Trip To St Kitts and St Martin in Feb. for 4
Dec 26th, 2009, 05:27 AM
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Trip To St Kitts and St Martin in Feb. for 4
We are travelling to St Martin round trip in Feb with a flight over to St Kitts to stay half the time......12 days total. Any advice would be greatly accepted! looking for info on:
inter island travels....ferry. vs. air and costs I can expect.
ferry times avail for travel....is it once a day? best airline to use inter-island or helicpoter outfit.....
car rentals.....really would like to rent 4x4 wrangler jeeps in both places. best rental company?
travelling with two 17 years olds.....a girl and a boy.....will St Kitts be fun for them?
thinking of staying at the Marriott Beach in St kitts and Oualie beach in Nevis for a couple of nights also....
things to do in st kitts.
things to do in St marten.
is it worth a day trip to St Barts and or anguilla.?
private plains and helicopters.....costs to expect....
sounds lsike the French side is best in st martin for us as I despise commercialism on my trips!
not looking to blow a huge budget, but not interested in flea-bag inns either.....we need space.....need to keep the boyfriend in his own room....lol so this is a request for mini suites....have seen some really nice properties online........
any and all advice welcome! thanks!
ST
inter island travels....ferry. vs. air and costs I can expect.
ferry times avail for travel....is it once a day? best airline to use inter-island or helicpoter outfit.....
car rentals.....really would like to rent 4x4 wrangler jeeps in both places. best rental company?
travelling with two 17 years olds.....a girl and a boy.....will St Kitts be fun for them?
thinking of staying at the Marriott Beach in St kitts and Oualie beach in Nevis for a couple of nights also....
things to do in st kitts.
things to do in St marten.
is it worth a day trip to St Barts and or anguilla.?
private plains and helicopters.....costs to expect....
sounds lsike the French side is best in st martin for us as I despise commercialism on my trips!
not looking to blow a huge budget, but not interested in flea-bag inns either.....we need space.....need to keep the boyfriend in his own room....lol so this is a request for mini suites....have seen some really nice properties online........
any and all advice welcome! thanks!
ST
Dec 26th, 2009, 06:19 PM
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First off, there's NO scheduled ferry service between St. Martin (SXM) and St. Kitts (SKB) so your only viable way to get between those islands is to fly either Liat (www.liaitairlines.com) or Winair (www.fly-winair.com). Fares vary depending on time and day. Go to the websites for schedules and fares for your planned dates of travel.
You may not find Jeep Wranglers for rent on both islands but you will find a variety of 4WD SUV's available from most retal companies. If you do a google search for "Rental Cars + Name of Island" you'll find links to plenty of car rental companies where you can see photos of the various cars and their rental prices. For the most part you'll find the different vendors on each island will have similar prices for similar size vehicles.
There's so much to do on each islands it would take pages to cover it all. Simply do a google seach for "Name of Island + Things to do" and you'll find tons of information.
You can easily go to Anguilla from SXM by ferry (20 minutes) from Marigot. Cost is about $10US PP each way.
You can go by ferry from SXM to St. Bart's (SBH) but the ride can be a bit rough as you cross "open water". Trip takes about 45 to 60 minutes and costs about 75Euros PP R/T.
You can fly between SXM and SBH on Winair. Go to website for fares and schedules.
You asked about charter flights, well that will run "big bucks", figure around $800 to $1,000 each way from SXM to SBH and about $1,000 to $1,200 each way between SXM and SKB.
You mentioned spending some time on Nevis - you can get between SKB and NEV by ferry for around $8US PP each way for the 45 minute ride. You won't find a "mini-suite" with seperate bedrooms at Oulalie Beach Resort or any of the resorts on Nevis. You should consider renting a condo (check out the Condos at Nelson Springs or SeaSide Condos at CliffDwellers or a rental villa. While you might find the suite arrangement you are seeking at the Marriott on St. Kitts you mght also look at renting a condo or a villa on that island also.
You may not find Jeep Wranglers for rent on both islands but you will find a variety of 4WD SUV's available from most retal companies. If you do a google search for "Rental Cars + Name of Island" you'll find links to plenty of car rental companies where you can see photos of the various cars and their rental prices. For the most part you'll find the different vendors on each island will have similar prices for similar size vehicles.
There's so much to do on each islands it would take pages to cover it all. Simply do a google seach for "Name of Island + Things to do" and you'll find tons of information.
You can easily go to Anguilla from SXM by ferry (20 minutes) from Marigot. Cost is about $10US PP each way.
You can go by ferry from SXM to St. Bart's (SBH) but the ride can be a bit rough as you cross "open water". Trip takes about 45 to 60 minutes and costs about 75Euros PP R/T.
You can fly between SXM and SBH on Winair. Go to website for fares and schedules.
You asked about charter flights, well that will run "big bucks", figure around $800 to $1,000 each way from SXM to SBH and about $1,000 to $1,200 each way between SXM and SKB.
You mentioned spending some time on Nevis - you can get between SKB and NEV by ferry for around $8US PP each way for the 45 minute ride. You won't find a "mini-suite" with seperate bedrooms at Oulalie Beach Resort or any of the resorts on Nevis. You should consider renting a condo (check out the Condos at Nelson Springs or SeaSide Condos at CliffDwellers or a rental villa. While you might find the suite arrangement you are seeking at the Marriott on St. Kitts you mght also look at renting a condo or a villa on that island also.
