Doing Bernard's tours...right thing to do or is there better?

Stick with Bernard and you'll have a great time.

We toured with Bernard on 4/21/10 arriving at port on Carnival Liberty. There was 9 in our group.

. What a wonderful way to enjoy the beauty of the Island. Both sides!

We booked a private tour and it was perfect. We planned ahead of time what we wanted to do. This trip we decided to skip Orient.

We went to Pinel Island in the morning (Bernard will offer this for private tours only, next season). We tried the test run;) an absolutely LOVED it!

Pinel is a little piece of paradise. It rained a little on us but did not change anything for us as it was just so beautiful. We ferried over (small fishing type boat), rented chairs and umbrellas ($15 for 2 chairs umbrella and 2 drinks), had some drinks and swam in the gorgeous water. Some in our group snorkeled and enjoyed it very much. There are little places to eat and get drinks as well as very clean restrooms. The ferry over was $8.oo , I think? There was a little hiking trail as well. For lunch you could pick a lobster right out of the lobster pot and they would cook it up for you. Coming from RI where lobster is plentiful we passed on that but it was great fun to watch the people hold the lobsters and pick them out and weigh them.

In the afternoon we went to Maho for lunch and to see the planes. We have been there before and still loved it! For us it is not to be missed! Awesome afternoon.

Bernard teaches so much about the Island along the way. The van was spotless and very comfortable. The A/C was great as once the rain had stopped it was HOT!

We all learned so much from Bernard. This was our 2nd time touring with him and we loved it just as much as the first time. Also he is aware of traffic and ship times (we were in port with Oasis) so we never had to worry as we left that up to him. Bernard is also a very good driver. I am not a good passenger but was totally relaxed and comfortable. Bernard is a true gentleman that takes great pride in his work. Made our day very special!

Some in our group had the rum punch:eek: in the van I stuck with the Caribe beers. There was also water and soda for the kids.

The only negative I can say is the day went by WAY to fast.:(

Once again we just can't wait to return to the Island and tour with Bernard again. Our favorite port and tour again, this cruise!

Thanks for the GREAT review!!!!It just makes me more excited for June...We also have a private tour booked for 9 of us!!!!We noticed that it wasn't that much more than a regular one and then we could do exactly what we wanted too...Glad to know that you enjoyed yours so much!!!!:):):)

Thanks for the GREAT review!!!!It just makes me more excited for June...We also have a private tour booked for 9 of us!!!!We noticed that it wasn't that much more than a regular one and then we could do exactly what we wanted too...Glad to know that you enjoyed yours so much!!!!:):):)

Your welcome!

I could go on and on about how much fun we had and what beautiful stops he made for us to take pics!! Just wish we had more time in port but that's the ships schedule:( We're very Thankful for the time we did get to spend there!

Enjoy!!!!

Enjoy Dream also!! We sail her next year and just can't wait!

Thanks for the info. Where did you eat at Maho? We booked a tour in Dec.

We toured with him on 4/19 and had a wonderful time as well, it was a regular tour, not private.

I am still to write a review of our tour, hopefully soon.

We highly recommend Bernard, very informative, courteous, and just a great tour overall.

We will be in St Marteen in over a week. We have planned on Bernard's tours. So for those who have done this and maybe other things is this the best way to do a little of all? Is there better suggestions? THANKS!

I think it's the best way to see the whole island and spend some time in the main places, we very much enjoyed our tour with Bernard a couple of weeks ago.

Willbcruisin...Did you go to St. Thomas also???What did you do there????We're booked for private with Sunny Liston there...Do you have any experience with him????Thanks!!!!:):)We are also looking very forward to the Dream...For a while, I got a little worried with all of the reviews, but they seem to be getting better...Plus, a little smell doesn't bother me...I'm married with a son so I get little smells all of the time...lol:):)

Did you do any shopping???If so, where did you go???My kiddies are excited about the planes!!!! :):)...I'm just excited about vacation in general!!!!

Thanks for the info. Where did you eat at Maho? We booked a tour in Dec.

We ate at Sunset Beach Bar. Grouper stix and fries, yummy. They had salads, burgers, sandwiches, ect. Not a formal sit down place.

Sunset has a speaker on the railing so you could listen to the pilots and the tower.

