I plan to fly into St Martin and would like to know how long to enjoy that island before heading over to St Barths. Will I save much money spending a couple days in St Martin, or are non-hotel costs about the same in both islands? Is 5 days too much time for a solo traveler in St Barths? Is a rental car essential in St Barths?
5 days in St Barths/St Martin?
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Honestly, I don't think anyone on this or any other forum can tell you how much money you might save by spending a couple of days in St. Martin before going to St. Barth's without knowing where you are staying, what you plan on doing, what your likes and dislike are, what type of lifestyle you lead, what your spending habbits are, etc.
The same goes for trying to advise you on how much time you should spend on either island. It depends on the total length of time you have for your trip, and again what do you wish to accomplish.
St. Barth's is a fairly expensive island but that doesn't mean you can't find moderate priced accomodations or restaurants but rather "on average" you'll spend more for a perticular item there than on St. Martin. Just how much depends on what you are going to buy.
Sorry if this is not the answer you are seeking but without more input from you it's all one can give.
As for renting a car, again that's a personal preference. If you plan on spending the bulk of your time in one area you can probably rely on cabs to take you around. If on the other hand you want to fully explore the island you might want to have a rental car for at least part of your stay.
This is a very curious itinerary, and since I don't know what you are looking for, it's hard to make any kind of recommendations for you.
You'll find St. Barths generally much more expensive than Dutch St. Maarten (but also more expensive than French St. Martin, which uses the euro).
To get around St. Barths, a car is virtually essential---it is in St. Maarten as well---but if you are looking save money on this trip, you should concentrate on St. Maarten, where there is a lot to do, and save St. Barths for a day-trip. Then you can either rent a car for the day or take taxis.
If you want to focus your trip on St. Barths, then spend one night and part of the next day in St. Maarten and then head over to St. Barths. There are some relatively inexpsensive hotels there, but food is really expensive.