St. Maarten on our own - Marigot, Beach and P'burg

[connected98]

I am trying to plan our port stop on Sept 29, 9am to 7pm, and based on my research so far, am leaning towards doing this on our own instead of a tour. I considered Bernard's but we aren't keen on stopping at Maho and want more time at certain stops. At this point I would like to focus on Marigot incl Fort St. Louis (recommended?), Grand Case (if reasonable), beach time (likely Orient Beach), and finishing off at Philipsburg so that we are close to ship at end of day.

 

I have seen from other posts that it's relatively straightforward to travel to these locations by bus but we are willing to pay for cab if needed to save time to make itinerary work or for convenience. Just looking for suggestions on itinerary ... Should we do Marigot or beach first? How should we travel between each location? And lastly how much time to allocate to each.

 

It is just hubby and I. We don't mind walking or taking bus but again willing to take cab if necessary.

 

Looking forward to your thoughts!

[Maxsam]

I am very interested in everyone's ideas on this too.

 

We've decided to rent a car and to stop at many of the places you mention.

 

It appears that renting a car will be less expensive for us than taxi's due to the number in our group.

[Karysa]

I am trying to plan our port stop on Sept 29, 9am to 7pm, and based on my research so far, am leaning towards doing this on our own instead of a tour. I considered Bernard's but we aren't keen on stopping at Maho and want more time at certain stops. At this point I would like to focus on Marigot incl Fort St. Louis (recommended?), Grand Case (if reasonable), beach time (likely Orient Beach), and finishing off at Philipsburg so that we are close to ship at end of day.

 

I have seen from other posts that it's relatively straightforward to travel to these locations by bus but we are willing to pay for cab if needed to save time to make itinerary work or for convenience. Just looking for suggestions on itinerary ... Should we do Marigot or beach first? How should we travel between each location? And lastly how much time to allocate to each.

 

It is just hubby and I. We don't mind walking or taking bus but again willing to take cab if necessary.

 

Looking forward to your thoughts!

 

 

I love your plan. This is pretty much what we do on a cruise stop in St. Maarten now a days but we rent a car. You can do this by taxi as well.

 

My suggestion would be to go to Marigot first and get dropped by the steps nearest to the top of the fort. In 5 minutes or less you will be at the top. The views are great from up there. Follow the steps down to the town. I am guessing it will take 15 minutes or so. We drive so we have never gone down the stairs to the town.

 

I think the 29 th is a Sunday so I would imagine that Marigot will be quiet but the bakeries will be open and they are easy to find just across from the waterfront. We like Serafina's for iced coffee's and croissants.

 

At the waterfront by the ferry building there is a taxi area. From Marigot we head north to Grand Case. Being September and a Sunday it will be very quiet I would think. I would not expect a lot of stores and restaurants to be opened.

 

There are 2 beaches here that you might want to visit and if you stay long enough you may be hungry for lunch. The LOLO's BBQ, which are local establishments and the Sunset Cafe at the Grand Case Beach Club will be open. Perhaps Calmos cafe on the beach will also be open but many restaurants close for vacation at this time as its low season for tourists. They will call a taxi for you at the GCBC.

 

We like LeGalion beach and stop there for a swim. Orient and Dawn are other good options. If you don't eat in GC then Orient would be the best beach because of the great choices that are available. Also, taxis will be available at Orient for the ride to Philipsburg for shopping.

 

On a Sunday I have found that at least 1/2 of the stores in town are closed.

 

From the nearest end of Front St to the ship it will take about 15 minutes to walk or a few minutes by taxi to get back to the ship.

 

Have a great cruise.:)

[suzyed]

I am very interested in everyone's ideas on this too.

 

We've decided to rent a car and to stop at many of the places you mention.

 

It appears that renting a car will be less expensive for us than taxi's due to the number in our group.

 

Did you pre-reserve your car? From whom? Where do you pick it up? How much? What size car?

 

Thanks!

[connected98]

Karysa

Thank you sooooo much for your response! I was beginning to worry about not having this stop planned out and I feel like this is one of the best stops on our cruise!

 

I have seen that cab to Marigot would be $18. Do you know how much it is from Marigot to Grand Case, then to Orient and lastly to Philipsburg. Seems like the fares might add up so maybe renting a car would be worth it and we could also make more stops for photo opps? I hadn't considered it an option because I read that parking can be hard to find but based on your response, sounds like end of Sept is not busy at all and I also checked that we are only ship in port.

 

Where do you usually rent from? Any strong recommendations?

 

What time should we leave Orient by in order to be back in Philipsburg by 4ish?

[Karysa]

Karysa

Thank you sooooo much for your response! I was beginning to worry about not having this stop planned out and I feel like this is one of the best stops on our cruise!

 

I have seen that cab to Marigot would be $18. Do you know how much it is from Marigot to Grand Case, then to Orient and lastly to Philipsburg. Seems like the fares might add up so maybe renting a car would be worth it and we could also make more stops for photo opps? I hadn't considered it an option because I read that parking can be hard to find but based on your response, sounds like end of Sept is not busy at all and I also checked that we are only ship in port.

 

Where do you usually rent from? Any strong recommendations?

 

What time should we leave Orient by in order to be back in Philipsburg by 4ish?

 

My guess by estimating the distance would be another $45 in taxi costs plus the $18 for the trip to Marigot. We have had bad luck with Arthur's car rental x 1 and good luck with Hertz x2. We paid about $85 in Jan and March for a car at the port . You may be able to get one for $60-$65 in September with one ship in port. Carry US cash for gas.

 

30 minutes should be fine to get back to town so leave around 3:30 for a 4 ish arrival.