Hurricane Irma
Found info on facebook,
It's ugly!
Steve and Bert just returned to GCBC from a visit to Club Orient.
Their findings include the following:
All wood units are gone. Presumably the slabs are left, but the buildings are gone.
Gatehouse is gone. In its place is a huge pile of debris that landed there from the winds.
Pedro concrete wall gone
Concrete buildings survived. Roofs gone or damaged.
Except for the waterfront chalets 46-52 They are gone. No sign of where they went.
The new beach goes from the water's edge back to where the studios used to be. It's about 200 feet.
Hurricane shutters on units left are gone as well as the contents of all the houses presumably sucked out by the wind no sign of where the furniture, cabinets, appliances, etc., went.
The units' contents have been stripped by the hurricane.
The villa is standing no further detail.
Papagayo is standing but may not be sound structurally. All the contents are gone.
The utility plant is covered with debris so Bert and Steve could not get a close look at the generators, switch panel, etc. It looks like there was about 5' of water in that area, which means salvaging the electric plant is in doubt.
The reception building is still standing. The front desk and other furnishings are gone.
The tennis courts are gone.
Steve and Bert drove through Orient Village where most of the buildings are standing but the contents of the first floors that they could see into are gone.
Looters beat Steve and Bert to the resort. They were clearing out the Boutique. We let them take the contents because presumably they need the stuff worse than we do!
I will continue to keep you updated as new information comes in.
Steve took about 100 pictures but has no way to transmit them until Internet service is restored.
According to Frdric Lecomte, our Paris attorney, the French media are reporting that 95% of the island is destroyed.
We have a huge job in front of us. We will need a lot of out-of-the-box thinking to reinvent Club Orient better than ever.
Always good to see improvements they are posting on Twitter, Facebook, and their website. The island itself is looking to receive cruise ships and aircraft by the start of the new year if not earlier. It might be a little Spartan for a bit but at least it will be a start. The resort might not be up and running by my scheduled visit in February 2018 but we may be lucky enough to be able to visit the beach anyway and maybe check in with the folks there.
We stopped by the island and spent the afternoon at Orient Beach on 17 April, 2018. Club Orient is still in shambles. There was a few places open on Orient beach (both ends) offering drinks and light meals and also a some vendors. We had cheese burgers and beers on the nude side.
Orient beach is still beautiful and the locals working there were wonderful. There were many folks on the beach and since the cruise ship was in that just added to the numbers. After about four hours at the beach we returned to the cruise ship. It was obvious there was a lot of work still to be done to spruce up the island. We enjoyed the visit and look forward to returning!
The beach is open. The Perch is serving food and drinks. People can rent chairs and umbrellas. There is also a place to get a massage. On the other side, there are several places to rent chairs, umbrellas, get food and drinks. Sadly, for those that want to stay at Club O, that is not a reality. But the beach is bigger and not as crowded.
I would encourage people to come to the beach and support the locals as they try and keep the beach alive as they rebuild. The French government is moving slowly to build back the beach. One friend, who was operating a successful restaurant there, was forced to close so the land could be cleared and utilities installed underground. He has since reopened in a limited capability. But he's open and the food is great.
The beach is open. The Perch is serving food and drinks. People can rent chairs and umbrellas. There is also a place to get a massage. On the other side, there are several places to rent chairs, umbrellas, get food and drinks. Sadly, for those that want to stay at Club O, that is not a reality. But the beach is bigger and not as crowded.
I would encourage people to come to the beach and support the locals as they try and keep the beach alive as they rebuild. The French government is moving slowly to build back the beach. One friend, who was operating a successful restaurant there, was forced to close so the land could be cleared and utilities installed underground. He has since reopened in a limited capability. But he's open and the food is great.
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