AVS004

Can anyone suggest a tour operator to that island from St. Martin. I am looking for a day-long trip that would include round-trip transportation, a tour of St. Eustatius, free time. Thanks

doug_stallings

You don't really need a "tour". Book a round-trip flight on Winair. If you book far enough ahead, you can do it for about $50 round-trip. Then when you get to Statia, hire a guide to take you to the Quill. We recommend some local guides in our Caribbean book.

Statia

Hi AV,

I live on Statia and would be happy to give you any advice that I can. I'd love to know where Doug is getting that $50 fare, too! For those of us here on Statia it's now $150 R/T to St. Maarten. It is probably cheaper going the opposite direction, however, as Doug said.

I can recommend a guide or two if you want to tour The Quill (the volcano) or if you want to take a taxi tour around the island.

You can also rent a car for the day and easily see the island yourself. I can make recommendations on that, as well.

I'd be happy to answer any questions, so ask away. I'm an American expat who has lived here for 14 years.

I will also add that I'm not aware of any tour operators either here or or St. Maarten who offer an all-inclusive package for visiting Statia. Most of our tourists are either divers, eco-tourists, or history buffs, so there is just not really a market for it.

IslandGrl

Statia, I would love to hear your recommendation for the best way to visit Statia. Would a day trip really do it justice? I would love to know what it's like on that island.

Statia

Islandgrl, you can honestly see the whole island in a day trip as it's very small. However, if you plan to hike the Quill or do any diving, then a couple days might be better so as not to be so rushed.

You can find a lot of info at our tourism website www.statiatourism.com

Let me know if you have any particular questions. I'd be happy to help.

doug_stallings

About the $50 fare to Statia. I just plugged in a few dates in July and August and came up with several fares that were $20 or $26 each way, though I just did it again and found only $26 fares. (These were mostly on the 7am departures from St. Maarten and 9pm departures from Statia. Most of the fares, though, were $56 each way. I didn't consider departure taxes, which probably raise the fare.

Statia

Thanks for the info, Doug. I do know that specials can be had from SXM to here, but they never seem to transpire the opposite way for those of us needing to get TO SXM.

And, yes....the taxes alone on the fares with WinAir can sometimes be almost as much as a one way ticket.