Car Options for 2 week stay

E

ejk1288

New Member
My husband and I will be coming to St. Barts in November for 2 weeks to stay in an apartment in St. Jean. I've been to the island about a dozen times with my family and we've always rented a car for the duration. My husband and I, however, are doing a bit of a different trip and only plan to rent a car for a couple days at a time, scattered throughout our visit.

We've always used Gumbs and will probably do so (we love Odile!)... but is there anything else I am missing in terms of an easy rental even for a couple hours, if we just wanted to run to the Super U for some groceries? Thank you!
 
ejk1288 said:
My husband and I will be coming to St. Barts in November for 2 weeks to stay in an apartment in St. Jean. I've been to the island about a dozen times with my family and we've always rented a car for the duration. My husband and I, however, are doing a bit of a different trip and only plan to rent a car for a couple days at a time, scattered throughout our visit.

We've always used Gumbs and will probably do so (we love Odile!)... but is there anything else I am missing in terms of an easy rental even for a couple hours, if we just wanted to run to the Super U for some groceries? Thank you!
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Probably be easier and cheaper to use a taxi.
 
ejk1288 said:
is there anything else I am missing in terms of an easy rental even for a couple hours, if we just wanted to run to the Super U for some groceries?
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No zip cars but you could do the local thing and hitch. I picked up people going to the market when I was there for my extended break.
 
JEK said:
Probably be easier and cheaper to use a taxi.
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”Cheaper” . . . I don’t think so. As someone who uses taxis exclusively at night (& I pay according to the Collectivité‘s published scale of rates), I can tell you that the taxi cost — one way to most places —would generally cover two days car rental (unless you’re going upscale in your car choice).

On the other hand, if you enjoy cocktails &/or wine when you go out for relaxation, the price of a taxi is a cheap insurance premium vs. the humiliation of being taken in handcuffs to the gendarmerie for an overnight visit before you are advised in the morning of significant fines & “court costs” attached to your release. (What’s more, I understand that some (many?) car rental agencies will no longer rent vehicles to visitors who have been found to be intoxicated at the random road stops that occur.)

. . . speaking of which, I’ve seen numerous such random check points in the last two weeks. Perhaps a new crew of gendarmes being trained? One — probably Thursday night — involved three such checkpoints as I left Gustavia (in a taxi) . . . in Gustavia, near Le Bagatelle; at the Tournament, above the airport; & in St. Jean at the intersection of Le Piment. The second sighting was yesterday afternoon as I left a luncheon at Pearl Beach . . . the checkpoint was at the top of the hill along the “Vitet Detour” from Camaruche to its return near the Rosewood Guanahani. Bless the luck of the Irish . . . two gendarmes already had two cars stopped, so they waved me past them.
 
cec1 said:
”Cheaper” . . . I don’t think so. As someone who uses taxis exclusively at night (& I pay according to the Collectivité‘s published scale of rates), I can tell you that the taxi cost — one way to most places —would generally cover two days car rental (unless you’re going upscale in your car choice).

On the other hand, if you enjoy cocktails &/or wine when you go out for relaxation, the price of a taxi is a cheap insurance premium vs. the humiliation of being taken in handcuffs to the gendarmerie for an overnight visit before you are advised in the morning of significant fines & “court costs” attached to your release. (What’s more, I understand that some (many?) car rental agencies will no longer rent vehicles to visitors who have been found to be intoxicated at the random road stops that occur.)

. . . speaking of which, I’ve seen numerous such random check points in the last two weeks. Perhaps a new crew of gendarmes being trained? One — probably Thursday night — involved three such checkpoints as I left Gustavia (in a taxi) . . . in Gustavia, near Le Bagatelle; at the Tournament, above the airport; & in St. Jean at the intersection of Le Piment. The second sighting was yesterday afternoon as I left a luncheon at Pearl Beach . . . the checkpoint was at the top of the hill along the “Vitet Detour” from Camaruche to its return near the Rosewood Guanahani. Bless the luck of the Irish . . . two gendarmes already had two cars stopped, so they waved me past them.
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Have you checked the daily rate at any rental places?
 
JEK said:
Have you checked the daily rate at any rental places?
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Of course! I rent a car throughout every visit (I drive during the day) & pay a daily rate. Checking TopLoc, as an example, for November 1 pick-up to the 15th drop-off, the rate for a four passenger Kia Picanto is 36.87E / day. I can tell you with certainty that this rate is less than the one way taxi from St. Jean to Gustavia.
 
cec1 said:
”Cheaper” . . . I don’t think so. As someone who uses taxis exclusively at night (& I pay according to the Collectivité‘s published scale of rates), I can tell you that the taxi cost — one way to most places —would generally cover two days car rental (unless you’re going upscale in your car choice).

On the other hand, if you enjoy cocktails &/or wine when you go out for relaxation, the price of a taxi is a cheap insurance premium vs. the humiliation of being taken in handcuffs to the gendarmerie for an overnight visit before you are advised in the morning of significant fines & “court costs” attached to your release. (What’s more, I understand that some (many?) car rental agencies will no longer rent vehicles to visitors who have been found to be intoxicated at the random road stops that occur.)

. . . speaking of which, I’ve seen numerous such random check points in the last two weeks. Perhaps a new crew of gendarmes being trained? One — probably Thursday night — involved three such checkpoints as I left Gustavia (in a taxi) . . . in Gustavia, near Le Bagatelle; at the Tournament, above the airport; & in St. Jean at the intersection of Le Piment. The second sighting was yesterday afternoon as I left a luncheon at Pearl Beach . . . the checkpoint was at the top of the hill along the “Vitet Detour” from Camaruche to its return near the Rosewood Guanahani. Bless the luck of the Irish . . . two gendarmes already had two cars stopped, so they waved me past them.
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And the allowable limit of alcohol in France is lower than in US. 0.05% vs. 0.08%.
 
We love Gumbs also. We always get a 2-door Suzuki Jimny, which is perfect for 2 people. Putting the rear seats down gives you plenty of room for beach gear, groceries and adult beverages.
The 4WD feature comes in handy going up steep roads during a tropical downpour.
 
We stayed in the "central area" (Sunset Hotel) once and after our Jimny "developed issues" (a dead battery), the "roadside vehicle recovery team" (one of Odile's relatives) definitely made the "experience much less stressful" (we were able to meet the SiBarth rep at the villa on time). All without the help of ChatGPT!
 
EC Traveler said:
We love Gumbs also. We always get a 2-door Suzuki Jimny, which is perfect for 2 people. Putting the rear seats down gives you plenty of room for beach gear, groceries and adult beverages.
The 4WD feature comes in handy going up steep roads during a tropical downpour.
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It is the most perfect choice for St Barth. We have tried others and always return them for a Jimny. It is our only option now.
 
That would be the now-gone-bot, a sneaky one. The “real” SPAM wasn’t even the obvious AI response. It was much subtler.
 
ejk1288 said:
My husband and I will be coming to St. Barts in November for 2 weeks to stay in an apartment in St. Jean. I've been to the island about a dozen times with my family and we've always rented a car for the duration. My husband and I, however, are doing a bit of a different trip and only plan to rent a car for a couple days at a time, scattered throughout our visit.

We've always used Gumbs and will probably do so (we love Odile!)... but is there anything else I am missing in terms of an easy rental even for a couple hours, if we just wanted to run to the Super U for some groceries? Thank you!
Click to expand...
Just rent the car already, its vacation dollars anyway. just don't buy the magnum of dom at nao restaurant and you should be fine.
 
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