best way to see the island ?

[tcs1366]

We were in St Maarten this past February, and are going back in January 2013.

 

I do not need to do Orient Beach again, but would love to see other beaches and shopping areas.

 

I noticed most of the "tours" include 2 hrs at Orient, and doing a private tour could be pricy.... So i was thinking of renting a jeep -- there will be 4 of us.

 

Has anyone done this, Pros and Cons of 'doing our own thing'.

 

OH, we are in port 7am - 5pm, so it's a long day.

 

Thanks in Advance

[#1TravelMom]

I definately recommend renting a car. Coastal Car Rental is right at the pier. They are very friendly and have nice vehicles. They also offer GPS for $5. It has all the beaches and sights programmed in. It is not difficult to drive in St. Martin and the rental car gives you the option of seeing all the major sights in one day at your own pace.

[tcs1366]

Thanks for the reply... I'll look them up.

[KirkNC]

Yes a rental car works great. Leave to come back in plenty of time as traffic gets very heavy in the afternoon.

[Colorado Kat]

Yes, be careful with the traffic. Check carefully with the car rental people for their opinions. I know there is some heavy construction on the island, but they stop it for "tourist high season".

 

I think it is Maho Bay that people go to to see the planes taking off & landing - that is a lot of fun.

[Pmorton3360]

I've been thinking of taking a taxi to Marigot to do a little sightseeing and pastries. Then going back to the ship for lunch. After we would like to go to a beach. Weather calm, then Dawn Beach. Don't want to carry around our snorkel gear. Would this be possible? Ruby Princess 10am-6pm. I can't remember how long the dock is or how far to get the taxis. All the excursions I look at have a very short time in Marigot. I'd really like to have time to wander and possible see the fort. Been here 4 times and never have we been to Marigot. Need some info. There are 2 of us, though some others in our party of 9 may join us but not all.

[Karysa]

I've been thinking of taking a taxi to Marigot to do a little sightseeing and pastries. Then going back to the ship for lunch. After we would like to go to a beach. Weather calm, then Dawn Beach. Don't want to carry around our snorkel gear. Would this be possible? Ruby Princess 10am-6pm. I can't remember how long the dock is or how far to get the taxis. All the excursions I look at have a very short time in Marigot. I'd really like to have time to wander and possible see the fort. Been here 4 times and never have we been to Marigot. Need some info. There are 2 of us, though some others in our party of 9 may join us but not all.

 

To me the only great snorkeling experiences that I have had are out at Creole Rock. I would suggest forgetting about snorkeling on this island and just leave your gear on the ship. Instead of going from Marigot back to the ship for lunch just taxi straight to the beach from Marigot and either eat lunch in Marigot or at the beach. Orange Fever at Orient has great food.

 

Also, ask the taxi driver to drive you to the stairs nearest to the top of the fort. You can climb to the top in less than 5 minutes and after taking in the views you can walk down the stairs and right in to the heart of the town.

[gtaylor]

I've been thinking of taking a taxi to Marigot to do a little sightseeing and pastries. Then going back to the ship for lunch. After we would like to go to a beach. Weather calm, then Dawn Beach. Don't want to carry around our snorkel gear. Would this be possible? Ruby Princess 10am-6pm. I can't remember how long the dock is or how far to get the taxis. All the excursions I look at have a very short time in Marigot. I'd really like to have time to wander and possible see the fort. Been here 4 times and never have we been to Marigot. Need some info. There are 2 of us, though some others in our party of 9 may join us but not all.

 

Agree with karysa, forget about snorkeling and going back to the ship for lunch.

 

We also love Orange Fever.

 

Karysa, can I assume that you've timed the climb from parking to the fort? That still seems pretty quick to me. :)

 

gary

[Karysa]

Agree with karysa, forget about snorkeling and going back to the ship for lunch.

 

We also love Orange Fever.

 

Karysa, can I assume that you've timed the climb from parking to the fort? That still seems pretty quick to me. :)

 

gary

 

 

Yes, I have done it 3 or 4 times in the last few years. We always climb just the very last set of stairs from the parking lot so I am fresh and not tired when starting and honestly it takes me less than 5 minutes but I like getting to the top so I am motivated. :) DH takes a little because he carries his camera bag and stops to take pictures on the way up.

[alemap]

If you rent a car, is it easy to do all the things you mentioned, as far as parking goes?

We would like to:

 

Do a beach near or at Maho, watch planes for a while

 

Possibly eat lunch in Marigot, or just stay on beach for kunch?

 

Go to the fort

 

Is parking easy for these things?

[Karysa]

If you rent a car, is it easy to do all the things you mentioned, as far as parking goes?

We would like to:

 

Do a beach near or at Maho, watch planes for a while

 

Possibly eat lunch in Marigot, or just stay on beach for kunch?

 

Go to the fort

 

Is parking easy for these things?

