st. maarten rental

[lds0191]

we were thinking about renting a van in st. maarten. any suggestions on which company to use? which companies have offices at the dock? is it easy to get around on the island? we're sailing 9/17......anybody else?

 

[mshinrockford]

I'm not sure what you are looking to do, but we hired a local, named Joyce Prince, to give us a private 3-hour tour of St. Maarten. It was well worth the time and money ($150). She has a new mini-van, and can take up to 6 people. We got to see sites that we wouldn't have otherwise, and she knew how to avoid the high traffic times and areas. The traffic at certain times of the day is horrible!

Joyce and her husband also own a rental car agency on the Island. My husband learned about Joyce after reading rave reviews about her on another cruise board. We were actually her first Disney "hire".

We had lunch on the ship after our tour, and then headed to the beach for the afternoon. I felt like we really got a good taste of St. Maarten.

 

[Ontario Kim]

We have rented a car both times we have been to St. Maarten. The first time we rented from Hertz which is right at the dock. I would advise renting before you get there unless you are prepared to haggle with the locals which I found quite agressive.
This past April 2005 we were on RCCL Adventure of the Seas. We used their boards and found a car rental agency which I would highly recommend. It is www.arthurscarrental.com. Arthur is a great guy and very professional to deal with. He has a small air conditioned office about a 5 minute walk off the ship. You walk past the other car rental agencies (just off to the right of the ship), you exit through the gate and he is directly to the right across the street. Don't worry, you won't miss it. We are a family of 5 and we rented a Ford Windstar. It was perfect. Arthur told us highlights of things to see. It takes approximately 2 hours to drive around the Island and it is very simple to do. We stopped at Orient Beach for a brief look see, went to the Airport area on the French Side (extremly interesting and great lunch location - just ask Arthur) and then we went to Maho Bay on the Dutch side to watch the airplanes land about 50' above your head. You have to be here around 1PM to catch the big planes. The kids were really impressed. Don't hesitate to drive around the Island. It is a great experience.