Jan 21st, 2010, 11:37 AM
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roamsaround has provided you with some incorrect information I am afraid !
1) Jeep Wranglers ARE available from several of the rental companies operating from the airport area where you will arrive - but book in advance.
2) The cost of a day return on the ferry from the Gare Maritime in Marigot to Anguilla is $40 per person - NOT $10. The cost includes all departure and landing taxes. The ferries leave every 45 minutes between 8.15am and 6pm.
3) The ferry to St Barts leaves either from the Gare Maritime in Marigot, or from Captain Oliver's Marina in Oyster Pond. The fares change fairly frequently, and are subject to a number of discounts for early booking etc. The sum indicated by roamsaround is 'top price'. The best bet is to book in advance using the 'Voyager' website, that way you will get the best deal. You should also book a Jeep in advance(probably no Wranglers available) if you want to see anything of St Barts apart from the interesting and pretty port town / capital of Gustavia
Don't forget to take your passports - photo ID will not suffice !
1) Jeep Wranglers ARE available from several of the rental companies operating from the airport area where you will arrive - but book in advance.
2) The cost of a day return on the ferry from the Gare Maritime in Marigot to Anguilla is $40 per person - NOT $10. The cost includes all departure and landing taxes. The ferries leave every 45 minutes between 8.15am and 6pm.
3) The ferry to St Barts leaves either from the Gare Maritime in Marigot, or from Captain Oliver's Marina in Oyster Pond. The fares change fairly frequently, and are subject to a number of discounts for early booking etc. The sum indicated by roamsaround is 'top price'. The best bet is to book in advance using the 'Voyager' website, that way you will get the best deal. You should also book a Jeep in advance(probably no Wranglers available) if you want to see anything of St Barts apart from the interesting and pretty port town / capital of Gustavia
Don't forget to take your passports - photo ID will not suffice !
Jan 21st, 2010, 01:13 PM
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My memory is not perfect and I may be off slightly on the fare for the SXM/AXA ferry but I'm confident it is less than DavidSXM quotes but rather is somewhere in the neighborhood of $10US to $12US PP each way, making a round trip no more than $24US PP. Just to be sure I checked several on-line sources to confirm the price range. Unless there were some drastic changes in the past few months a $40 PP r/t fare for the AXA/SXM ferry ride seems high. Perhaps DavidSXM was confusing $US price with the $EC price.
Also, I didn't say Jeep Wranglers weren't available what I said was "You may not find Jeep Wranglers for rent on both islands". The key words were "MAY NOT" - the reason I said this was I haven't personally rented a Jeep Wrangler on St. Bart's so I couldn't say for sure they were available on both islands as OP asked. I did suggest that OP check websites of various car rental agencies on each island to see exactly what type of vehicles were available. It is good that DavidSXM was able to confirm that you can rent Jeep Wranglers on both islands.
Also, I didn't say Jeep Wranglers weren't available what I said was "You may not find Jeep Wranglers for rent on both islands". The key words were "MAY NOT" - the reason I said this was I haven't personally rented a Jeep Wrangler on St. Bart's so I couldn't say for sure they were available on both islands as OP asked. I did suggest that OP check websites of various car rental agencies on each island to see exactly what type of vehicles were available. It is good that DavidSXM was able to confirm that you can rent Jeep Wranglers on both islands.
Jan 21st, 2010, 03:22 PM
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We took the ferry from St. Martin to Anguilla in June and DavidSXM is correct that it costs $40 day return ($15 for an adult plus $5 departure tax EACH way). You pay the departure tax before getting on the ferry and then you pay the fare on the boat (I think they only accept cash).
Note. if you stay overnight on Anguilla the departure tax is higher ($20).
Note. if you stay overnight on Anguilla the departure tax is higher ($20).
Jan 21st, 2010, 05:29 PM
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I just so happened to be in Marigot this motning and, as we have not been to Anguilla for some considerable time and are considering another day trip there shortly, I stopped by the ferry ticket sales kiosk in the Gare Maritime in order to check the current fare structure.
In the past the deal was that you had to pay the taxes seperately, but this morning I was quoted US$40 round (day) trip INCLUDING all taxes.
Whether this sum is collected in several slices was not indicated, but I was definitely offered an inclusive fare.
That information is bang up to date, and as I live on the French side of St Martin I certainly was NOT confusing US$ and Euros !
Also, I did NOT say that you could rent a Jeep Wrangler on St Barts ! I said that they were "probably not available" there, having never seen one myself.
I hope that the above clears up any misunderstandings !
In the past the deal was that you had to pay the taxes seperately, but this morning I was quoted US$40 round (day) trip INCLUDING all taxes.
Whether this sum is collected in several slices was not indicated, but I was definitely offered an inclusive fare.
That information is bang up to date, and as I live on the French side of St Martin I certainly was NOT confusing US$ and Euros !
Also, I did NOT say that you could rent a Jeep Wrangler on St Barts ! I said that they were "probably not available" there, having never seen one myself.
I hope that the above clears up any misunderstandings !
