st martin tours , I need help fast leaving at end of week.

Is there any other great tours to take here besides bernards, I have read several posts saying they are great and several saying its a rip off because of junky iguana farm and warehouse shopping and restroom scams at orient beach and no planes at habo beach.

I don't like the tourist trap stuff .

I have read something about a taxi circle tour ? anyone have info on that.

I'm kinda thinking about just going it alone and taking a taxi to a beach and then another to habo and take a chance on seeing some planes and back to cruise ship but I don't know if that idea is a mistake and waste of money and stress to worry about time schedule for traffic and worry about making it back to ship on time, I need advice .

If I take a taxi while at st martin and go to a beach and habo to see the planes what is the best beach to go to.

All I know is make sure you get to the airport to watch the planes come in... not too expensive if you share a cab.

One of my favorite beaches is Karakter beach which borders the Airport on the other side from Maho beach. Check it out online - free wifi and great food and best of all no vendors and folks wanting to braid your hair. If you buy a drink or food, the chairs and umbrella are free. Get there early, make a lunch reservation if that appeals, and arrange a cab to take you to Maho in the afternoon for a while. Leave plenty of time to get back to the ship because of the traffic.

From the pier you will catch the water taxi over to Phillipsburg- then there will be dozens of taxis lined up. To go to Orient Beach should cost $7-8 per persons, some of the cabs are minivans and they will want to get more than just yourself onboard before they leave. If want to go alone, then it'll probably cost $25. You can also get a taxi to take you over to Maho Beach ( is that what you are calling Habo?) to watch the planes come in, but it's quite a way from Orient Beach, right over on the opposite side of the island. There is a good café there, the Sunset Beach Bar ( you tube has good videos of this place) you could get a late lunch there and then get a taxi back. Not sure what they would charge from Orient Beach over to Maho, but when we left Maho beach to go back to the ship he charged us $23.

Have a look at a good map of St Maarten and you might revise your plan.

Maybe to Orient Beach and then into Marigot for lunch/window shopping might

be more practical.

you can hire a taxi for an entire day if you want and make your tour, that's what we do. Maho Beach is not to be missed! If you have a good driver as them the check the flight schedules and if you can make a landing of one of KLM's 747's is AWESOME! French Bakery should be on your list - we love Sarafina's! - Link below give info on the bakery.

http://www.rumtherapy.com/2013/03/sarafina’s-bakery-marigot-st-martin/

You can book a taxi and driver in advance check out St Maarten Taxi Association. link below.

http://www.sxmairporttaxis.com

Is there any other great tours to take here besides bernards, I have read several posts saying they are great and several saying its a rip off because of junky iguana farm and warehouse shopping and restroom scams at orient beach and no planes at habo beach.

 

I don't like the tourist trap stuff .

I've never read a bad review of Bernard's.

Complaints about restrooms and planes aren't really a problem that can be blamed on the tour operator. Not sure if it's a typo or if you're typing what someone else wrote, but the beach right next to the landing strip is Maho. The tour operators should have a good handle on when planes are coming in, but if you book a tour to be at Maho at 10am and the BIG planes aren't coming in until 2...there's nothing the driver can do about that.

As for tourist traps...I've come to terms with the fact that any place that has cruise ships stopping at it is ultimately going to have a LOT of tourist trap stuff.

We did this last November and loved it. 6 hour tour seeing about 3/4 of the island by speed boat. Captain Mike is great!

http://www.boat-charter-stmartin.com/show_tours.php?region_id=1

Used Bernards twice and would not hesitate to use him again!!!

Great operation and great staff!!

Not sure what anyone could complain about......:confused:

We enjoyed Bernards tour also. He offered 2 itineraries, one for shopping, iguana farm and Maho. The other was a beach tour, with Maho and maybe something else. We opted for the 1st. The shopping area was closed when we got there, I believe it was Sunday. Then off to the iguana farm which was different. They are really just running wild and in great abundance.

Maho was the highlight. Watching the planes coming in and landing so close is amazing. We saw many planes, some small and a couple of the larger ones. The beach was crowded and there is bar that serves food right there. A very memorable tour.

sorry I meant to type maho,

maybe bernards isn't so bad, I might reserve him.

Is there a fee to reserve him online for the tours.

How does a person know when the time is up at each stop for instance at the beach, to know when to get back to the bus?

Do you tip the drive or is that included, how much if so .

sorry I meant to type maho,

 

maybe bernards isn't so bad, I might reserve him.

Is there a fee to reserve him online for the tours.

