Paid Tours at St. Martin, any good?

[AbuAnas]

Hello,

 

Me, my wife and little princess are going on RCI cruise on Jan 19 to St. Martin.

 

The main attraction that we want to see in Maho beach and all those planes landings (I am a private pilot and big planes buff)

 

My question is are those tours on RCI website and viator.com worth it? or should we just pick up a taxi from the port to the beach and a taxi for the trip back to the port?

 

Best regards

[molsonschooner]

we used Bernards tour a few years ago. We got to feed iguanas, hold a sea creature, stop at a couple places to take photos, do a bit of shopping, went to see the planes land and spent a couple hours at Orient beach. We rode around in a nice van, had rum punch or a soft drink and never had to worry about where we were going and getting lost. The tour guide was pleasant and very informative. Sorry, I don't recall how much the tour cost but to me it was well worth the money

[MaiseyM]

We did. Bernard’s tour two years ago as well. It worked great for us but now I’m wondering the same as you are.  Thinking of getting my own taxi to the beach for the day versus paying three times the amount to have RCI take us to the beach. 

[vacationlover_mn]

2 hours ago, AbuAnas said:

Hello,

 

Me, my wife and little princess are going on RCI cruise on Jan 19 to St. Martin.

 

The main attraction that we want to see in Maho beach and all those planes landings (I am a private pilot and big planes buff)

 

My question is are those tours on RCI website and viator.com worth it? or should we just pick up a taxi from the port to the beach and a taxi for the trip back to the port?

 

Best regards

We liked doing the RCI tour of Maho beach, because not only was it nice, you also have no risk of missing the ship at the end of the day.  I’ve heard traffic can get quite bad, and I always get nervous about missing the ship if we book something on our own...

[JulieMcCoy]

It is very easy to take a taxi to Maho Beach. On my last trip, I went to the first taxi stand I saw after walking off the ship and told them where I wanted to go. Taxis also line up at Maho for the return. I liked setting my own schedule so I could time it to when the biggest planes would be landing.

[Clarea]

Another option besides taxi is a bus.  The cost is $2 per person, each way.  Pick up the bus on the street behind the post office.  The bus looks like a VW bus with a handwritten sign that says Maho in the front window.

[cello56]

Just be sure not to get caught up waiting for the bigger planes to arrive and leave too late. Captain Ron once said at a Captain's Corner that St. Maarten was the port that had the highest number of passengers left behind. This is due to the fact that there is really only one road from Maho Beach back to the port, and if there is an accident you are screwed. We always grab a cab three hours before 'all aboard' time just to be safe. 

[Armac]

Taken cab to Maho a couple of times, no problem just leave early. One time we did try a cab driver told us not to go because traffic was bad and he could not promise to get us back in time. There was some kind of special event on the island. Once we were lucky to see KLM 747 land. 

[GTO-Girl]

Another vote for Bernard’s Tours if you want a good view of the island and get to the airport in time to see the big planes come in.

 

And no worries with Bernard getting you back to the port!!  He and his whole crew are great!!  We have used him about 4 times now.

[The Fun Researcher]

If you ONLY want to go to Maho beach then a bus or taxi is best. 

 

However, if you haven't been to the French side with Orient Beach and Marigot, I highly suggest a custom or pre-made tour from Bernards.  We've used them twice and they are professional while providing a lot of history of the Dutch and French sides of the island, and you get to see all of St. Maarten/ St. Martin, including Maho beach, rather than just one spot.

 

It's at the top of our list of MUST DO excursions.

Dan

[mattb31]

Can anyone give me insight on what a taxi would cost on the island? We're planning on going from the ship to Mullet Bay, walking to Maho around 1:30pm and then heading back to the ship around 2:30 from Maho for a 4:30 all aboard. Not trying to do a Royal excursion.

[grandgeezer]

We did a tour yesterday, we didn’t go to the beach but did go to the French side. If you like being in the rush hour traffic in LA, you’ll feel right at home. Like stated, there’s only one highway, single lane for a majoriy of the time. If you go on your own, I would allow at least 1 1/2 hours for returning to the ship, otherwise bring your camera, I heard you can get some great pictures of the ship as it leaves without you. Getting back a little early is a lot better than missing the ship.

We were back to the ship around noon. I don’t know if the traffic gets worse, later in the day, like it does back home.

[Fishkillbill]

7 hours ago, GTO-Girl said:

Another vote for Bernard’s Tours if you want a good view of the island and get to the airport in time to see the big planes come in.

