Hello All,

I'm about to go on my first cruise in December, and one of our stops is St. Maarten. When I booked the cruise the gentleman on the phone recommended that while in St. Maarten my future fiancee and I(going to propose while either in St. Maarten or St. Thomas!!) rent a car and drive up to Orient Beach. I've heard it is one of the prettiest beaches on the island and a must see. My question is it better to rent a car than take a taxi? I'm a little concerned with getting lost as I've never been there and I wasn't too sure how well things would be marked in regards to directions/road signs... Also, which would be more expensive? I kinda like the idea of having the freedom of a rental car, so that we could stop at other various paces/beaches, but then again I don't really know where else we would stop. Also I don't want to blunder our trip by getting lost and missing the boat! Any advice would be appreciated!

It's pretty difficult to get lost in St. Maarten since there is basically one main road that goes around the island. We rented a jeep at the port and drove to Orient Beach where we spent several hours. The beach is awesome in many ways! If it is just you and your honey, veer to the right and keep walking. You will see some some beautiful and not so beautiful sights! If you get my drift.
We drove around the island but found it difficult to stop in the towns because the streets were so narrow! I think I will go with one of the island tours next time I visit the island, but I will definately go back to Orient Beach!

Congratulations on your upcoming proposal. We have rented cars in St. Maarten a number of times and it is a great way to go. You can rent via the internet and they will have a car waiting for you at the port. You pick up and return there. The island is easy to navigate and if you take some side roads you can find some beautiful secluded beaches.
Orient beach is beautiful and a must see. We usually park at the Bikini Beach Bar (they have a website) at Orient Beach.
Marigot, the capital of the French side is also a beautiful town. Highly recommend stopping there.
Only drawback to renting is not being able to drink if you're driving. Otherwise it is, in my opinion, the best way to go.

The roads aren't marked all that well but getting lost is hard to do - eventually if you keep driving you'll find you way back to the ship. The cab fare just going to Orient beach & returning back to the ship is probably only slightly less than a car rental for the day.
Maho beach is a neat stop for a while on the return to the ship where you can watch the planes landing right over you head. Maho beach
Just leave enough time to get back to the ship since they've been working on the roads for as long as I can remember & you usually get caught in a 30 minute traffic tie up at 4 PM.

Congrats! I'd go with jeep or car rental, too. That way you can see more and go when and where you want. There aren't many roads so getting lost is not too much of a worry, just watch out for the goats, chickens and cows. Have a wonderful cruise!