Bernard's Tours or DIY St. Martin?

[alligeek]

Our trip on the Explorer of the Seas next month will include our first visit to St. Martin, and we're debating: book a tour with Bernard's Tours, or take our chances with cabs/public transportation?

 

Maho Beach is really the only must-see for us, and we're hoping to see a few planes. I'd like to see Orient Beach and maybe 1-2 other places, but honestly, I don't know what else St. Martin has to offer.

 

Those of you who have been, what would you recommend? We're only in port from 1 pm until 8 pm, which gives us some play time, but not enough that I'd be comfortable doing a lot of wandering. Thanks!

[GTO-Girl]

Our trip on the Explorer of the Seas next month will include our first visit to St. Martin, and we're debating: book a tour with Bernard's Tours, or take our chances with cabs/public transportation?

 

Maho Beach is really the only must-see for us, and we're hoping to see a few planes. I'd like to see Orient Beach and maybe 1-2 other places, but honestly, I don't know what else St. Martin has to offer.

 

Those of you who have been, what would you recommend? We're only in port from 1 pm until 8 pm, which gives us some play time, but not enough that I'd be comfortable doing a lot of wandering. Thanks!

 

I would highly recommend Bernards Tour since you want to see Maho as well as Orient. Our tour also included Marigot the French capitol which was a neat place.

 

Traffic in St Martin, especially in the afternoons can be awful but with Bernard you will have no worries about getting back to your ship in plenty of time. They keep up with traffic and know all the shortcuts.

 

They also know the schedule for the big planes coming in to Maho, so you are assured of seeing some of the "big guys" coming in.

 

We have used Bernard three times now and have never been disappointed or stressed about returning to the ship.

[mominva]

Our family of 5 just visited St. Maarten on July 30, 2014. I had read about walking into town and catching a bus to Mullet Bay beach and then walking to Maho Beach to see the planes. It is probably a 15 minute walk into town and I really needed the exercise. I told my family to wear walking shoes. It was hot, but the walk is marked with signs "To Phillipsburg," and I felt safe on the sidewalks. I couldn't believe how easy it was to catch a bus ($2 per person) on Back Street. The buses are vans and have "Bus" on their license plate. I just asked the first bus if he could take us to Mullet Bay and he changed his sign and we left! So easy! You pass the airport and Maho beach. Just look for it as you are driving to Mullet Bay. He dropped us off right in the parking lot at Mullet Bay beach. Mullet Bay beach is beautiful. We didn't want to leave Mullet Bay, but we needed to go to Maho and see the planes. We caught another bus near Maho to take us back to Phillipsburg (Back Street). Then, we walked back to the ship.

[RMH]

We caught another bus near Maho to take us back to Phillipsburg (Back Street). Then, we walked back to the ship.

 

How long did it take to catch the bus at Maho and return to Phillipsburg? We are planning the exact same itinerary as you. I would like to see the big planes take off, but I don't want to miss our ship - We have all aboard at 4:30. Thanks

[mominva]

While you are at Maho Beach, you will see tons of cabs and maybe a few buses. We decided to leave Maho around 1:30 pm. To catch a bus, we walked back to the main street where there is a casino, which is just a 5 minute walk. Right when we arrived at the street, there was a bus (idling). My husband asked him if he could take us to Phillipsburg and confirmed it was $2 per person. We hopped in - it was as easy as taking a cab. We were the only ship in the port that day and the traffic wasn't bad. It took about 30 minutes to get downtown. The walk back to the ship is another 15 minutes.

 

I would check to see how many ships are in the port on the day you are there. I spoke to another passenger and she said she allowed 1 1/2 hours to get back and had no trouble getting back. We were just a little uneasy with traffic. on the way to Mullet Bay, it did seem that we hit traffic and I didn't know if it would get worse as the day went on.

 

One thing is for sure: you will have no problem finding a bus or cab back to Phillipsburg or the ship. We were asked so many times if we needed a ride.

 

Have fun!

[Supercrossfox21]

we will be going to Saint Martins for the second time this September. I have been in contact with the Office of Tourism and we have decided to rent a taxi for 6 Hours $250 for 3 people, snacks and drinks and we are going to do the butterfly farm, a beach, haven't decided which one yet, shopping and visit the zoo. This is just what we decided to do so we could be on our schedule. This may be a little more than doing an excursion through Carnival but it allows us to do what we want when we want and for how long we want. Last September when we were there we just rented a taxi and had them take us to orient day and then pick this back up and it worked out fine this time we want to see a little bit more and do more

[jean87510]

Our family of 5 just visited St. Maarten on July 30, 2014. I had read about walking into town and catching a bus to Mullet Bay beach and then walking to Maho Beach to see the planes. It is probably a 15 minute walk into town and I really needed the exercise. I told my family to wear walking shoes. It was hot, but the walk is marked with signs "To Phillipsburg," and I felt safe on the sidewalks. I couldn't believe how easy it was to catch a bus ($2 per person) on Back Street. The buses are vans and have "Bus" on their license plate. I just asked the first bus if he could take us to Mullet Bay and he changed his sign and we left! So easy! You pass the airport and Maho beach. Just look for it as you are driving to Mullet Bay. He dropped us off right in the parking lot at Mullet Bay beach. Mullet Bay beach is beautiful. We didn't want to leave Mullet Bay, but we needed to go to Maho and see the planes. We caught another bus near Maho to take us back to Phillipsburg (Back Street). Then, we walked back to the ship.

we are doing the exact same thing in November on explorer of the seas. Can't beat $2 a person for a gorgeous beach. We have 5 ships in that day so we have to scurry off of the ship quickly.

[Giantfan13]

Are there taxi's at the ship's dock that will take you on a tour of the island, and at what cost. There are just 2 of us.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[mns2lv4ever]

we will be going to Saint Martins for the second time this September. I have been in contact with the Office of Tourism and we have decided to rent a taxi for 6 Hours $250 for 3 people, snacks and drinks and we are going to do the butterfly farm, a beach, haven't decided which one yet, shopping and visit the zoo. This is just what we decided to do so we could be on our schedule. This may be a little more than doing an excursion through Carnival but it allows us to do what we want when we want and for how long we want. Last September when we were there we just rented a taxi and had them take us to orient day and then pick this back up and it worked out fine this time we want to see a little bit more and do more

 

Supercrossfox21 can you give me the information for who you contacted? I would love to do this. instead of an organized excursion from the ship, did you have to tell them where you wanted to go ahead of time? or if you change your mind is that ok if you decide you don't want to go to one of the places.

[Supercrossfox21]

Supercrossfox21 can you give me the information for who you contacted? I would love to do this. instead of an organized excursion from the ship, did you have to tell them where you wanted to go ahead of time? or if you change your mind is that ok if you decide you don't want to go to one of the places.

 

I gave him a list of places we wanted to go and time frame. He said just tell me where you want to go. He called me the other day to confirm. Seemed nice, said he'd wait for us with a sign. Asked what kind of drinks/beer we wanted and snacks. His name is Lucien Guatier,

721 588 0930. Lgtaxiservices@hotmail.com