St Maarten private tour

We'll be visiting St Maarten in February while on the Allure of the Seas. We don't plan to go swimming but would still like to visit some beaches and other island sites to take photos as this will be our first visit here.

I am particularly interested in spending time at Maho Beach to take photos and videos of the planes taking off and landing over the beach.

I've looked at the various group tours that cost around $40 or $45 and while they look good I'd like the flexibility of a private tour so we can spend a lot of time at Maho Beach and less time at Orient Beach and Marigot. I've seen on different company web sites or contacted them and it seems that the time spent at Maho Beach can be 30, 45 or 60 minutes on different tours and a couple of hours at Orient Beach and an hour at Marigot for shopping.

Other places visited on group tours we've looked at include Cole Bay Hill overlooking Simpson Beach and Indigo Bay and The Hill, with views of Phillipsburg so they would appear to be places that we should try to visit as well.

The private tours I've looked at are around $350 or $360. Are there any other options that would work out cheaper for the two of us but still allow the flexibilty to spend more time at Maho Beach and still visit other sites on the island? I've seen mention here of taxis but I'm not sure we could get one for the whole day by asking when we arrive at the port as with so many people in port I wouldn't like to miss out if we wait until the day.

Another possibility could be to ask a taxi driver for a private tour that takes us to a few sites before arriving at Maho Beach and then try to get another taxi from there later in the day to take us to other places on our way back to the ship.

Any thoughts and advice will be much appreciated.

Koz1,

You seem like a perfect candidate for a private tour with our friend Joyce Hanley-Prince, if the $300+ price doesn't scare you away. You will be there in high season, and she might even be booked already, but check with her to see availability and get a quote.

She only does personal/private tours, so the day is yours. She also has a free killer rum punch (or beer) if that is of interest.

We think that Maho is a 'must do', and the Cole Bay Hill that you mention is actually just a turnout/vista point on the main road so most tours and even tour busses pull over there.

The Hill, I'm not familiar with, but it might be the same place.

For your visit to Maho, she has a real-time airline schedule on her website. Check it out on the same day of the week, shortly before you arrive to see what and when might be arriving during your visit.

Check with her, and if you have ANY more questions about the island, just ask.

gary

Contact Bernard's Tours. We did the Maho Beach break with him this past January on Independence of the Seas and it was great. He is top notch and is a super nice guy and will customized pickup times and drop off from Maho.

You will get plenty of cool photos!

 

If you enjoy boating then you should absolutely consider Bob Cass Soualiga Destinations private boat tour!!! What a day we had, we saw MOHO beach the very best way ....ON THE WATER chassing the jets that came in!! WOW!!! And swam with sea turltes and snorkeled beautiful reefs and enjoyed a hot cooked meal on an island and enjoyed crystal azul blue waters!! WOW what a day!