TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Car Rental Recommendations

Hello all and apologies in advance as I am sure this is a previously discussed topic but I didn't see a search feature for the boards and I also apologize if it is a verboten subject! I am re-engaging the TTOL boards for SXM after many years as we have decided to make our first return visit to the island since 2015 in late December this year for a week after having previously gone at least once yearly since the early 1990s.

I know lots has changed since 2015, so I was looking for recommendations on car rentals. I see the TTOL Sponsors and know Kenny's was always highly recommended in years past. I had also used Unity (Michael) and Paradise over the years we went to SXM consistently. On a SXM Facebook group I saw Hardy's and Exclusive recommended a lot. But figured I would ask here where the SXM experts reside!

I was hoping to get an SUV since there will be 4 of us and I am really tall (6'6") so the sedans or smaller cars aren't great for me or the person sitting behind me! Would like to have airport pickup and drop-off if possible. Also was hoping for a company with a fleet that is in decent condition as the last few years of renting cars on some other islands we have visited have had us in some extremely dated and run down vehicles.

Thanks for your help!

Kenny's car rental. We changed to Kenny's after reading about Lesley and Shirley here and have never gone back to anyone else. Their customer service is top notch.

AAA has the vehicle type you're looking for.

I agree, Kenny's.

I have used HertzSXM for my most recent trips because they include liability in their quote; it's not an add-on. However, a friend recently reserved with Leisure at a very low rate so I checked them out just for grins. Turns out for my four weeks this November, they were over $300 less than Hertz, even with adding in the liability. I reserved with Leisure and cancelled Hertz.

That is a good saving but I'll probably stick with Hertz for our May trip as I have had a great relationship with them over the 20+ past years.

Do you want the rental car to pick you up at the airport? Have only done SIXT/Hertz and they have a van to their office, they both offer SUV's. I believe the SIXT has the nicest fleet.

Really just look online for pricing and see what works.

Thanks Folks for your loyal continued support , however in our fleet we dont carry the big Suvs due to cost factor in investment and demand issue .
Thanks once again.

@Kennys, I wouldn't need a big SUV, medium size would be fine. I'll check your website and contact you today.

Thanks everyone for the replies! Seems like there are plenty of options when I searched online, but I am glad to get the firsthand experience of all of you with more recent rental experiences. Maybe I am crazy, but a rental car company with great customer service to hit the ground running as soon as we arrive on the island can just set a nice tone for the whole trip. Looking forward to our long overdue return to SXM and I am sure I will have some more inquiries and utilize everyone's expertise in the coming months before departing. As I mentioned above, I am sure there are lots of changes since our last visit.

Thanks .

For us, it wouldn't feel right if we walked out of the terminal and didn't see Lesley's smiling face.

Agree with Dolfer.

Do you happen to know the link to Leisure? I'm checking with all the companies to find out what is what with these companies. Thanks.

We have dealt with Leisure car rental for the last fifteen years with no issues. Great service, very reliable and good prices. Their office is the closest to the airport.
They bring the car and meet you at the airport.

Google can be a good friend!
https://leisurecarrental.com/

I wasn't putting in the proper name, duh. Well, anyway, I checked their site and it is much higher than some of the quotes I have gotten. Maybe I need to contact them by phone and see, but at this point much more than some others.

Look into Hertz sxm. The island one not the national chain as the aren't the same. Deal directly with them on island.

Thanks very much for your loyal and continued great loving support 😊👍👏

Are you saying wait until I get to the island to deal with them? Or are you saying deal directly with the link on the island?

I think Kenny might be who I deal with though. I have not been to the island for over 7 years now, summer of 2017. I rented from Hertz in 2017, but Kenny in 2016. I'm sure Kenny doesn't remember, but he was great to rent from as was Hertz. I don't care what kind of car I drive as long as it works. Kenny has offered the best deal to me since I have been asking for quotes this time. I don't know for sure if he will try to force me to get liability insurance or not though. I don't know for sure what I'm doing as far as car rental yet though.

Request a quote from Hertz using this link below. No obligation and no deposit. Cancel if you don't like the quote.
http://www.sxmrentacar.com/

Well, no Kenny's for car rental. He says he doesn't have a car for the length of my stay. Dagnabbit. Well, I've got emails to many others. We'll have to wait and see who gets back to me I guess.

Hertz does have one of the largest fleets on island.

Scotty, check with Alain Arnell at Triple AAA. Tell him Georgia recommended him. Not fancy, but reasonably priced and responsive to any problems.

I sent something to AAA several days ago, but have not heard back yet. I may try again.
Thanks.

Hello there.
In the past we have used Michael at Unity, then we used Kenny's for a few years, and both are very good. I would have used Kenny's again, but unfortunately we need a van and they do not have a van. The prices are crazy stupid for a 7-8 seater van, but it is what it is. After several questions posted on FB and searching websites, a place called Discount Car Rental was recommended to us. I want to establish a working relationship with a place that has a van to suit our needs, as we always have 6-8 people on our trips. We like to travel together, then only one person has to DD., lol Anyways, the price was very good with Discount and all insurances that are needed, plus theft coverage was included, so we went with them. Will def do a trip report and let people know of our experience with this company. Quite a few people said they tried them and liked them, so fingers crossed. January cannot come soon enough.

We have used Michael at Unity for many years, and will this year. However, Michael's former company known as Unity is now known as De Best. And they are still our favorite.

I know what you mean......He did provide excellent service.....but hopefully we get lucky with our new place that has a vehicle we need. What a friendly guy and so welcoming Lesley is......will still use him if we ever need a smaller vehicle.