 

Drive to fort first park as close to top as permitted. Drive down to town park in town or in lot by waterfront. Have something to eat at Seraginas bakery or another cafe. Next I would head towards Maho and stop at Mullet Bay Beach first if time permits before going to Maho. After watching the planes head back to port leaving lots of time in case of traffic. If time permits park in town and browse a little or just head straight back to turn your rental in.

 

Parking at Marigot, Mullet and Maho should be fine but Parking in the afternoon in Philipsburg can be a nightmare.

[Pmorton3360]

Thanks for info. The fort sounds like something we would enjoy. I've been snorkeling a few time there and have to agree, not amazing. We'll see who else goes with us and the weather and see where it goes. We are not much for sitting on a beach for long , but others in our group are. But I appreciate the advice and am looking forward to this cruise. Our 10th. With a group of 9 it is harder to go with the flow and keep everyone happy. But we will try. And the island is a beautiful place no matter what we do.

[cruisee<3]

Does anyone know how far it is to drive from marigot to grand case .. and grand case to philipsburg? I'm a bit scared to rent a car just b/c of driving in a foreign country .. but if it saves time/money it can be considered possibly .. if parking isn't toooo crazy. :o

[Karysa]

Does anyone know how far it is to drive from marigot to grand case .. and grand case to philipsburg? I'm a bit scared to rent a car just b/c of driving in a foreign country .. but if it saves time/money it can be considered possibly .. if parking isn't toooo crazy. :o

 

You seem quite apprehensive about driving on the island and because of that I would suggest you take taxis instead. For 2 people for the 3 stops you mentioned the cost would be about the same as renting a car.

 

Trying to find parking in the afternoon in Phillipsburg can be almost impossible except for the odd spot in the Lot by the Salt Pond. If you park there and walk the 20 minutes to town and then back to get the car you are really no better off than turning the car in early at the port and walking back to town. A taxi will drop you right in the shopping area and you can walk, taxi or water taxi back from there.

 

Bottom line is that you won't save time or money and it will add stress to your day, from everything I have gathered from your posts.

[Karysa]

Thanks for info. The fort sounds like something we would enjoy. I've been snorkeling a few time there and have to agree, not amazing. We'll see who else goes with us and the weather and see where it goes. We are not much for sitting on a beach for long , but others in our group are. But I appreciate the advice and am looking forward to this cruise. Our 10th. With a group of 9 it is harder to go with the flow and keep everyone happy. But we will try. And the island is a beautiful place no matter what we do.

 

If your group chooses Le Galion Beach then if you want an escape from the beach for an hour or so you can walk the less than 1/4 mile to the Butterfly Farm. DH and I really enjoyed our time there.

[Nole0202]

Does anyone know how far it is to drive from marigot to grand case .. and grand case to philipsburg? I'm a bit scared to rent a car just b/c of driving in a foreign country .. but if it saves time/money it can be considered possibly .. if parking isn't toooo crazy. :o

 

Having been to both places several times, driving in SXM is much easier and stress free than Vegas!

There is plenty of free parking and you will have place to keep your stuff.

Just take the optional insurance from the agency and you will have no responsibility, except a speeding ticket if you go above 50 kph! :)

[Karysa]

Having been to both places several times, driving in SXM is much easier and stress free than Vegas!

There is plenty of free parking and you will have place to keep your stuff.

Just take the optional insurance from the agency and you will have no responsibility, except a speeding ticket if you go above 50 kph! :)

 

 

It is not a good idea to leave your stuff in your car on St. Martin as car break-ins, especially with rentals are not uncommon. Also parking in Phillipsburg IS an issue.

[chiapet]

We just returned from EPIC today and had a great time doing a private tour with Joyce Prince ... who we found on this board. We were a group of 18 and even picked up a few people on our Roll Call ... including the (in)famous *Don* :)

 

She took us where ever we wanted to go and for how ever long we wanted. We didn't even know about the fort in Marigot but happened to see it as we were driving by ... on our way to the lolos in Grand Case ... so we stopped. It was awesome but I'm still not sure how our driver made it up there in our bus ... and then turned around ;)

 

She even included rum punch, beer, soda, water and juice boxes for the kids. It was really nice being able to sit back and relax ... while seeing everything we wanted to and even some things not originally planned ... without having to worry about getting back to the ship on time ... with all the traffic :eek:

 

We would definitely do her tour again ... including going back to Maho to see the planes :p

[smurfm69]

We rented a Jeep for $92 and loved it! We used Coastal car rental and they are located at the cruise terminal. We drove to Marigot for some shopping then to Orient Beach for the rest of the day. There is one main road that circles the island so it is easy to navigate.

[wrcjr98]

We have booked a tour with Bernard's Tours, Tour #1, which is a 4 1/2 hour tour for $40 - there is a 15 minute stop at Orient Beach, but there is a 30 minute stop at Maho Beach (airplanes) and a 60 minute stop in Marigot - there are 4 or 5 more stops as well! We thought this sounded like the best "bang for our buck"!