TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Car recommended if staying at Club O?

Hi. We are staying in a villa near Alamanda; our friends are staying at Club O. We will want to eat in the Village a couple of nights and eat other nights at Papagayos. Should we rent a car to get between these areas at night, for safety reasons? Also, to get to Club O with all the construction, would we have to walk in the water? Or is there a road in back we could walk along? Or maybe some of the construction will be done by late February?

All construction is slated to be complete by 10/15/2015.

Great, I didn't know what the schedule was. So it will be fine to walk along the beach by then. What about safety concerns? Is it better to not walk along the beach after dark? We wouldn't really be using the car except to go between Club O and the village, so debating whether we need one.

I used to always get a car but I've had two trips now where I just stayed on orient beach the entire time--7 days. I used a cab only twice to go to dinner. We just wanted completely shut down and let sand gravity take over. So, you'll need a car if you want to drive around everyday day but we would rather spend every minute on the beach.

Thanks, bluejacket. Did you ever walk between Club O and the village at night? I don't really see us asking a cab to drive us that small distance, but I have heard it isn't recommended to walk between the two at night.

No, it is not recommended to walk along the beach after dark.

Mememe,
Would you walk a dark deserted beach at home???? or walk anywhere that is deserted at night??? Same thing goes for SXM. It is NOT recommended to walk the beach late at night. You are just asking for trouble if you do. Common sense goes a long way at home...or even a longer way when on vacation. DO NOT let your guard down at any time...and don't be a victim of stupidity. You will find, a rental car will pay for itself....the cab right to and from the airport will almost make up for a weeks rental.

We agree with EdB and GaKaye!

Definitely get a rental car, even if you plan not to drive much!

To walk the beach after dark is dangerous and, frankly, not very smart ...especially after the recent demolition work.

With a rental car you can enjoy the restaurants in Grand Case, go shopping in Phillipsburg and/or Marigot, visit the Butterfly Farm in the early morning, and see more of the wonders of St. Martin...even if you spend most of the time on Club O's beach...and do so safely. And as others have said, you will likely pay as much, or more, for taxis to and from the airport plus one or two excursions...

Do yourselves a favor and rent a car!

I agree also. Walking the beach after night is not safe or wise. If you use the car to go to a regular grocery store once or twice, versus having to pick up supplies at the Club O store, you will more than pay for the car, considering the expense for taxis to and from the airport.

MeMeMe,
I would never walk the beach after dark. It's easy for us I guess because we really enjoy cooking for ourselves and spending a quiet evening in doors or maybe on the patio. Taxi stops for us at the grocer on the way and I take only a couple of car trips throughout a 7 day stay. The last time I got a car, I just figured I was spending almost a day's worth of time driving.

We don't rent a car unless we want it for something special. Then we rent for a day from the Hertz guy. We walked on the beach to the village around 7 before it was dark for dinner and cabbed back. I'd walk on the beach at night with a group but not just the two of us