St. Martin -- car rental

My wife and I will be taking our first trip to St. Martin in two
weeks. We're booked at the Grand Case Beach Club for six nights, but
haven't arranged a car rental yet. I searched through the old posts
and found a wide range of horror stories. (Stolen cars, insurance
scams...really?)

For piece of mind, I'm leaning towards reserving ahead with a place
like Budget, Thrifty, or Avis. Any good or bad experiences with
these? Are the rental companies usually very close to the airport?

I still need to check with my US insurer and credit card, but if they
will cover us abroad, is it safe to waive the insurance as usual?

Are ATMs widely available? Should we bring traveler's cheques?

Any other suggested restaurants or sights are appreciated!

Thanks,
Mike

"Mike Gallan" <mgallan@m> schreef in bericht
news:df89620b.0311291905.2a997451@c om...
> My wife and I will be taking our first trip to St. Martin in two
> weeks. We're booked at the Grand Case Beach Club for six nights, but
> haven't arranged a car rental yet. I searched through the old posts
> and found a wide range of horror stories. (Stolen cars, insurance
> scams...really?)
>
> For piece of mind, I'm leaning towards reserving ahead with a place
> like Budget, Thrifty, or Avis. Any good or bad experiences with
> these? Are the rental companies usually very close to the airport?
>
> I still need to check with my US insurer and credit card, but if they
> will cover us abroad, is it safe to waive the insurance as usual?
>
> Are ATMs widely available? Should we bring traveler's cheques?
>
> Any other suggested restaurants or sights are appreciated!
>
> Thanks,


Avis, Budget and Thrifty are all on Airport Road just a minute from the
airport, just like the other carrentals. Most companies have a desk on the
airport or a shuttle from the airport to their office.

You don't need traveler's cheques. There is a wide variety of ATM's on Dutch
and French side of the island.

Have fun on the friendly island.

--
RotterdamStudents
-------------------------------
Dulce est despirere loco
(Horatius, "Oden" 4,12,28)

I had what I'm sure is an insurance scam with Thrifty. There is no solution.
My credit card requires a bill to show how much the repair actually cost
Thrifty. Thrifty won't supply it. Catch 22. I suspect the "damage" was
never repaired.

I've used Hertz a number of times without problems. I thought their cars
were better than Avis.

The companies you mentioned have sign-up windows at the airport and vans to
their off-airport sites after you have signed up.

I can't remember using an ATM on SXM. Credit cards are accepted nearly
everywhere, and US cash is accepted everywhere on both sides of the island.
Locals use US cash.

> "Mike Gallan" <mgallan@m> schreef in bericht
> news:df89620b.0311291905.2a997451@c om...
> > My wife and I will be taking our first trip to St. Martin in two
> > weeks. We're booked at the Grand Case Beach Club for six nights, but
> > haven't arranged a car rental yet. I searched through the old posts
> > and found a wide range of horror stories. (Stolen cars, insurance
> > scams...really?)
> >
> > For piece of mind, I'm leaning towards reserving ahead with a place
> > like Budget, Thrifty, or Avis. Any good or bad experiences with
> > these? Are the rental companies usually very close to the airport?
> >
> > I still need to check with my US insurer and credit card, but if they
> > will cover us abroad, is it safe to waive the insurance as usual?

Your auto insurance almost certainly doesn't cover you outside the US and
Canada. Read above for my problem with credit card coverage. OTOH, I
__did__ take CDW coverage on Guadeloupe and an outside rear-view mirror was
stolen. The bill was smaller than the deductible so the CDW didn't pay
anything. Since the Opel Corsa (back then) exterior rear-view mirrors could
be removed and replaced without tools or damage, I figured someone was
making a living by stealing them and selling them back to the rental car
companies.

"Mike Gallan" <mgallan@m> wrote in message
news:df89620b.0311291905.2a997451@c om...
> My wife and I will be taking our first trip to St. Martin in two
> weeks. We're booked at the Grand Case Beach Club for six nights,
but
> haven't arranged a car rental yet. I searched through the old posts
> and found a wide range of horror stories. (Stolen cars, insurance
> scams...really?)
>
> For piece of mind, I'm leaning towards reserving ahead with a place
> like Budget, Thrifty, or Avis. Any good or bad experiences with
> these? Are the rental companies usually very close to the airport?
>
> I still need to check with my US insurer and credit card, but if
they
> will cover us abroad, is it safe to waive the insurance as usual?
>

If the cost of the rental is an issue, you may well get a better deal
by -not-reserving ahead of time since the rates--even with
majors--"fluctuate" and the reserved rates are sometimes considerably
higher.

All of the major rental companies are in a row at the airport and they
are well aware that you can simply walk "next door" if you rent on the
spot without a prior reservation. This advantage is lost when you
reserve ahead, even though I can certainly understand that, as
travelers, we're conditioned to make reservations. In addition, any
price differential may not matter to you.

On my last trip to St. Martin, I did not make a reservation and simply
discussed my needs once there without any problem. I used National
and had a very smooth experience. If the vehicle is at all "beat up"
(as some are), take some pictures (digital preferably) before leaving
the rental depot, which is a short distance from the airport.
Depending on how much driving you plan to do, I'd at least consider a
rag top Suzuki "jeep" (I forget what they're called, but they'rer
pretty available) , which might cost a bit more but which we found to
be a lot of fun with the top down on the island.

To my knowledge, only Israel, Ireland and Jamaica are excluded by
credit card companies for rental coverage, but always best to check.
Good luck!

