Grand Turk/Nathan's Jeep rental

I am thinking about renting a jeep from Nathan's rather than the golf cart. Is it easy to find parking at the beaches with the jeep? We will most likely want to stop at all the beaches to check them out and swim a bit.

A jeep would certainly be a smoother ride along the rough roads. I'm not sure if you can get to all the beaches. I do know that ont he east side up near the lighthouse the beaches aren't what I'd consider good swimming beaches, lots of seaweed and trash and weedy growth. On the Western side you can drive to Bohio Beach and park in the resort's lot (best for shore snorkeling). Downtown there are pull offs where you can park and walk down to the beach. You can drive over to Governors Beach on the other side of the cruise port area--basically the same area beach. From the cruise port area you can turn left and walk up to just past Jack's shack (almost Governors Beach) one way or turn right and walk a good ways around past where the conch graveyard is. You might try heading down some of the side roads north of town, there may be beach access, but there will be no facilities or amenities whatsoever. You'll be strictly on your own for safety and necessities.

Why not just rent a golf cart. It seats four. You can get around the whole island with that.

We were so anxious to get to Grand Turk and spend a day exploring in a jeep from Nathans. It was raining when we arrived in GT...we walked outside the gate as directed to find a jeep without a roof and very wet. We wiped the seats off and got in.....passenger seat belt would not attach. A young man came over and POUNDED the belt in with his fist...and said "o.k.!" but only HALF the belt end was in. My daughter turned the key in the ignition and the ignition came loose. We said.."just give us the paperwork back..we don't want the jeep". THEN they offered us a jeep with a hood !!!! We left with a guarantee our previously charged $80 would be refunded...it is now 5 days later and still waiting.

I am thinking about renting a jeep from Nathan's rather than the golf cart. Is it easy to find parking at the beaches with the jeep? We will most likely want to stop at all the beaches to check them out and swim a bit.

Golf carts and Jeeps cost the same. Keep in mind you will not get a Jeep. We had two different ones - maybe a Montero Sport or Izuzu something. It is obvious that these are the owner's /friends vehicles. It was very interesting. We had a large group and a family of eight joined us after all the golf carts were rented. They had agreed to open air Jeeps and ended up having these other vehicles. It all worked out in the end but it wasn't want they wanted.

Back to your question: You will not have any problems finding parking anywhere you want to go.

We were just there a few days ago. We did not have a reservation but when we got over there--and we were slow getting off the ship--the last golf cart was just rented. We got a white Jeep with no top. had a great day. The golf carts have NO speed and were really crawling along. There were 4 jeeps total--red, white, black, and gray and all got rented. $80 plus if you don't return with same amount of gas there will be a $20 charge. We went all over the island. Even went to a local grocery store to buy the same jerk seasoning they used a restaurant on the beach.

I just wanted to share our experience with Nathan's with everyone, as a buyer beware. In August of 2013 I contacted Nathan to reserve two jeeps for January 6, 2014. It took me over two moths to get an email confirmation of my reservation. However little did I know that was going to be just the beginning. We arrived in port on January 6th only to find a worker bringing out golf carts and a jeep). Nathan was no where's to be found and the worker asked us to wait 10 minutes, he left an came back with Nathan. Upon his arrival he offered us the one jeep (as the other one was apparently "broken down") and a 4 door sedan. Not being thrilled with the situation but trying to make the best of it. He also had 2 golf carts sitting there, so we asked if we could have those instead (which I was very hesitant on as reading reviews they break down a lot). So our Journey finally begins after a 45 minute delay by time all was done. We were promised that they would find us once the other jeep was fixed (about 10am) and switch both golf carts out to the jeeps. At about 11am still no jeeps and one golf cart was broke down with a flat tire (all tires were bald). We left half of our group with the broken down golf cart to go back for help, apparently in the mean time some of the locals had called Nathan and told him about the broken down golf cart. He was out picking the others up and bringing them back to our starting point.

Once we were all together again, we got a simple apology and were sent on our way. Never once were we offered any kind of compensation or refund. When asking for a refund Nathan told us "well you didn't have to replace the gas" Are you Freaking Kidding Me?????? We paid $80 each ($160) to get 1 1/2 of use with all of these complications? Never again, we will be back and Grand Turk in October and will be finding something else to do that day. :mad:

thanks for the review.... he hasn't been answering any emails lately... been trying for two months to reach him

Thanks, we've also been trying to get a hold of him. Glad to know that he's not responding to email. I think we'll look for something else to do.

Do you know if we rented one of the jeeps or golf carts if we could get to Gibbs Cay on our own? Or is it only available by water taxi?

Do you know if we rented one of the jeeps or golf carts if we could get to Gibbs Cay on our own? Or is it only available by water taxi?

A boat is necessary to get to Gibbs Cay. It is a small, uninhabited island just off the coast of Grand Turk.

Thanks, we've also been trying to get a hold of him. Glad to know that he's not responding to email. I think we'll look for something else to do.

I sent him a text (649) 231-4856, and he replied in a couple of minutes. He said the internet doesn't work very well on the island.

