Taxi Recommendation

Greetings all!

Long time lurker (sort of,) rare poster.

I did a search on the forum for the information I am seeking, but either it has not been covered in the last year or so; or more likely, I did not do it correctly. If the answer is obvious, please post the link I must have missed.

Planning to return this February after a three year hiatus. Per the routine, we are renting a place in Orient Village. In prior years, we rented a car for our time on the island (almost 3 weeks, usually.) Last couple of times, we felt that we did not use the car enough to justify the cost. As such, we are considering to forgo the car rental and rely exclusively on taxis (yes, we know that they typically need to be called and there is a wait.) At the very least, we would like to pre-arrange the pick-up at the airport (which would, ideally, include a stop for groceries on the way to our rental unit.)

Does anyone have a preferred Taxi vendor? If yes, might you share the contact information with me, please (unless that is a violation of forum rules?)

Here is our thinking - for those who wish to poke a hole in it (perhaps we are missing something: )
Pro Taxi
1) Save approximately $500 in rental, gas and parking
2) Can enjoy that second bottle of wine at dinner without having to worry about driving home
3) No worries about where to park and if or what condition the auto will be in when we return to it

Con Taxi
1) Reduced freedom - sort of
2) Wait times for pick-up (I am planner by design which means we will schedule rides at least 24 hours in advance.)

The last couple of times we were on the island, our routine included the following non-walking to/from activities:
- 3-5 dinners in Grade Case
- 1-2 dinners in Marigot
- 1 visit to Sunset Bar (airplane watching - do they still offer free drinks to the topless ladies?) coupled with a shopping day
- 1-2 dinners in Cul-de-Sac

Given how easy it is to walk to Orient Village with its associated markets and restaurants, we do not believe we will be venturing outside of the Orient Village complex more than the above list. We walk to the beach every day. My guess, if I am remembering taxi rates correctly (I am old, so the memory is always a bit questionable,) is that a taxi will most likely be plus or minus 10% of the total car rental cost. I anticipate the most expensive fare will be the pick-up and drop-off at the airport on our arrival and departure from SXM, respectively.

Thank you in advance for the kind and helpful replies.

S&M (yep, our initials.)

Suggest you contact Wilfred Brooks. He is a great guy, lives on the French side. Very professional, clean vehicles. Link

I second Wilfred. I have used him for personal tours and received great service.

Thank you both (for the link and the second.) I shall contact Mr. Brooks.

S&M

My wife and I have used both approaches in past visits to St. Martin -- renting a car or just using taxis during our stay. Both methods work, and the pros and cons you outlined above are well thought out. I don't have any past experience with Mr. Brooks (I don't think), but if Carol recommends him I would trust that recommendation. Another 'pro' for using taxis is driving at night. During the day I can dive anywhere, but at night it's so much easier having someone do the driving for you. Things sometimes just look different at night (though it's hard to truly get lost on St. Martin). The only additional suggestion I can provide would include trying to establish some type of schedule for your visit, and arranging your taxi rides accordingly. In some places on the island it seems like taxis are everywhere. In some other locations it can be a challenge to find one. For example, if you plan to visit Friar's Bay Beach for the day (which is somewhat remote) having a set pick-up and return time in advance can really help.
Good luck with your upcoming visit.

Thank you, SammyM.

I'll try to provide an update after we return - I always have good intentions of writing up Trip reports after visiting various places, but life tends to take over quickly on the return and my good intentions go poof...

I am - according to my lovely wife - a bit anal when it comes to planning. I have a spreadsheet I use to calculate my estimated daily cash burn when travelling. Based upon the pricing information by Mr. Brooks and our tentative on island travel plans, I calculated a taxi expenditure of $400US (conservative estimate, i.e., on the high side.) This is a cost savings over an automobile rental.

We are counting down the days until we leave. I am slowly starting to stress about the testing requirement, but I feel a bit reassured by everything I have read here on the testing. Fingers crossed.

S&M