Airport Transportation on St. Maarten

[rboesl]

We'll be going to Divi Little Bay Resort on St. Maarten at the end of January. We were there a couple of years ago and rented a car. We're not planning on renting one this time. Does anyone know what a cab right might cost? Are there any alternatives?

 

[stmartinfan]

I can't recall specifically but I'm thinking about $20. We always rent a car, but have used a cab in addition to the rental when we had 5 of us and too much luggage to fit all 5 and bags into a sedan size rental. The cab fares are set by zone and if you take a cab from the official guy who lines them up at the airport, you'll be sure to get a registered one. There are also regular cabs who wait by Divi especially on Saturday for airport returns. I'm not aware of any other option than a cab. There is bus service on the island but probably not convenient enough to do the trip to Divi.

 

[CanuckTravlr]

We will be arriving in St. Martin in two weeks on our first return trip since Irma. We normally stay on Simpson Bay Beach, but this time will be staying in Porto Cupecoy. We always rent a car, and this time is no exception, since we typically stay for 2 to 3 weeks and it is not only much more convenient but usually cheaper, too. We have never used the taxis, but there have been several posts on this topic on the TA St. Martin/St Maarten forum over the years. Taxis are readily available right outside arrivals, as stmartinfan points out. I have not been able to locate a recent fare chart online, but found this helpful commentary from Frommer (not sure how recent it is):

Planning a trip to St. Maarten/St. Martin

The essential destination for planning the perfect travel excursion. Read candid, timely articles from Frommer's travel guide experts, browse Guidebooks,…

www.frommers.com

The official fares are for two passengers during regular hours. Late evening or late night fares are higher. They indicate the first piece of luggage is included, but there is a $1 surcharge for additional pieces. Divi Little Bay is probably in the Philipsburg zone, so it appears the base price would be $15 USD from SXM. If you are intending to stay mostly close to the resort, the taxi could well save you some money. The buses are small passenger vans with set routes, but not set times. They are mostly designed for locals to go about their business, so with luggage they are probably not that convenient. They are cheap, so might be an option to go somewhere while on the island. They have a sign in the front indicating their ultimate destination. You just flag them down, is how I understand it works. According to Frommer the cost is $2 per trip per person.

 

[CanuckTravlr]

You're welcome. Glad to be of help.