COUGZ Posted April 20, 2005 #1 Share Posted April 20, 2005 Is there a place to rent cars on the island by the docks? That is what we are hoping to do is to get a car that will allow us to do whatever we want to do that day. ANY ADVICE OR TIPS IS WELL THANKED IN ADVANCED!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeno Posted April 20, 2005 #2 Share Posted April 20, 2005 Sorry but I can only help a little bit. I believe there is a car rental place on the dock. Generally car rental prices in St. Martin are quite reasonable. Most roads are in good condition but traffic can be heavy at times especially during the "rush hours" (AM - about 8AM-9:30)(PM - about 3:30PM-5:30PM). Traffic is especially hectic around Philipsburg when there are a lot of cruiseships in. One piece of advice - if you rent a car NEVER leave anything valuable in the car (even in a locked trunk). Violent crime is rare in St Martin but car breakins are a problem. When we rented we did not even bother locking the car - we fugured it would clue in any potential thieves that we had left NOTHING of value in the car. We had absolutely no problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kviolasr Posted April 20, 2005 #3 Share Posted April 20, 2005 Best Deal car rental is directly at the pier. We rented from them last year on our AOS cruise. We did make an internet reservation ahead of time and had no problems with this company. It appeared that Best Deal and the other companies at the pier had some cars available even if you did not reserve but the prices quoted for these were higher than our internet price (we paid $55/day for a jeep). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentS Posted April 21, 2005 #4 Share Posted April 21, 2005 We too have used Best Deal, thought they were fine and found them much better to deal with than the branded companies... http://www.bestdealcarrentals.net/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m steve Posted April 21, 2005 #5 Share Posted April 21, 2005 I booked by phone w/ Alamo for $28 from 9 am til 2 pm. We need to take a cab to airport and they will drive us back. I have rented from Hertz in the past and they try to rip you off. That was the local franchisee and Hertz us sent a refund for the difference between guaranteed rate and what they charged us.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stefboyardee Posted April 21, 2005 #6 Share Posted April 21, 2005 Not sure if you saw/read any of the other posts regarding the Joyce Prince tours. Joyce also has a car rental company - you can find her e-mail address on one of the threads. Sorry I don't have it with me now. She is very trust worthy and offers fair prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtaylor Posted April 21, 2005 #7 Share Posted April 21, 2005 I booked by phone w/ Alamo for $28 from 9 am til 2 pm. We need to take a cab to airport and they will drive us back. I have rented from Hertz in the past and they try to rip you off. That was the local franchisee and Hertz us sent a refund for the difference between guaranteed rate and what they charged us.:) Be aware that at that time of day it could easily take well over an hour round-trip, pier -- airport. Besides normal 'rush hour' traffic, there are scheduled bridge openings at 9:00 (traffic out of the lagoon) and at 9:30 (inbound). gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentS Posted April 21, 2005 #8 Share Posted April 21, 2005 Do yourself a huge favor m steve and book something at the pier! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtaylor Posted April 22, 2005 #9 Share Posted April 22, 2005 Found a picture of a line of ships leaving Simpson Bay Lagoon through the open bridge. Note all of the ships outside the lagoon waiting to enter. Sometimes the bridge is open for a LONG time. gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookielulu Posted April 24, 2005 #10 Share Posted April 24, 2005 Hi! We just got back from a 7day cruise and visited St. Maarten. We rented from Arthur's Car Rentals at the pier. He was EXCELLENT. I emailed him before our trip and he answered all of our questions. Our ship pulled into A.C. Wathey pier and we walked to his rental place. He gave us a map and told us where to park for downtown shopping. We were the only ship in port that day so it was easy driving - thank goodness!! Arthur was very pleasant and professional. We would rent from him again if we ever go back to St. Martin. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m steve Posted April 24, 2005 #11 Share Posted April 24, 2005 Does he have a web site? What was his charge for a regular car, not a jeep?Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentS Posted April 24, 2005 #12 Share Posted April 24, 2005 Arthur's... http://www.arthurscarrental.