Renting a car in St. Maarten?

[praisehisname]

How do you do this? Can/should it be done in advance, or can we just get off the ship and rent a car? Is it close to the port? I'm a total newbie at this, so any tips/advice would be appreciated!!!

Denise

 

[Jimbo]

We're renting a car in St. Maarten in two weeks. We reserved it ahead of time from http://www.portcars.com. They offer a single day rental for cruise passengers, and we'll be able to pick up the car at the cruise ship pier. There's six of us, so we had to get a minivan, but it was just $60 for the day.

We won't know for sure about them until two weeks from now, but they were very professional and easy to work with. Two or three days after we booked we got a confirmation in the mail, along with a cute little beach bag and a pack of discount coupons. Three of them are good for $25 match plays in the Phillipsburg casinos, so with any luck I'll win enough to pay for the cruise!

 

[castlegazer]

Oh My God - ThankYou Thank You Thank You!!!!!!!

This is exactly the info I needed. I would like to rent a car in St. Maarten also. It would work best for us as a family to see the island as we have been before and feel we would like to explore more.

Can you check back in to this thread and let us know how it went. Also tell us about driving on the island. I have heard that traffic is a bit harsh at times. But with the length of stay on the island it should be OK - unlike our last stop here which was very truncated.

 

[beautyandbeast]

We rented a car in St. Maarten a couple of cruises ago. We didn't have prior reservations. When we disembarked there were all the usual US car rental places right there. I think we paid @30.00. However, the first car we picked was a jeep with no airconditioning. They said we would be fine with the top off. Well we got about 2 blocks until we turned around because is was soooooo hot and humid!!!! They were very understanding and gave us a car with ac. Hope this helps.

Lynda

 

[Ontario Kim]

We rented a car in St. Maarten two years ago. We rented it from here in Canada. The rental place is about a 3 minute walk from the pier.
Several people hadn't prearranged. It appeared that you could pay more or pay less. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to the prices the rental companies were charging customers.

If you know you want a vehicle, I would prebook it so you are guaranteed a vehicle incase there are alot of people who are renting on the spot. This way, your price is also guaranteed.

I would not suggest a jeep or convertible as it can get extremely HOT especially after a day at the beach. We loved our air conditioned vehicle.

 

[Jimbo]

I'll post a report on our experience when I get back.

 

[faireygod mother]

We just booked a jeep from portcars also. They are very helpful.

Good luck