St. Martin Rental car and parking

Old Feb 14th, 2008, 01:20 PM
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St. Martin Rental car and parking

I understand a rental car is a must, but am curious to know how hard it is to find parking. I plan to stay in Dawn Beach and no problem with parking at a villa there. But if I make day trips to Marigot or Orient beach, is it easy to find parking? Are meters/garages involved, and if so, how much does that cost? If anyone knows of rental agencies that let you pick up a car at the international airport and leave it at the ferry dock near/in Marigot, please let me know. Thanks.
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Old Feb 14th, 2008, 04:43 PM
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Unity Car Rental delivered to my hotel ( or they offered to meet me at airport), and let me leave at ferry dock in Marigot. May depend how busy they are. Orient Beach has open dirt lots, which were open but it was off season. Marigot can be more of a challenge. There was a lot of construction when I was there in Nov. Ask for directions, my hotel told me which way to approach and where to park,which helped. Maybe someone else can advise about parking if you're going in high season.
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Old Feb 15th, 2008, 04:39 AM
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Thanks so much! I'll give them a try.
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Old Feb 15th, 2008, 06:21 AM
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Do a search for car rentals in St Martin - there's another current thread with several recommendations. Seems to be a few favorites. I got Unity from this site.
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Old Feb 15th, 2008, 08:48 AM
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Last week we parked at Orient beach (Coco beach), small dirt lot, no charge.
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Old Feb 15th, 2008, 06:13 PM
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I found parking to be a nightmare in many parts of SM/SM. In particular, Phillipsburg and Marigot were difficult during the daytime especially if there were several cruise ships in port.

Grand Case was impossible in the evening unless you knew exactly where you were going and because it's a one way road, if you missed it, it took a long while to get back. I gave up dining there the first night I tried.

Orient Beach on the other hand was not a problem due to the large parking area. I liked to get there early, get a good parking spot and then have breakfast at Baywatch before depositing myself on the beach.

I used Automax

http://www.rentautomax.com/

You can email Sebastian and ask him about any special arrangements. I found them very accomodating.
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Old Feb 28th, 2008, 03:00 PM
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Returning to SXM in April for 2nd time. Where did you hear of Automax? I see on their website they include all insurances in the price. My concern is they don't take American Express which I use for the rental insurance. Were you ok just using them with no additional insurance? It covers everything? Thanks for your input!
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Old Feb 28th, 2008, 05:37 PM
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You can email Sebastian at Automax. He can answer any questions about insurance. I was not aware that American Express was any better than Platinum Visa or MasterCard unless you are a member of their Premium Plan. If you are a member, I would probably rent somewhere else that does take AmEx.
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Old Feb 29th, 2008, 08:26 AM
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In Marigot you can park in a lot near the marina, or in town near the open air market. I find the area near the open air market busier and safer.

As previously stated, there is plenty of parking at Orient Bay.

Neither has a charge.

The only place I tend to have a problem finding parking is in Phillipsburg, but one can often opt to park on the Pondfill there.
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