 

How does a person know when the time is up at each stop for instance at the beach, to know when to get back to the bus?

 

Do you tip the drive or is that included, how much if so .

We were on the Bernard's Tour II last week and it was great. Not sure about the negative reviews you have seen. One thing to point out is that the Iguana Farm was not open as it is in the process of moving (apparently some dispute between the owner and French officials) so we did not stop there.

For Tour II, which is $45 per person, they require a $5 per person deposit which can be done online with PayPal. The balance is due when you check in at St. Maarten.

The tour guide was very specific as to how much time we had at each stop and advised everyone to be back at the bus at a specific time. You should also make sure you know the license number of the bus (it is only a couple of letters so no big deal to remember). There always seemed to be about 5 minutes built in for stragglers.

Most folks (including myself) tipped the tour guide (range seemed to be $10-$20). As always, that is a personal choice based on your experience and the service provided. Our tour guide (Mailman) was excellent; so I had no problem with it.

We did this last November and loved it. 6 hour tour seeing about 3/4 of the island by speed boat. Captain Mike is great!

 

http://www.boat-charter-stmartin.com/show_tours.php?region_id=1

That is good to hear! I was looking into the Robinsons tour. Not interested in shopping any, were you able to snorkel at all?

That is good to hear! I was looking into the Robinsons tour. Not interested in shopping any, were you able to snorkel at all?

Yes at 2 different places - Tintamarre Island (sea turtles) and Creole Rock.

I have decided to do Captain Robinson speed boat tour when I read the recommendation it sound so much interesting than barnard tour. Thanks for the suggestion. I wont be snork since I dont swim. Hope I will get a chance to hang out at beach.

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We used Bernards tours last week (3/21/14) and booked tour 2. It was great. Stopped at Orient Beach (La playa beach) and had about 2 hours. The beach and water were beautiful. We had some vendors stop by and actually enjoyed buying some jewelry and clothing. We stopped at Marigot and did shopping while the men shopped for the french pastry! We all had a wonderful tour and would definitely book with him again.

Had a great day with Bernard??? I have no complaints and can't imagine why one would. Our tour was exactly as described. Mailman our driver was such a HOOT! Had a fabulous Day!

Hope you enjoy what ever you choose but be careful with timing and traffic.

Patty

The first tour we ever took they were super booked and we were driven by Bernard himself! What a great guy!! We've also had Junior and my sister had Mailman......they are all great!!!

I have decided to do Captain Robinson speed boat tour when I read the recommendation it sound so much interesting than barnard tour. Thanks for the suggestion. I wont be snork since I dont swim. Hope I will get a chance to hang out at beach.

 

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When you stop for lunch at Pinel island you will some have time to hang out at the beach there. It's beautiful!

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I have decided to do Captain Robinson speed boat tour when I read the recommendation it sound so much interesting than barnard tour. Thanks for the suggestion. I wont be snork since I dont swim. Hope I will get a chance to hang out at beach.

 

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when you come back please post how it went!

based on these threads I booked for 2 weeks from now with Capt Bob for the similar tour. Very excited!!

I am disappointed. Roberson speed boat is fullybbook. Now I am back to square one. I really look forward to the trip. :(

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Bob cass sell out too. Too late to book anything else. I am stuck with Bernard tour

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How much cash do I need to bring on a Bernard your besides the 40 dollars to complete payment for the tour. I have no idea what the costs are for food and souvenirs and anything not mentioned so far. do I have to book during the day or can I book out late at night.

You can book on his website:

http://www.bernardstours.com/

We have had a great time with this company and are going again for the third time in June. We also had Mailman as our guy and he was a lot of fun.

As far as cash, the first stop is early, at Orient Beach, which has expensive food ($18 for a hotdog), but drinks are pretty inexpensive, like an "island drink" would be $6.

Or, you can wait & eat at the shopping stop (like Sarafinas) which is about $12-13 for a sandwich. Or you can wait until the last stop, Maho beach where the planes are, and have something at Sunset Bar & Grill (their menu is on line):

http://sunsetsxm.com/

Bernard's has a cooler on the bus stocked with bottled water, sodas, bottled beer, some kind of island punch, which is included in your tour. Someone is assigned to act as bartender.

Yes, it would be appropriate to tip your tour driver.

As far as getting back on the bus, locating the bus, etc., all that is explained and is very easy to do.

I hope you enjoy your cruise.

thanks for the help, are you allowed to bring the free drinks from the tour with you on the beach ?

Did you get to see the big plans at Maho in the short time you are there?