Car on St. John or St. Maarten?

S

smctys

Guest
Has anyone ever rented a car on these islands? Please give me your feedback...especially on St. John...I'm thinking a taxi would work just as well...we are 12 people traveling together and would obviously need several vehicles.

Thanks!

Suzanne
 
T

Ted_D

Guest
I rented a jeep on St John a couple of years ago. I do not recall seeing cars available, though they may have simply been out on rental at the time. The agency (sorry, don't remember their name any longer) was right at the ferry dock, adjacent to the only service station there. Driving on the island was easy since there are so few roads. The roads are, however, narrow and winding, as well as occasionally occupied by wild goats. So, you really need to keep your speed down. I will tell you that the jeep rental was expensive for an entire day -- perhaps triple what a stateside car rental would be.

I don't know whether you are looking to go to a particular place or taking a general tour. If touring is what you're after, there are some fairly reasonable open air vehicles that seat 15 - 20 people that could accomodate your entire group on a 2-3 hour narrated tour of the island complete with a couple of quick stops.

I have been to St Maarten but never rented a car there. Taxi's are very easy to get and very reliable for either general transportation or touring. There will be lots of them at the cruise dock, as well as the water taxi landing downtown. Do make sure you confirm the price, though, before taking off in the taxi!

Ted
 
J

jrsygrl

Guest
We had 11 of us in the open air taxi on St John with no problem at all. Could have fit a few more actually. Did a tour of the island and had some people dropped at different locations and picked back up at pre arranged times. All very easy.
 
J

John

Guest
Taxi's are always at the pier or closeby. They normaly have vans that can hold a large amount or you can take two and plan to stick together. :) It will surely be less expensive.
 
S

sailboat

Guest
We rented a car on St. Maaten when we stayed there for a week. After experiencing the road conditions, we chose a rental that already had a lot of dings and dents. I recall that we had to go into the main section of town to complete the rental paperwork, but it was a pretty easy process and we had wheels and freedom to explore. The road (there really is only one road for all practical purposes) winds around the island and is full of intersting turns, deep drainage ditches to the sides, and yes, the occasional goat or cow will amble onto the road and sometimes stop and meditate! The roads were better on the French side of the island but this was a while back and road conditions overall may have improved (or not!). Driving was on the left as I recall which made some turns pretty hair-raising until we got used to it. If you simply want to explore on your own and don't mind the challenges noted above, renting a vehicle is fun and gives you a lot of freedom. But if you are just wanting to go from point A to point B, you might be better off with a taxi. You can even arrange with the driver to come back for you if you want time at the beach.
 
B

belgique

Guest
I stayed in St. Thomas for 2 weeks a few years ago, so thought renting a car would be a good idea. I turned the car back to the rental company after 1 day! It's a nightmare - especially the turnarounds and crossroads.

I've driven on the left side of the road in Ireland and Britain, but St. Thomas was not as easy. I agree with the others, taxis and vans are available everywhere - cheaper and much easier on the nerves!
 
H

hkolln

Guest
We rented a Jeep in St John a few years back while there. I have to say it was an adventure! You have to drive on the lefthand side and the roads are VERY narrow and VERY steep and curve around alot. Now St John is alot less populated then St Thomas so if you are going to rent I suggest St John. We took the taxi to the Red Hook Ferry and then took the ferry over to Cruz Bay St John and rented with Hertz. It was about 60 for the day (now it's about 70 for a day). If you plan on driving there you will need something to climb hills well, such as a Jeep Wrangler. We went to Trunk Bay and ate at Skinny Legs (which was very good!) for lunch.

We are going back in Feb and renting a jeep again in St John. It is going to cost us about the cost of 2 shore tours so we figure it's much better to rent a jeep and see the entire island then to be stuck in one spot with a specific tour.

Have fun!
 
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