Renting Scooters in High Season - do I need a reservation?

[autoxer1970]

My wife and I rented a scooter at St. Barths last year in low season, and had a blast exploring beaches. The best thing was that you didn't have to worry about finding parking near beach accesses - you could leave the scooter anywhere!

 

We'll be visiting St Martin in the first week of February, and I'm wondering if they'll all be sold out. We'll be arriving in Marigot on Sea Dream II, so we probably won't be in competition with other cruise ships.

 

Any advice?

 

Thanks!

 

AX

[gwen1019]

Looking for the same information as well and if anyone knows about how much they will run us.

[El Tipo Calvo]

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but scooters are a recipe for disaster.

 

I've seen too many accidents involving scooters. A real motorcycle is 1000x safer than a scooter. On a motorcycle, at least you have some power to get out of sticky situations. Scooters are victims of circumstance; no respect from cab drivers, subject to high winds, sand and potholes.

 

I'll get off my soapbox now. I just hate seeing people's vacations ruined by an unforeseen accident. Road rash and broken limbs are a beach.

[kal]

St. Maarten is NOT a good location to rent a scooter. Every road is a main arterial and on the Frence side "suicycles" frequently run the centerline even into oncoming traffic and blind curves.

[texancruzer]

oooooo I agree !!! We always try to rent cars or scooters wherever we travel and this is one place I would not recommend Scooters. We rented a jeep wrangler 4wd soft top from Hertz (we docked in Philipsburg) and had a blast touring the island (and offroading some) in late November. I would not say driving here is bad but glad we were in a car instead of scooters. Of course anything is better than driving in Jamaica :D

[gwen1019]

St. Maarten is NOT a good location to rent a scooter. Every road is a main arterial and on the Frence side "suicycles" frequently run the centerline even into oncoming traffic and blind curves.

 

I've rented scooters in Bermuda before - would you say the roads/car drivers in either ST. Thomas or St. Martin or more or less dangerous then in Bermuda??

[kal]

St. Martin is much more dangerous than either Bermuda or ST. At either of those countries, have you seen suicycles roaring down the centerline on a 2-lane highway with heavy traffic in both directions....into blind curves??

[gwen1019]

St. Martin is much more dangerous than either Bermuda or ST. At either of those countries, have you seen suicycles roaring down the centerline on a 2-lane highway with heavy traffic in both directions....into blind curves??

 

I've never been to either St. Thomas or St. Martin so I wouldn;t know what its like there at all. We've cruised to the Bahamas and Bermuda a few times in the past. But at least I have a comparison now :rolleyes:

[L_T]

I agree with Kal - I wouldn't want anyone I cared for to be on a scooter in St. Martin. For those who decide to go ahead and rent scooters, please have travel insurance that includes medical evacuation back to the states.