We rented 3 golf carts about 3 years ago from Nathan with no problems. Since we were going to be there this past Jan 24th we called him again in Dec to rent a golf cart for the day. He answered first cell call, no problems. He did state he would send us an e-mail conformation, which we did receive while we were on the ship. Maybe internet service on the island does suck? When we arrived, our 2 seater golf cart was waiting. We asked to upgrade to a jeep, no problem but it was $20 more. Before we left, Nathan's daughter (?) made sure we had their phone numbers just incase we needed for anything and a map of the island. We had a great time, no problems, plenty of parking on the beaches, great swimming, fun cruising the island, just a grand time. We will not hesitate to rent from him again. :)

First trip to GT last September...learned about Nathan on this and other boards...as mentioned, his folks are set-up just outside the gates of the cruise center...my experience was exactly as expected: a reasonably road worthy 4 wheeled vehicle, for a fair price ($70, I think), a phone number to call (in case of any problem), a basic map of GT, and a few good local tips (including "ask anyone you see for help or directions, they all know our Jeeps)...

We are "off the grid" types, so I would have paid double, maybe triple, for the chance to escape the "excursion" crowd, and to freely roam and explore this mostly unspoiled island...the locals are all very friendly (as is the livestock), and only raise their voices loud enough to urge you back over to right (correct) side of the road, which is the left (remember, it is a British Territory"...and there is plenty to fill your time (remote beaches, bars, local eateries, a lighthouse, and plenty of history) as is mentioned at length on threads within these forums...

I returned the Jeep, at day's end, registering about the same fuel as we left with (you can gas up near the town center)...all in all, a great deal...

First trip to GT last September...learned about Nathan on this and other boards...as mentioned, his folks are set-up just outside the gates of the cruise center...my experience was exactly as expected: a reasonably road worthy 4 wheeled vehicle, for a fair price ($70, I think), a phone number to call (in case of any problem), a basic map of GT, and a few good local tips (including "ask anyone you see for help or directions, they all know our Jeeps)...

We are "off the grid" types, so I would have paid double, maybe triple, for the chance to escape the "excursion" crowd, and to freely roam and explore this mostly unspoiled island...the locals are all very friendly (as is the livestock), and only raise their voices loud enough to urge you back over to right (correct) side of the road, which is the left (remember, it is a British Territory"...and there is plenty to fill your time (remote beaches, bars, local eateries, a lighthouse, and plenty of history) as is mentioned at length on threads within these forums...

I returned the Jeep, at day's end, registering about the same fuel as we left with (you can gas up near the town center)...all in all, a great deal...

 

Many readers tend to not believe someone with only one post because they think it might be the vendor doing a little advertising.

Many readers tend to not believe someone with only one post because they think it might be the vendor doing a little advertising.

Hey Taxnsnax! Congratulations on your *first* post on Cruise Critic -- welcome to our cruise family!...it seems that the staff here at Cruise Critic has a different view of comments from new members than Tallyho8...

I would like to think that most folks read these threads and take them for what they are....free advice and opinion...and I trust that most folks can tell the difference between a sincere post, and a cheap schill...

I rarely post on open forums, relying on them as a quick source of information...mainly because I am busy with real life and real business ventures, partly because I don't normally have much to add, and especially because I try to avoid trolls and know-it-alls...

My point is that readers can either go forth boldly and take a chance, use a little common sense, and gain a new experience...or...They can hide behind the cautionary tales of a poster who knows so much that he/she has posted comments every other day on this site since 2009....

For me, it is quality over quantity every time...

For me, it is quality over quantity every time...

Welcome, yadda yadda.

For me (and many others), it's trust from a continued provider of quality posts.

First posts are always read with a raised eyebrow, whether here or on any other message board.

Hey Taxnsnax! Congratulations on your *first* post on Cruise Critic -- welcome to our cruise family!...it seems that the staff here at Cruise Critic has a different view of comments from new members than Tallyho8...

 

I would like to think that most folks read these threads and take them for what they are....free advice and opinion...and I trust that most folks can tell the difference between a sincere post, and a cheap schill...

 

I rarely post on open forums, relying on them as a quick source of information...mainly because I am busy with real life and real business ventures, partly because I don't normally have much to add, and especially because I try to avoid trolls and know-it-alls...

 

My point is that readers can either go forth boldly and take a chance, use a little common sense, and gain a new experience...or...They can hide behind the cautionary tales of a poster who knows so much that he/she has posted comments every other day on this site since 2009....

 

For me, it is quality over quantity every time...

I made that post because I found it so highly unusual that there are a few first time posters in the Grand Turk forum who recommend Nathans highly and all of them use multiple periods at the ends of some of their sentences which tends to make one suspicious that they might be the same poster using different names.

Usually, first time posters are on this forum asking questions not providing answers, but then, there are always exceptions.

Hey Taxnsnax! Congratulations on your *first* post on Cruise Critic -- welcome to our cruise family!...it seems that the staff here at Cruise Critic has a different view of comments from new members than Tallyho8...

 

I would like to think that most folks read these threads and take them for what they are....free advice and opinion...and I trust that most folks can tell the difference between a sincere post, and a cheap schill...

 

I rarely post on open forums, relying on them as a quick source of information...mainly because I am busy with real life and real business ventures, partly because I don't normally have much to add, and especially because I try to avoid trolls and know-it-alls...

 

My point is that readers can either go forth boldly and take a chance, use a little common sense, and gain a new experience...or...They can hide behind the cautionary tales of a poster who knows so much that he/she has posted comments every other day on this site since 2009....

 

For me, it is quality over quantity every time...

Nathan's needs to spend a little more time on quality then, apparently.

We didn't have any problems with Nathan's. Because of a Ship emergency, we were actually 2 days late to the port and Nathan was very nice about it and we still got our Jeep.

I guess every ones experience will be different.

Sorry you had a horrible experience. :(