# Caribbean Vacations Forums > St. Maarten/St. Martin Travel Forum >  >  Orient Beach Club closing

## andynap

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## KevinS

Inevitable, given the issues with the COPRO and some of the intractable COPRO owners.

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## stbartshopper

A sad day for Saint Maarten! The Club was consistently rated high on all sites.
Found a little history regarding Pedro-
Pedro's
Back in the early 70's Pedro first set up business serving drinks and BBQ lunches to mostly guests of the old Le Galion hotel who'd walked over for a skinnydip and nude sunbathing at the then, very isolated Orient Beach.

During the mid 70's Reint Brink set out from Holland in search of some land near a beach where he could build his dream - a clothing optional resort. He hired a plane and flew over the islands looking for a suitable location. From the air he saw Orient Bay. Not only did it have a beautifull stretch of sandy beach but there were nude people already on the beach. Easy, all he had to do now was buy some land, move his family out from Holland and start building his dream.He bought the land and named his resort Club Orient. He'd finished three chalets on the beach and then decided he needed a restaurant. But Pedro was running his business in the exact spot where he decided he wanted to build the Papagayo restaurant. So Reint did a deal with Pedro, if he moved to where Pedros Inn is now located he'd not only build him a shelter for his business but he'd also supply him with electricity and water. It was a deal that Pedro couldn't refuse. There was barely a road into Orient beach in those days, let alone water and electricity that Reint had to make and generate himself. Both businesses boomed and complemeted each other. Pedro served an economical lunch of BBQ ribs or swordfish prepared in a curry style marinade. I've not eaten at Pedro's for a few years but as I sit here writing this story my mouth has started to water.Meanwhile up at the Papagayo Restaurant, Reint specialized in BLT's, hot dogs and the ever popular cheeseburger for lunch and french cuisine for the dinner menu.Both eateries started to boom in the early 80's when cruise ships started visiting the island on a regular weekly basis. This soon bought in the competition. Over the years they've come and gone but Pedro's still stands as an Orient Beach institution. Over the years he has expanded the building and has local bands on Sunday afternoon and also weekdays when business is brisk with cruise ship passengers looking for lunch, a cold beer and dance to the sound of a live Caribbean band.

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