Driving on St. Barts

[pumpkin123]

I am thinking of renting a car when I am in St. Barts next week off of the Diamond. How difficult is the driving? Is it hilly and scarey or not that bad? It's been a while since I have driven a manual shift and I am not sure how plentiful automatic cars are.
Are the minimokes automatic or manual?
Or am I better off using a taxi driver?
Thanks for your advice!

[Goofyisme]

Rented a car in St Barts last December. Most are standards and the roads are hilly, a few are narrow. Nothing really terrible and we managed to get wherever we anted to go and enjoyed the freedom very much. BTW the drivers on the road were for the most part friendly and courtious and toleratent of the tourist.

Galaxy 1999
Galaxy 2000
Mercury 2003
Mariner 2003

[dougburns]

http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gifWe had an automatic with A/C at $75/day through the ship. Roads are narrow, but not bad to drive. If you're there on Sunday, which is the norm for RSSC, a car is the only way to go; lots of neat places to stop.

[Phylhering]

I am on the Diamond next week too. Are you on the one leaving 4/9?

Someone else I know was in St. Barts a few weeks ago. I plan to get a taxi and go to the beach at St. Jean. Can rent chairs and umbrellas. There are restaurants etc.

[bebop]

Driving in Barts can be an adventure! Hilly and curvy but easy to find your way around. You might want to consider renting one of those open air jeep type things. It's lots of fun! St. Barts is our favorite island! Enjoy! Bonnie

[pumpkin123]

Thank you everyone for your replies!

Phylhering: yes to April 9. I'll be traveling with my pre/teen daughters.

[gopackgo]

I just returned from the Diamond tonight! We did a 4 night Caribbean cruise and spent one day on St. Bart's. I agree that renting a car is fun. We could not get a car so we opted for a small van tour of the island which lasted about an hour and a half. We really enjoyed it since we could really see things easier than when you are driving!

We then took a taxi from Gustavia to the beach on St. Jean. The cost was $4 per person with 4 people. A little more for 2. You can rent beach recliners for $25 a day at Nikki Beach restaurant or a little more at Eden Rock. It's worth it if you have a few hours to spend there. The beach is beautiful there. We hailed a taxi on the road for the return trip.

It only takes about 10 minutes to go either way.

Ginny

[luxlady]

Phyllis, the area of St. Jean beach we went to was in front of the Tom Beach Hotel. The restaurant is right on the beach there, and we had the most glorious lunch. The cab lets you off right there on the road, and you just walk down the side of the hotel to the beach. It was truly a wonderful day. Especially for my husband, who got an "eyeful" with the topless bathers.....cabride only a few bucks and took just 10 minutes or so, right over the hill.

Glenda Madrid

[zacho46]

You are in for a treat! St. Barts is one of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean and your time there will be memorable. Budget has a car rental office in Gustavia, just opposite the port. It's a 2 block walk from the water and you can rent a 4 door Kia (or similar model) for $75/day with unlimited mileage. It's very easy to follow the map provided with the car. Don't miss St. Jean's beach - it's beautiful. Ginny's advice is perfect and if you have lunch at the Eden Rock they will probably provide you with complementary beach chairs for the day.

Enjoy!

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[Phylhering]

Hi Glenda - Did you rent beach chairs also on the beach? Did you have a problem getting a taxi back?

Phyllis

[luxlady]

Phyllis, no, we didn't have trouble renting a chair - a guy was right there on the beach with rentals of both unbrellas and chairs. Pricey though - remember this is a avery expensive island - $25 or so. As far as getting a cab back, we waited out on the road for quite a while - finally a cab stopped, and went up the road a piece to see if he could get an additional fare - no problem though, as we were not in a hurry.

Glenda Madrid