel In May for 3 days due to some scheduling issues with our regular unit, and it is a very nice place. We did not see Florence, but Junior, also from Club O was at the front desk and they are big on hospitality!

We have used VRBO and Airbnb since Irma and have found units with a 2-3 minute walk to Club O beach. Look for the complex with the two pools.

Pirate Hideout was built not to code at first and has finally opened some how, at least as of May. It is on the last lot south just before Pedro's. We did not go there, or anywhere other than the Perch for lunch, as the food was so good, and the atmosphere didn't hurt either!

As far as Club O goes, on a FB post it was reported that the owner dissension is now cleared up, but now waiting on clarity and permits to where and how they can rebuild. So back in the governments hands!

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Life's a beach!

Yes, and that will take several more years.

Don't know why coolbreeze hasn't been back to see more replies to his OP.

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Hey guys and gals, Sorry I haven't been back on line to respond to the suggestions on places to stay and dine near OB. We've been out of town for a few days, then stopped at a local clothing optional resort on the way back and had a pizza and a few beers, and cooled off in the pool for the day. It wasn't Saint Martin but Calif. has been hot lately so it was a good stop. Thank you so much for the recommendations. My wife and I are excited and researching your suggestions. Seems like everyone loves Perch Lite, I'm sure we will also. Hey Bluejacket thanks for the link to Bistro Cairibe, we love seafood and already looked at the menu and can't wait. The picture of the scallops and bacon foam got our juices flowing, Christa, when you used Airbnb and VRBO did you ever run across anything with a pool that allows nudity? Probably looking for a unicorn but just thought I'd ask. Any more info on the complex with 2 pools.Also thanks for the warning about driving on the island, just sold my Harley a year ago and still miss it so I was considering renting a bike but what common sense I have, dictates that I stick with four wheels on St. Martin. One more thing "wicked weasel", had to look that up. Catchy name, works for us.
Thanks again everyone,