"Mike Gallan" <mgallan@m> wrote in message
news:df89620b.0311291905.2a997451@c om...
> My wife and I will be taking our first trip to St. Martin in two
> weeks. We're booked at the Grand Case Beach Club for six nights,
but
> haven't arranged a car rental yet. I searched through the old posts
> and found a wide range of horror stories. (Stolen cars, insurance
> scams...really?)
>
> >
> Any other suggested restaurants or sights are appreciated!
>

Almost forgot--you'll be walking distance from "downtown" Grand Case,
which has numerous VG storefront restaurants, but do not miss eating
at a "lolo" or outdoor shack. These are on the beach side of the main
street (?) in Grand Case. Not fancy (you'll know one when you see
it), but one of the best food bargains in St. Martin. Two
words--lobster tails.

mgallan@m (Mike Gallan) wrote in message

> My wife and I will be taking our first trip to St. Martin in two
> weeks. We're booked at the Grand Case Beach Club for six nights, but
> haven't arranged a car rental yet. I searched through the old posts
> and found a wide range of horror stories. (Stolen cars, insurance
> scams...really?)
>
> For piece of mind, I'm leaning towards reserving ahead with a place
> like Budget, Thrifty, or Avis. Any good or bad experiences with
> these? Are the rental companies usually very close to the airport?
>
> I still need to check with my US insurer and credit card, but if they
> will cover us abroad, is it safe to waive the insurance as usual?
>
US insurance is almost always void outside the USA/Canada. So are
credit card deals with insurance. But always check.

St. Martin doesn't allow true airport based car rentals. Most
companies have a little booth in the parking lot, or it you have
pre-reserved, a guy that stands in the parking lot with a card with
your name on it. Either way they give you a ride over to their
office, which will be less than a mile away. All of the major brands
are represented, and there are lots of locals as well.

IMHO, any car bigger than a Toyota Corolla is too big. You will find
companies that rent really big cars however. Most cars will be
Corolla sized, or smaller, including models that are not sold in the
US due to their size. These are fine. Brand mix is very eclectic,
with US companies, Japanese and expecially Korean, plus Euro brands,
especially French.

On 29 Nov 2003 19:05:26 -0800, mgallan@m (Mike Gallan)
wrote:


Try Hibiscus in Long Ground.

Baie Nettle, Sandy Ground
97150
(580) 87 74 53

>My wife and I will be taking our first trip to St. Martin in two
>weeks. We're booked at the Grand Case Beach Club for six nights, but
>haven't arranged a car rental yet. I searched through the old posts
>and found a wide range of horror stories. (Stolen cars, insurance
>scams...really?)'

Feh. Five trips to SXM, no problems with rental cars here. Just don't
leave stuff that might be tempting in the car. Either put it in the
trunk or carry it.

>For piece of mind, I'm leaning towards reserving ahead with a place
>like Budget, Thrifty, or Avis. Any good or bad experiences with
>these? Are the rental companies usually very close to the airport?

Right outside the door now.

>I still need to check with my US insurer and credit card, but if they
>will cover us abroad, is it safe to waive the insurance as usual?

If you have cc insurance, waive the coverage. You most likely will not
have an accident unless you like to get blind drunk in Orient Beach.

>Any other suggested restaurants or sights are appreciated!

Turtle Pier, anytime. Great B-L-D, plus lobster night. Dare you to
drive up Pic Mornais (it's your butt!) and the French side fort (you
can halfway drive up there, but you get a great view after you walk
the rest of the way).

I have heard very bad thing about budget and some bad customer service reports
about thrifty. Check out the web site traveltalkonline. The have a St Martin
forum and links to sponsored rental agencies. We used Unity about 2 weeks ago
and were very satisfied.

In article <df89620b.0311291905.2a997451@com >,
mgallan@m (Mike Gallan) wrote:

> My wife and I will be taking our first trip to St. Martin in two
> weeks. We're booked at the Grand Case Beach Club for six nights, but
> haven't arranged a car rental yet. I searched through the old posts
> and found a wide range of horror stories. (Stolen cars, insurance
> scams...really?)
>
> For piece of mind, I'm leaning towards reserving ahead with a place
> like Budget, Thrifty, or Avis. Any good or bad experiences with
> these? Are the rental companies usually very close to the airport?
>
> I still need to check with my US insurer and credit card, but if they
> will cover us abroad, is it safe to waive the insurance as usual?
>
> Are ATMs widely available? Should we bring traveler's cheques?
>
> Any other suggested restaurants or sights are appreciated!
>

There have been several bad postings about Thrifty Car Rental on
TravelTalkOnLine. Kenny's car rental is very popular with the TravelTalk
folks, and my wife and I have also used Best Deal with no problems.
You'll definitely find information about Kenny's on TravelTalk, and Best
Deal may also have a link there. However, if you just want to wait until
you land on the island, never fear, becuse there will be plenty of folks
eager to have you rent from them as soon as you step outside of the
baggage claim area.
The insurance thing obviously varies from credit card to credit card.
ATMs are available, but not necessarily abundant. You'll find ATMS in the
bigger areas...Marigot, Philipsburg. I can't recall an ATM in Grand Case,
but one may have been installed in the past year.
Most of the restaurants in Grand Case will be a very good dining
experience. L'Alabama, L'Auberge Gourmand, and Le Cottage are some of our
favorites, but the town is filled with good food. Il Nettuno is
so-so...very basic and not very imaginative, but they have a strolling
singer named Matteo who is good for a laugh.

Just Me wrote:
>
> I am going to St. Martin on the Disney cruise. I have reserved a car with
> Avis at the Great Bay Marina. Is that close enough to the dock?

They built a new dock in St. Maarten and several car rental agencies
are present. I am assuming Disney goes to the new dock. You may want
to ask in .cruises. Someone there would know. I do not
have small children so I do not cruise on Disney.

Enjoy your cruise.

Becca