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A Guide to Getting to Bernards Tours


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Based on the many reviews here, I booked Bernards Tour for a whole day tour around ST Maarten/ST Martin. Look most people here, I would recommend them as we had a good tour and saw all the highlights.

 

As I had never been to the Phillipsburg cruise terminal before, I was a little confused when following the instructions sent to me on hour to get to their tent to start the tour.

 

Here are the instructions sent through.

 

FOR YOUR PRIVATE  ISLAND GUIDED TOUR, WE WILL BE MEETING {  AT 9:30 AM LOCAL ISLAND PORT TIME}  IN THE PARKING LOT LOCATED BEHIND THE RECEPTION CENTER BUILDING NEAR THE SECURITY EXIT. A SHORT 4 MINUTE WALK FROM YOUR SHIP.

THE RECEPTION CENTER IS LOCATED DIRECTLY BEHIND THE CLAUDE WATHEY STATUE. TO THE LEFT OF THE RECEPTION CENTER, IS A SMALL WALKWAY LEADING TO THE VENDING AREA AND DUTY-FREE SHOPS. WALK DOWN THE SMALL WALKWAY AND CONTINUE WALKING  PAST THE VENDING AREA UNTIL YOU REACH THE ROUNDABOUT WITH A BIG SIGN THAT SAYS "SEE YOU AGAIN SOON."

WE ARE LOCATED LEFT OF THE ROUNDABOUT, UNDER A WHITE TENT; LEFT OF THE SECURITY EXIT MAIN ENTRANCE. PLEASE DO NOT EXIT THE MAIN SECURITY ENTRANCE.

THE PARKING LOT IS CALLED ‘THE SAND BANKS’. ONE OF OUR AGENTS WILL BE IN THE PARKING LOT (DRESSED IN BERNARD TOURS POLO T-SHIRT) TO MEET AND GREET YOU... Please note all time is ( LOCAL ISLAND TIME)...

 

 

To help any other first timers, here are some photos to help get you to the Benards Tent.

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WE ARE LOCATED LEFT OF THE ROUNDABOUT, UNDER A WHITE TENT; LEFT OF THE SECURITY EXIT MAIN ENTRANCE. PLEASE DO NOT EXIT THE MAIN SECURITY ENTRANCE.

 

IMG_3773%20-%20Copy-L.png

If you don't go through the walkway, but walk around the building at the start of the instructions, going to the left of the roundabout doesn't make sense. However you get here, when facing the "Hope to see you Again" sign, go to the small exit to the left. If you go to the tents on the right, near the larger main exit, which is also near the taxi stand everyone will just get confused and lost! (Or was that just me?)

 

Second Statue (of Pieter Stuyvesant) and close up of Bernards Tours Tent in the background.

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The Bernards Tour tent where you meet the tour company and pay the balance of your tour amount.

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The actual Exit you go through to get to the tent (which is just to the left of this picture out of shot). The Tour Tent is outside the cruise terminal secure area. This is also where you will be dropped off at the end of the day and you will need your sea pass card to get back into the area to go back to your ship.

IMG_3768-L.jpg

 

I hope this helps someone, so you don’t need to wander around like I did.

We really enjoyed our tour with Bernard and our driver Action Jackson. If we ever get back to this part of the world, we would go on this tour again. Also, if there are 4 or more of you, going private was a great way to see the island, as we were often first at a site and leaving before the standard Bernards Tour Bus turned up. We also chose where we wanted to go for lunch (which was important as we needed Gluten Free) and when we got bored with a place, we could leave as soon as we wanted to, rather than having to wait for the whole tour party to be ready.

 

 

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On 6/12/2019 at 10:07 AM, sbcatcher1 said:

This is awesome. Thanks I am using  them in July. Do you have to pay cash or do they take credit cards?

 

I paid cash - US$. The Tent doesn't have power, from memory, to run any sort of machine to take cards. If you want to pay by card - email before arrival.

 

The great thing is, you only pay when you turn up. So if the ship doesn't make the port, you sleep in, change your mind or just can't make the tour, you have only lost the deposit, not the entire amount, as there is no upfront payment.

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Thank you so much! We (family of 8)  have Bernard's Tour II booked for our July cruise.  The description says pick up at 9:30 and  the duration is 5 hours with two beach stops.  That puts us back to Phillipsburg about 2:30pm. I wondering if your timing was on schedule or if you got back later? We would like to shop around Phillipsburg and possible get more beach time at Great Bay beach right there at Phillipsburg if the timing works. 

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On 6/15/2019 at 3:45 PM, gtaylor said:

Joyce Hanley (Prince) has a photo image of the route. Very simple.

 

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Far simpler than the instructions they send through. We started by going to the right of the admin building and ended up at the car rental place. I think if they added their tent is outside the fence, it may have helped finding them, as I was looking for signs inside the fence.

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  • 7 months later...
On 6/16/2019 at 6:01 PM, mom2six said:

Thank you so much! We (family of 😎 have Bernard's Tour II booked for our July cruise.  The description says pick up at 9:30 and  the duration is 5 hours with two beach stops.  That puts us back to Phillipsburg about 2:30pm. I wondering if your timing was on schedule or if you got back later? We would like to shop around Phillipsburg and possible get more beach time at Great Bay beach right there at Phillipsburg if the timing works. 

They were great and adhered to the time.  Cannot recommend them enough.

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