 

And no worries with Bernard getting you back to the port!!  He and his whole crew are great!!  We have used him about 4 times now.

 

We have only taken tours purchased from the ship. Taking a cab to Maho Beach is simple. We took a tour and when we got to Maho Beach, we didn't want to hang around and wait for the tour to return to the ship. There were a dozen cabs sitting there. We just took one back to the ship. If Bernard's Tours has some magic way to get through the traffic, just have your cab driver follow them.

[GTO-Girl]

7 minutes ago, Fishkillbill said:

 

We have only taken tours purchased from the ship. Taking a cab to Maho Beach is simple. We took a tour and when we got to Maho Beach, we didn't want to hang around and wait for the tour to return to the ship. There were a dozen cabs sitting there. We just took one back to the ship. If Bernard's Tours has some magic way to get through the traffic, just have your cab driver follow them.

 

Bernard has been in business in St. Martin for as long as we have been sailing there.  There have been a couple of times when the traffic was horrendous but our driver took an alternate route and had us back at the correct time.  

 

I understand you prefer to book either a ship excursion or to take a taxi, but for those cruisers looking for a good, reliable tour guide then I will always 100% recommend Bernard.

Edited November 1, 2018 by GTO-Girl

[jptoz]

If you want  to do a boat tour. I recommend  Captain Bobs tour (Soualiga Destinations Boat Tours). Will take you all around the island.At Maho beach he will park the boat  under the planes approach to watch the landing. Pinel  island , and a couple of other beach and snorkeling spots. Great Time lots of fun.

 

[GTO-Girl]

13 minutes ago, jptoz said:

If you want  to do a boat tour. I recommend  Captain Bobs tour (Soualiga Destinations Boat Tours). Will take you all around the island.At Maho beach he will park the boat  under the planes approach to watch the landing. Pinel  island , and a couple of other beach and snorkeling spots. Great Time lots of fun.

 

 

That sounds like fun!!

[psternklar]

Another enthusiastic vote for Bernards.  Used them pre and post hurricane.  Great service.

[Banana15]

On 11/1/2018 at 5:12 PM, jptoz said:

If you want  to do a boat tour. I recommend  Captain Bobs tour (Soualiga Destinations Boat Tours). Will take you all around the island.At Maho beach he will park the boat  under the planes approach to watch the landing. Pinel  island , and a couple of other beach and snorkeling spots. Great Time lots of fun.

 

I have looked at a few YouTube videos and it looks like the boat has no cover. Is there any shade? How much time is spent on the boat?

[jptoz]

11 hours ago, Banana15 said:

I have looked at a few YouTube videos and it looks like the boat has no cover. Is there any shade? How much time is spent on the boat?

The boat  I was on had some seats in the  shade. The tour was about 6 hours long. Really was a great tour. Will be doing it again in april.

[Cmbking]

I went on Captain Bob's tour, it was great. But for a plane buff I would grab a taxi to Maho. It's cool being on the beach right under the landing planes. 

[boontj2003]

On ‎11‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 6:59 AM, Host Clarea said:

Another option besides taxi is a bus.  The cost is $2 per person, each way.  Pick up the bus on the street behind the post office.  The bus looks like a VW bus with a handwritten sign that says Maho in the front window.

That's a great option considering the taxi's charge per person. Just to go to the beach round trip was $40 for 2 people!

Thanks for the info!

[dddangerousdan]

On 11/1/2018 at 6:59 AM, Host Clarea said:

Another option besides taxi is a bus.  The cost is $2 per person, each way.  Pick up the bus on the street behind the post office.  The bus looks like a VW bus with a handwritten sign that says Maho in the front window.

 

That;s the way I do it in every port I can.  not only do you get a cheap ride you also have the experience and talk to  the local islanders.  Maybe learn a bit more than any excursion.

 

[Ohiocruiser]

WE used Bernards also...have to say one of the best tours we have taken ever!

[acegolfer25]

We liked Bernards. But it may not be best for Maho beach because Bernards tour spent just 30 minutes there. 

[zdad59]

Another vote for Bernard's tours.     Not the best island tour in the Caribbean, but he knows the island and will show you a  lot, including Maho.   I'm not sure how the islands recovery is going, but Marigot on the French side was a lovely little port town.   And they got us back to the ship in plenty of time.   Actually, we had him drop us off in town so the girls could do some shopping.    Town was a simple 15 minute walk back to the ship.   There were also plenty of cabs willing to shuttle you back.