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare sunluva7 Posted April 25, 2005 #13 Share Posted April 25, 2005 How are the roads in St. Marten? Easy to navigate? Our ship also goes to St. Thomas, where the rental prices seem much higher and driving is on the left, which I'm not too confident about. Bestdeal car rental in St. Martin, however, has a mini-van for only $60 bucks. Besides the traffic at peak times, how easy a drive around the island is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentS Posted April 25, 2005 #14 Share Posted April 25, 2005 IMO driving in St. Maarten is no problem at all. Yes, traffic is heavy at times, but the roads are fine and it's easy to navigate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kviolasr Posted April 26, 2005 #15 Share Posted April 26, 2005 As islands go, roads here are pretty decent. If you stick to the main routes (to Orient Beach, Marigot, Phillipsburg, Simpson Bay, etc), you should have no difficulty. You will hit pockets of traffic at a few of the crossroads. Make sure you have a decent map of the island. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toronto Maple Leaf Fan Posted May 3, 2005 #16 Share Posted May 3, 2005 We just got back and rented a Ford Windstar from Arthur. He is a really nice person to deal with and very professional. The vehical suited our family of 5 perfectly. I would not hesitate to rent from him again. The roads in St. Maarten are very good and driving around the Island is not all that difficult. Make sure you stop at Maho Beach and watch the planes land between noon and 2 pm. It is an experience not to be missed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quanta Posted January 29, 2006 #17 Share Posted January 29, 2006 St.maarten what a great place to visit with 37 beaches we only visit like 10. We got our car from www.grandcasecarrental.com and also got some really good tips where to go and a map from the island. For a preview have a look at this site http://www.angelfire.com/il2/sxm/pics/96pics.html There a lot places to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatbloominplace Posted January 30, 2006 #18 Share Posted January 30, 2006 just booked a car with arthur's because of convenient location, cc recommendations, and their promptness in replying. they charge $50/day for an automatic corolla. other vehicles for less but not all are automatic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dean45 Posted February 1, 2006 #19 Share Posted February 1, 2006 has anyone used budget is it right on the pier? do they accept us insurance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldcantrell Posted February 13, 2006 #20 Share Posted February 13, 2006 Dean 45, Budget is right on the pier. There are about six different rental agencies there with little buildings right next to each other. I know Hertz was one of the others. I can't tell you the rest. The intermediate car they gave us was a Mitsubishi with only 800 miles on it. We were very happy with the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clc41297 Posted February 13, 2006 #21 Share Posted February 13, 2006 I rented a vehicle from Arthur's Car Rental today. He was very prompt in returning my email. He was also very appreciative of my business which means alot to me.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texancruzer Posted February 13, 2006 #22 Share Posted February 13, 2006 Most US insurance won't cover you in a foreign country - call your agent and make sure !!!!! Suggest you purchase theirs ($20.00 +-) We used Hertz (prebooked using 800 international telephone # from website) on St. Martin, Antigua and in San Juan. Excellent clean vehicles at all 3 and superb customer service. In St. Martin they are a 2 minute walk right at the pier. In Antigua they delivered car to a hotel for us - also 2 minute walk off the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codfish Posted February 20, 2006 #23 Share Posted February 20, 2006 We also had good luck with Arthur's. Very friendly and helpful. Here's a link for several car rental places in St. Maarten http://www.sxm-cars.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamestown9guy Posted February 22, 2006 #24 Share Posted February 22, 2006 Dsoes Arthur have a location on the pier...his web site didn't say? Or perhaps I missed it.Also what type of additional coverage is needed? Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codfish Posted February 22, 2006 #25 Share Posted February 22, 2006 You can now find us at the main gate of the Dr. A.C. Wathey pier 100 yards to your right only 1 min walk Taken from his website. As far as insurance: Will my credit card cover me for damages?Credit card coverages are almost always secondary coverage, which means you must first submit a claim to your own insurance carrier and the credit card company usually covers the excess for comprehensive or collision losses. As with the insurance company policies, restrictions apply. Always call your credit card company's prior to rental as coverages often change...Renter must provide their proof of auto insurance by your credit card company. I don't know if you got this far, but here's a link to his website. http://www.arthurscarrental.com/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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