Car Rental (Things to know)

[Colfireman]

I am looking at renting a car to travel to Orient and Maho beach on our upcoming cruise. Is there anything hidden that I ned to know when renting in St. Maartin? I see that other port stops require and additional license (fee) in order to rent and drive. Any advise is greatly appreciated. Looking to book at a location near the cruise dock.

 

Greg

[navybankerteacher]

I am looking at renting a car to travel to Orient and Maho beach on our upcoming cruise. Is there anything hidden that I ned to know when renting in St. Maartin? I see that other port stops require and additional license (fee) in order to rent and drive. Any advise is greatly appreciated. Looking to book at a location near the cruise dock.

 

Greg

 

Just a U.S. state driver's license will do. You should book in advance - particularly if it is a day with several ships in port. Hertz seems to be the priciest, with Avis more reasonable. Coastal is a reliable local outfit - all three can be booked on line to be sure of availability. There are a number of local providers, but some of them can be a bit sketchy.

 

Whoever you rent from, it is worth it to pay a few dollars extra for insurance coverage -- and to take the time to carefully inspect the car and note any and all dings, dents, etc. so you do not get nailed for existing damage. Also, make sure there is spare tire and a jack in the trunk -- those items often get stolen, so you should always lock the car whenever you park it, and do not leave any valuables in sight.

 

If you stop at Maho in the afternoon after Orient, be aware that traffic back to the port can be awful in mid/late afternoon - give yourself at least an hour and a half. The larger planes come in over Maho generally from noon on - but if you can be satisfied with seeing some of the smaller ones, I would suggest you go to Maho first and then head up to Orient, so you can have an easier drive down the east side of the island in the afternoon - missing all the Phillipsburg traffic.

 

Enjoy your day on the island.

[Karysa]

Orient and Maho are super popular with cruisers. If you are traveling just in a pair then I would suggest taking taxis instead. This way you won't have to worry about the strict drinking and driving rules ( especially strict on the French side) or traffic or parking at Maho or stopping and filling up your tank.

 

Renting a car is great for hitting up places that are off the beaten path or for 4-5 people traveling together but for your destinations I think taxi is the best form of transportation.

[Hlitner]

Have to agree that if you just want to go to Maho and Orient...use taxis. A rental car is a good option to see much of the island, but those two places (on opposite sides of Phillipsburg, are easily reachable by shared taxis which are very common in those popular areas. If you do rent a car, keep in mind that getting back to the port is accomplished on 2 lane roads which can sometimes be congested. And a single accident on these roads can cause very long delays. So do not think about driving back to Phillipsburg and the port until the last minute. We suggest saving your shopping for last, coming back at least an hour early, and then you can shop until its close to the time to go back to your ship.

 

Hank

[Colfireman]

Thanks for all of the quick replies. If we went the taxi route is there any problem catching one from Orient to Maho? Do they stick around or head back for another fare?

[Hlitner]

Thanks for all of the quick replies. If we went the taxi route is there any problem catching one from Orient to Maho? Do they stick around or head back for another fare?

 

There are always taxis around Maho and Orient.

 

Hank

[BoopTennis]

we just returned from our Dec 19 cruise, we were in St Maarten on Tues Dec 22. We rented a large passenger van from Hertz because there were 8 of us! I reserved it at least a couple months in advance and it was the only one at the time I could find that had a large vehicle. Also because I felt secure with the Hertz name.

 

Everything with the rental worked perfectly. Hertz office is at the pier, they shuttle you about 3 minutes away to where the cars are. We picked it up first thing in the morning when we docked. We went around the whole island counterclockwise (headed up the east side first). Stopped at Orient Beach and stayed there longer than planned, 9 yr old played in the waves a long time and loved it. Good deals on drinks and lounge chairs etc.

 

Next went up around Grand Case but decided not to stop since we had spent so much time at Orient Beach. Headed down the west coast into Marigot, now its nearing 11:30 or so, we wanted to stop at a couple places there but the traffic in the town of Marigot was insane. moved about 3 mph for a long long time. Our main focus was getting to Maho so we did not stop at Marigot but kept plugging along slowly

 

Went to Maho, found a parking place, saw several planes come in including the big KLM jet. It was AWESOME. anyone who has not been to Maho and likes planes this is a must do

 

Left Maho maybe 1:30 or 1:45, traffic busy headed back to pier but not as bad as it had been in Marigot! got car back little after 2 . Drove back to car lot, guy was waiting for us so we had no wait time, 3 minute shuttle back to Hertz office, bill was correct, no issues, all good

 

Renting car worked for us because we had so many people (family trip)

[navybankerteacher]

Good summary from Boop Tennis. Only suggestion would be to try clockwise around island. It is not so large that complete circuit is difficult. Leaving Maho at 2:30 or so and heading north then east across Orient then down uncrowded east side would be quicker than through Phillipsburg.