Willbcruisin...Did you go to St. Thomas also???What did you do there????We're booked for private with Sunny Liston there...Do you have any experience with him????Thanks!!!!:):)We are also looking very forward to the Dream...For a while' date=' I got a little worried with all of the reviews, but they seem to be getting better...Plus, a little smell doesn't bother me...I'm married with a son so I get little smells all of the time...lol:):)

 

Did you do any shopping???If so, where did you go???My kiddies are excited about the planes!!!! ...I'm just excited about vacation in general!!!![/quote']

 

We did not shop this time in St Martin. Bernard can take you to Rima's, Mirigot or downtown. We shopped last time there so opted not to the time and enjoy the outdoors.

 

We had kids with us and chatted with them in advance that there may be nudity on St Martin. Pinel had a beach area that was nude and topless beaches are common as well. This is their culture. Our kids did not even pay attention. We did not find it a problem at all but I felt I should mention it as some people do seem to have problems with this. We found the same at Orient last trip there but again it was no big deal.

 

St Thomas it rained so our excursion was cx'ld. We just wandered around the Haven Place stores and taxied downtown. Downtown was very crowded with Oasis in port. Some in our group took the ride to Paradise point and said it was breathtaking!

 

I have also read many good reviews of Sunny.

 

As you say Dreams reviews have improved as well.

 

I chuckle when people post about smells, motion, noise, ect as it's a ship right;)

In April, we also did a private tour for the six of us with Bernard. We thoroughly enjoyed the day and felt extremely well taken care of.

In fact, Bernard made the island so enjoyable we are thinking of returning to St. Maarten/St. Martin sometime in the future and spending a week.

How do you book with Bernard? I went to the website and there isnt a booiking option!

How do you book with Bernard? I went to the website and there isnt a booiking option!

Hello:

http://www.bernardstours.com/bernard_006.htm

I booked through this link

On his website you click contact/feedback.

We loved Bernard's tour. It is one of my favorite tours ever.

We are scheduled on a tour with Bernard in early June. Cant wait!

In the afternoon we went to Maho for lunch and to see the planes. We have been there before and still loved it! For us it is not to be missed! Awesome afternoon.

Where you ate, could you get good views of the planes landing?

Where you ate, could you get good views of the planes landing?

Oh yes and hear the pilots through a speaker as well:

Oh yes and hear the pilots through a speaker as well:

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Excellent, thanks.

Thanks for posting! I'm looking forward to touring with Bernard in June. :)

How do you book with Bernard? I went to the website and there isnt a booiking option!

Just send him an email....he will answer your questions and let you know if he is available the day you are in port. Once you tell him you want to book with him, there is a form online that has to be filled out.

For our private tour, he also wanted a $50 deposit. We arranged a time through emailing for him to call me---he called at exactly the agreed upon time. I had to give him a credit card to hold our reservation. I got a VISA gift card from my credit union, and it worked just fine.

I booked Bernard for our July cruise on Liberty of the Seas. I really contemplated just doing Orient by ourselves, but we have never been to St Martin so I thought this would be a great way to see as nuch of the island as possible.

I filled out the form on Bernards website yesterday & got an email from him this afternoon confirming our place on the tour.

I booked Bernard for our July cruise on Liberty of the Seas. I really contemplated just doing Orient by ourselves, but we have never been to St Martin so I thought this would be a great way to see as nuch of the island as possible.

I filled out the form on Bernards website yesterday & got an email from him this afternoon confirming our place on the tour.

I know you will enjoy Bernard's tour. We just returned from CCL Liberty and this was our 2nd time touring with Bernard. Once again the highlight of our cruise. Being your 1st time to the Island you will be able to take so much in and learn so much. We can't wait to go back and tour a 3rd time. The day just goes by so fast. St Martin is my favorite Island and I am hoping someday to take a land vacation there.

I also HIGHLY recommend Bernard's tours. It was awesome and the driver knows the schedules of the planes landing so they will get you there to see the action. Plus for the cost, it's a no brainer. We went with the private tour at $40 so we could have more beach time, but basically stuck with the original tour recommendations. Plus you get all you want of his famous rum punch, beer, soda and water and can go back and forth to the van to get it while it is parked at your destination. Sunset Bar is where you park on Maho and you can get a drink while you watch the planes land. You can see them coming in. It's amazing. We actually ate at Orient, which is one of the most beautiful beaches we have ever been to. Enjoy!!

How far in advance should you book Bernards?