car rental

[pach]

has anyone rented a car in St. Martin recently? I want to rent one while our ship docked.

[basketballmom]

I am also looking for the same information. Did this about 14 years ago when we stayed at hotel and it was great. Want to rent a jeep again to see the island while we are there.

[Robin G]

While at the port and you are walking toward all the car rental stations, all of the "rental sharks" will find YOU. Have no fear. My husband and I enjoyed watching the feeding. No pre-rental reservations are necessary, unless there are going to be several other ships docked the same day.

 

We used Hertz for the second time last week -- had no problems whatsoever. Have fun!

[pach]

if you don't mind, how much was it?

[stan wood]

Here's an earlier posting I made regarding car rentals-

 

There were 10 ships scheduled the day we were there and I did not want to go without a vehicle as there were 25-30,000 cruisers in town and I wanted to escape. When you get off your ship, walk to the right and you'll see about 4 booths for car rentals. The people working there will meet you before you get anywhere near trying to get you to rent with them. I found an ad on an Orient Beach site and contacted them directly. We rented a week before arrival and they met me with the car.

 

I have read where you can go from booth to booth and "negotiate" with them and get your car for about half the original offer. I would ask to see the vehicle before signing the papers. There are few vehicles that are without dents on the island and I would make sure it ran well. If you have a digital camera, take pictures from all angles so they don't try to tell you that you are responsible for someone else's dent.

 

We rented a 2005 Toyota Corolla with only 260 miles on it for $50. (peak season) It had air and was an automatic and easily seated us. (four adults)

 

As other posters mentioned, the signs are very confusing and talking to the locals for directions is an excellent idea-if you speak French. (we didn't) You may want to find a site that explains the signs on the island.

 

The island is easy to navigate because it is so small. The speed limit I believe is 35 MPH and there were a lot of tailgaters until I realized my speedometer was in KM. If you are serious about renting, I would also make sure you check with you insurance company and credit card companies to make sure you are covered. I paid the extra $10 for insurance (first time in my life) because I didn't want to be in an accident in a foreign country and have to return for a court case or miss my sailing because I was being detained at a police station because of insurance.

 

If you have one place to go, take a taxi. If you want to escape some of the tourist traps, renting a car is an excellent way to see the entire island. I would do it again, but may try the negotiation process.

 

Any further questions, feel free to contact me at d_sedy@yahoo.com

[Robin G]

Pach--

 

We rented a Jeep for $85.00.

 

You can get a quote at http://www.caribbeancars.com

 

You can defintely shop around and I'm sure find a cheaper vehicle. We had no problems on the island and found it to be well marked.

[Candymanjim]

We too rented a Jeep from Hertz in St. Maarten. When we went to the rental booth the sharks decended upon us. Our Jeep was $85 ($110 total) but the sharks litterally fought over each other. Since the weather was uncooperative we did not feel the need to have the jeep anymore. I guy in the Dollar booth (not a Dollar representative) offered us the best deal. $35 for the day in a 2005 Corrola. We took it and it was great. He told us to bring it back with the same amount of gas we started with. When I started the car I found it below empty witht he gas light on. Not to worry the gas station was right next door. I was told do not put in more than $10. I put in $8 drove the whole island and $6 would have given me a comfortable reserve. In retrospect, I would do it all over. There are many options for renting a car here and as long as there are not 10 ships in port, I would just show up at the dock.

 

Jim

 

P.S. Hey Robin....