[Karysa]

Thanks for all of the quick replies. If we went the taxi route is there any problem catching one from Orient to Maho? Do they stick around or head back for another fare?

 

Taxis come and go but with ships in port these are the two most popular places for them to be coming and going to so you will not have any issues finding taxis.

[Karysa]

we just returned from our Dec 19 cruise, we were in St Maarten on Tues Dec 22. We rented a large passenger van from Hertz because there were 8 of us! I reserved it at least a couple months in advance and it was the only one at the time I could find that had a large vehicle. Also because I felt secure with the Hertz name.

 

Everything with the rental worked perfectly. Hertz office is at the pier, they shuttle you about 3 minutes away to where the cars are. We picked it up first thing in the morning when we docked. We went around the whole island counterclockwise (headed up the east side first). Stopped at Orient Beach and stayed there longer than planned, 9 yr old played in the waves a long time and loved it. Good deals on drinks and lounge chairs etc.

 

Next went up around Grand Case but decided not to stop since we had spent so much time at Orient Beach. Headed down the west coast into Marigot, now its nearing 11:30 or so, we wanted to stop at a couple places there but the traffic in the town of Marigot was insane. moved about 3 mph for a long long time. Our main focus was getting to Maho so we did not stop at Marigot but kept plugging along slowly

 

Went to Maho, found a parking place, saw several planes come in including the big KLM jet. It was AWESOME. anyone who has not been to Maho and likes planes this is a must do

 

Left Maho maybe 1:30 or 1:45, traffic busy headed back to pier but not as bad as it had been in Marigot! got car back little after 2 . Drove back to car lot, guy was waiting for us so we had no wait time, 3 minute shuttle back to Hertz office, bill was correct, no issues, all good

 

Renting car worked for us because we had so many people (family trip)

 

How many ships were in port? Even 45 minutes from Maho to the pier is not bad at all. For your large group, renting made sense.

[BoopTennis]

ours was the only ship in port in St Maarten. Great point. It could have been much worse with more ships.

[Karysa]

ours was the only ship in port in St Maarten. Great point. It could have been much worse with more ships.

 

The Marigot traffic wouldn't have been much worse but the Maho traffic ( to, from and in :) ) and parking is definitely affected by the number of ships in port. 5-7 ships is not uncommon anymore in high season.

 

A good site to check to see how many ships are scheduled for your port day is:

 

http://www.portofstmaarten.com/

Edited December 29, 2015 by Karysa

[Colfireman]

I see that the Madam is the only other ship in port with us. I decided to reserve from Hertz for now and got a sedan for 85 taxes included. Does anyone have a idea where you can park near Maho beach? Any links to the plane schedule? We are i port on a Wednesday from 8-5.

 

Greg

[BoopTennis]

here is a link to flights in and out of the airport by MAHO

 

http://www.sxmairport.com/flights-info.php

 

 

for parking, as you drive across the bridge towards the airport, you will come to a "T" intersection. Turn left goes right past the runway spot and by the Sunset Bar, a little further down is a casino (we were able to park there for awhile and hubby even gambled a bit and won some $$ LOL). or you can turn right and head that way. I think you just have to look for a spot and maybe have to walk a bit to get back to Maho Beach

 

I have also heard that Mullet Beach, a bit north of Maho, has parking and you can walk to Maho but I do not have first hand experience about that

[Karysa]

I see that the Madam is the only other ship in port with us. I decided to reserve from Hertz for now and got a sedan for 85 taxes included. Does anyone have a idea where you can park near Maho beach? Any links to the plane schedule? We are i port on a Wednesday from 8-5.

 

Greg

 

With only two ships in that price sounds about right. We paid just over $90 a few years back now but they had 45 cars rented and there were 7 ships in port.

 

Even if you only use $10 worth of gas unless there are more than 2 of you for Port-Orient-Maho-Port renting a car is not worth the hassle as there is no convenience factor to me for you at all. By the time you fill out the paperwork and inspect and get the car and figure out your route you would already be at Orient via taxi. I would figure $65 as the cost for taxis. To me you are spending an extra $25 for the responsibility not the convenience of having a car. If your two beaches were Happy Bay via Friars bay, and Baie Prune I 100 % would agree that renting a car is the way to go. Enjoy your day.:)

[BillOh]

Thanks for all of the quick replies. If we went the taxi route is there any problem catching one from Orient to Maho? Do they stick around or head back for another fare?

 

When I did this, there was a lady in the parking lot with a radio, she called a taxi and we were on our way within 10 minutes.