Help! Car Rentals in St. Thomas and St. Maarten?

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NELSON66

Guest
My husband and I are going on RC Radiance on Dec. 4th, 2004. We have stops in St. Thomas and St. Maarten. We've been looking at the shore excursions available, but have been thinking about renting a car at the ports and doing it solo (hopefully find a wrangler or convertible--something fun). The price for the car rental vs. the price for 2 on the excursions we're interested in looks similar if not less for the car. Any tips or advice on agencies to use? Most convenient offices to the ships? And where to go once we get the car? We're not really into all the beaches, diving, etc. We want to explore the islands, sightsee, take some great photos, maybe hit some great shops, etc. Really get out there and explore. Can anyone help??
 
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JeffFwa

Guest
I've rented twice in St. Maarten. It's very easy - you just have to take a right at the end of the pier. There are several rental offices there including Hertz and Avis. Both times we rented from a local place - I think it's called Charley's, but I'm not sure. There's a guy that stands out front that you can definitely bargain with. We rented a Rav4 with AC for $45 for the day. The car was definitely old, but it got us around the island with no problem.

If you're not into sitting at the beach, at least stop at some of the nicer ones for some great picture taking, especially on the French side. The vistas from the beaches are great. You can drive over to the French side of the island without any checkpoints. Marigot is a very nice town where you can do some shopping, but the stores tend to be more upscale and higher priced.

Shopping in Phillipsburg is easy and much less expensive. In my experience, the owners are more willing to haggle than on other islands. If you still have the car, you can park on the side of the road by the lake and walk just the two blocks to Front St.

Have a good time!
 
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belgique

Guest
I would not recommend driving in St. Thomas. I was there for 2 weeks last year and turned in my rental car the second day! It's madness. There are cabs everywhere, reasonable, relaxing, easy to get - do that instead - you won't regret it.

The roads are narrow, winding, steep and driving is on the left - way too confusing. You'll do much better hailing a cab and they will take you anywhere and pick you up when you want.
 
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