St Maarten/Martin Car Rentals

[tbonecopper]

Hi folks!

 

I'll be on the Regal Princess March 15 cruise and we're looking to rent a car to tour the French side of St Martin.

 

I'm not real sure where to start looking, beyond the usual - expedia.com, priceline.com, etc etc. Rates seem to be higher there.

 

Does anyone have any advice for this? Or is there public transport that would be much cheaper to get to Marigot and Grand Case?

[Jenhem31]

Coastal car rental in St. Maarten is awesome! They are right at the pier. We used them in November and couldn't be more pleased. I would recommend them to anyone.

 

If you google Coastal car rental in St. Maarten it will come up. I reserved online and paid a small deposit over pay pal. David and Saundra are very helpful and friendly!

 

We rented a small car and paid about $60 I think. Also paid $5 for a GPS which was helpful. They also have Jeeps which I think we will do next time.

 

 

 

 

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[navybankerteacher]

Either Coastal or Avis - both right at the cruise terminal - are good; Hertz tends to be significantly more expensive on the island for some reason, and I do not feel comfortable dealing with the no-name outfits, who may or may not honor a reservation. You definitely want to reserve on line in advance to make sure the type vehicle you want will be available at a price you are comfortable with.

 

Driving on the island is OK - watch out for the occasional pot hole. I would recommend that you finish the day on the north or east side of the island - say Orient Beach or Dawn Beach so you will not get snagged in the very heavy traffic coming through from the west side (where Marigot is), and you could plan on hitting the stores in Phillipsburg just before dropping off the car, if shopping is in your plan.

[tbonecopper]

Awesome, thanks so much for the advice. I booked via Coastal. David was very helpful!

 

Also, the tip on end on the east side is great, thanks. I heard traffic is a nightmare there due to the small roads and island nature. And apparently wildlife also likes to utilize the highway. :)