Renting a Car

[BuckeyePrincess]

We are planning to rent a car in St. Martin so that we can have car seats for our two kids who are 1 and 3. Is it doable to go to Orient Beach in the morning and then Maho in the afternoon? Is parking readily available?

[wanderer22]

It is definately doable. Parking at Orient Beach is a bit hap hazard and there is no parking lot. You are basically parking where ever you can find a spot on the dirt road the beach where ever you see a open spot. The earlier the better.

Mahoo beach is a bit more organised. If you are thinking of watching the planes take off at Sunset Beach Bar you should have no problem. The last time we were there, a parking lot was adjacent. But allow your self plenty of time to get back to the ship as traffic can be a bear.

[waterbugohio]

also wondering about renting a car in St Maarten.

 

We are thinking of a week long land vacation at Orient Beach after stopping there on our first cruise.

 

We are planning on spending most of the time at the beach and the resort.

 

Just wondered what other transportation options there are besides renting a car.

 

How much will a taxi be from the airport to Orient?

 

And may decide to go to Grand Case one day. Possibly to Maho one day.

 

Is there any public transportation other than taxi around the island?

[wanderer22]

There is a bus service that is pretty frequent but its more of a van or shuttle type vehicle. You will need to flag it down off of the main roads and they usually advertise as to where they are going. Grand case, Marigot etc. fare was cheap as I remember but we have only taken it twice in 20 years. We have taken the taxi's on ocassion when we go out partying but don't remember the fare but I know it was cheaper than a DUI. We always rent a car and the last time there we rented one for 175.00 for the week.It is pretty easy to get around the Island as there is only really 1 main road to circle the island. There is a good web site that deals with all questions concerning St. Martin. Search for (Travel Talk on Line) and browse around. Good luck and have fun.

[waterbugohio]

wanderer,

 

thanks for the info. Renting a car would be no problem during the day, but it kinda defeats the purpose if we want to have a few drinks with dinner and need to use a taxi most of the time anyway!

 

Checked out the other site, but just doesn't seem as user friendly as cruise critic!!

[waterbugohio]

OK, I think we have it narrowed down to either the Alamanda resort or Grand Case Beach Club.

 

Anyone have any idea how far apart these two places are? Best way to get back and forth? public transportation? taxi rate?

[Redtravel]

Skip Grand Case Beach Club. Beach is very narrow....often if the tide comes up, there is no beach at all. Orient Beach is a beautiful wide beach with many beach clubs, great restaurants, and lots of activity. There is no comparison between the two beaches. Alamanda is lovely....great location directly on the beach with lots of shops and restaurants.

[Karysa]

Skip Grand Case Beach Club. Beach is very narrow....often if the tide comes up, there is no beach at all. Orient Beach is a beautiful wide beach with many beach clubs, great restaurants, and lots of activity. There is no comparison between the two beaches. Alamanda is lovely....great location directly on the beach with lots of shops and restaurants.

 

There are 2 beaches at the Grand Case Beach Club. The beach that is only for the guests of the resort ( I know all beaches are public but entering this one without going onto the resorts property is very difficult) and Petite Plage beach which has public access via a path from the road just past the Grand Case Beach Club entrance. Petite Plage has plenty of beach and it has lovely views of Creole Rock. There are nice shots of it on Creole Rock Watersports website.

http://www.snorkel-trips-sxm.com/. The picture where you see the resort buildings is of the very narrow beach which is part of Grand Case beach not Petite Plage. Creole Rock watersports and Sunset Cafe are accessible to those on Petite Plage Beach as well as to the resorts guests.

[waterbugohio]

Skip Grand Case Beach Club. Beach is very narrow....often if the tide comes up, there is no beach at all. Orient Beach is a beautiful wide beach with many beach clubs, great restaurants, and lots of activity. There is no comparison between the two beaches. Alamanda is lovely....great location directly on the beach with lots of shops and restaurants.

 

Thanks so much for this info. I have really been thinking allamanda all along, just hard to make the decision when we are used to the "mega" resorts. But I think this is what we are looking for this year. And just can't wait to see that beautiful beach again (Orient)

[gtaylor]

I've never stayed there, but I've never noticed the beaches without sand.

 

This is typical of what I've seen.

 

(click)

 

More photos over in my PhotoBucket.

 

gary

[gtaylor]

To answer your earlier questions about transportation:

 

I would rent a car, they're cheap. Your credit card may cover collision insurance, but we ALWAYS purchase the liability coverage for about $5/day.

 

A taxi from the airport to either Grand Case or Orient should run $30 for two people with two pieces of luggage. Additional bags at $1 each.

 

A taxi between Grand Case and Orient, either direction, should be $15 for two. The distance is on the order of 4 miles.

 

Maho beach is at the airport, so should be $30.

 

Between Marigot and Grand Case, $15; Orient, $20.

 

Between Philipsburg and Grand Case, $25; Orient $20.

 

Prices do not include tip. There is a premium charge of +25% after 10:00 pm and +50% after midnight.

 

There are local buses that run during the day between major destinations (but not Orient). Fares are about $2 per segment. Grand Case to Maho would require two transfers, in Marigot and Cole Bay. Grand Case to Philipsburg, just the transfer in Marigot.

 

gary