Is there enough to do?

[Valskate86]

We are booked on an upcoming RCI cruise with a port day in St. Martin. None of the excursions really appeal to us because they all travel to the French side and we are more interested in the Dutch side of the island.

 

Is there enough to do (shops and such) where we dock (which I think is the Dutch side) that we don't need to book an excursion?

[frisbeewife]

You're probably docking at Phillipsburg and there is some shopping there. You might want a taxi to get from the port to downtown, though, since I can't remember how long of a walk it is from the pier to the town.

 

Another option is to rent a car for the day so you can go where you want. There are several car rental agencies located right at the end of the pier. We used Coastal Car Rental and it was fine - they do drive on the right in St. Maarten so if you're from the US it will be easy to drive there. You can easily drive around the entire island in less than 2 hours so with a car you can hit all of the spots that might interest you. With a car you can shop, visit Butterfly World, stop at Maho Beach to watch the big jets land, or whatever else appeals to you.

[jordanandcathy]

You're probably docking at Phillipsburg and there is some shopping there. You might want a taxi to get from the port to downtown, though, since I can't remember how long of a walk it is from the pier to the town.

 

Another option is to rent a car for the day so you can go where you want. There are several car rental agencies located right at the end of the pier. We used Coastal Car Rental and it was fine - they do drive on the right in St. Maarten so if you're from the US it will be easy to drive there. You can easily drive around the entire island in less than 2 hours so with a car you can hit all of the spots that might interest you. With a car you can shop, visit Butterfly World, stop at Maho Beach to watch the big jets land, or whatever else appeals to you.

 

How much does a rental cost for the day?

[MMOMOM]

I can't remember the cost, but it was reasonable and easy to do when we were there. You like almost walk to the rental place if I recall correctly. We really never book excursions. I research the area and plan to do things on our own. Works for us ... sometimes we do the same things that cost a lot more thru the excursion and can do it on our own timeline. But, to each his own. Both times we were there we had a car so that we were able to go to both the Dutch and French sides of the island. At the time (not sure if it's that way now) there was a lot of construction going on on the Dutch side and it was pretty congested there. We liked both sides and had a blast. There are a lot of shops and restaurants, cafes, etc. I think you will be fine. :)

[frisbeewife]

How much does a rental cost for the day?

 

We had 6 people so we required a mini-van, and it cost about $110 with all the taxes and everything. A smaller car would be cheaper (and easier to drive and park). Gas is expensive but you probably won't use much.

 

You can Google something like "car rental St. Maarten pier" and it will find the companies for you. I think there were 4 or 5 companies all sharing the same building at the pier, including a Hertz franchise. I made a reservation since we required a specific type of vehicle, but unless there are a lot of ships in port that day you can probably just walk to the building and rent something on the spot.

[Valskate86]

Thanks for all the info!