Where to rent a car in St. Maarten?

[maslex]

We'll be in St. Maarten in April and would like to rent a Jeep Wrangler (if possible) while there so we can drive about the island. We'd love to go to Maho Beach to see the jets land of course.

Is there somewhere right off the ship to rent a car? If not, how do we go about getting one? And how much should I expect to pay if I rent it for most of the day?

 

[Brucemcc]

We rented a car in St Maarten in Feb and had no problem at all.The rental agencies are just to the right in the taxi area or opposite of where you would get on the water taxi to head to Philipsburg.If you hit the St Maarten sign, you have gone too far.We didnt have a reservation and had all kinds of vehicles to choose from and one of them was a jeep for around $80 U.S. without the insurance, you can haggle on price and drop them down very easliy and you will see why when you get there.Its a gauntlet to get through and all the companies are trying to get your business over the competition.Do"Not"rent form the Anguilla Brothers or family,they will give you the better price but their vehicles are sub standard and not what they will show you on the display card.We rented from them and the car we had would not start a few times and it looked as though we may not make it back in time to get on the ship.I am a mechanic and this car would have been pulled off the road in North America.Stay with the big companies, Budget, Tilden...Do the big circle of the island with Oyster Bay, Orient beach, then just follow the road all the way to the top into the french side to Marigot, down to Maho beach and then back into Philipsburg. Total is around 40 miles with all kinds of fantastic places to stop for pictures and purchase gifts etc, way cheaper than the cities, less than 1/2 of what you will pay in Marigot and Philipsburg for the same items.Was by far the highlight of our cruise, great way to see the real island, way cheaper than the excursions and we hit 4 beaches. Doing it again next Feb.There is an area right by Maho beach where you can park the vehicle and walk down to where the planes land.We had to pay for parking but still amazing pictures.Have fun and stay away from those Anguillian characters that will try and get your business, shady characters!!

 

[gary4jenn]

so how much did you end up paying after you bartered? does our own car insurance typically cover rental cars?

 

[Brucemcc]

They wanted $70 for the car and $17 for insurance, We paid $55 cash for everything, they wanted to deal in cash and that is how they barter for the cheaper rate.The car was a Toyota Corolla, they did give us a higher end baby seat for our 23 month old daughter, just had to be adjusted.An open air Jeep was $80 but that as well was negotiable with cash payment, probably would have taken the jeep but would have been sunburnt and our daughter would have been very uncomfortable with the wind.Well worth the money to see the island off the tourist path, amazing place, loved it.

 

[zerog]

How 'safe' are the roads and drivers in St. Maarten? I have a DS8 and DS5 - would you drive without booster seats?

 

[Brucemcc]

Very safe, drive on same side as N. America, St. Thomas is other side of the road like in the U.K.We didnt have a problem at all, signs are well marked, if you get off the beaten track like we did, the roads are not maintained and full of pot holes.Gets fairly hilly with winding corners the further north you get, ( Orient beach area). I have seen far worse streets in major cities in North America.I felt completely safe as did my wife, our daughter had a great time.In Canada if you rent a car on your credit card, most will honour the insurance, Not too sure about in the caribbean,peace of mind for a $15 insurance charge I think is money well spent.The car rental company will give you a well marked map, wouldnt worry about getting lost.

 

[alwayslisad]

Oh I wanted to know this too - thank you