To be transparent, no one is paying me to write this article about St Martin private drivers, it is not sponsored but it is based on our experience with our private tour drivers in St. Martin and about how getting around SXM is most efficient in order to help you know who to hire and why! These are the 3 best St Martin private drivers to book with IMO!
Today I’ll share travel insight on traveling around the lush, tropical Caribbean island of St. Martin one of my favorite destinations as the island is small but mighty, hosting 2 separate countries in one destination (French and the Dutch side)!
And, I’ll provide you with the names, and contact methods for each personal driver in St. Martin that I mention in this article as in my opinion, after touring with each they are the best drivers in St Martin!
I Experienced St Martin Private Drivers For Getting Around You Should Too!
I experienced a stress-free getaway without a car. My secret was utilizing the very reliable and professional St Martin private drivers to move throughout SXM(St. Martin) and I’ll share who they are to take the legwork out of finding a pro!
While getting around SXM is not complicated it is all new to you and there is a lot to see, so you won’t be able to enjoy the area and drive because there is a lot of traffic!
St Martin Private Tour Drivers Make Getting Around SXM Easy
Whether you want to enjoy a St Maarten day trip, arrive at the best shore excursions on St Maarten, or even go horseback riding St Maarten, this crew can get you to and from and share even more things to do!
Vacationing in Saint Martin might be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so experience it, from the passenger seat and not the driver’s seat! Don’t use taxis use private hired drivers.
Whether you are staying on the French or Dutch side, are in need of a transfer to or from the airport, have limited time due to visiting via cruise, or want to really uncover the island of St. Martin, these personal drivers are locals and fun!
Reasons To Hire Private Tour Drivers in St. Martin And Not Take Taxis
- The good news is you may already have everything you need to get started making a smoothie in your kitchen.
- One good blender can deliver life-changing results
- Healthy fruit and vegetable options will satiate, and you’ll eat less.
- Making a smoothie is uncomplicated.
- Weight loss happens because of making good choices on the smoothie diet, but that is just the beginning.
You don’t need to drive anywhere, instead, picture a stress-free getaway without worrying about where anything is and how you’ll get there. Leave the driving in St Martin to a private tour driver and enjoy the ride!
No matter how you get to SXM: cruise ship, or plane, let me share the drivers you want to schedule long before you go! Preparedness for travel is key to a fun and fabulous time.
Who Are The 3 Private Tour Drivers in St. Martin?
You can effortlessly move about the 12 miles east to west and 12 miles north to south Island of St. Martin without ever touching a steering wheel!
- Sammy (airport, shopping, dining suggestions and transport, tours, transfers to activities, cruise ship passengers)
- Robert (airport, touring, dining suggestions and transport, transfers to activities, cruise ship passenger tours, or destinations)
- Tony (more for the French Side touring ) however he does airport pickups and the Dutch Side as well, but we didn’t have that experience so I am only sharing what I know!
Let Sammy Tours Be Your Personal Driver In St. Martin
From the minute we met Sammy (during our Dutch Side tour) to the minute we parted ways, we got nothing but positive vibes from the private St. Martin driver who goes above and beyond!
When we met, Sammy said to my boys, “I’m always behind you keeping my eyes on you” and he was, I’ll elaborate in a minute.
Truthfully my boys were so impressed they still are talking about him to this day, and how he just ‘ghosted ‘ them.
Sammy is the President of the Airport Taxi Association and is very busy, but don’t worry, if you can’t hire Sammy personally, he has a staff of other drivers to accommodate!
Email Sammy using the card above it has all the information on it, or WhatsApp him he will answer and you can contact him on his Samuel St. Martin website to book private tours, and transfers for holidays as well.
Validating Someone Who Is The Best Private Driver In St. Martin
This is an honest-to-goodness true story about Sammy and his team, that happened while we were with him and it speaks to the demeanor of consistent professionalism he displays nonstop!
It was midday and in the midst of our tour to the RHUM distillery on the Dutch side of SXM, Sammy got a call. One of Sammy’s staff was on the phone explaining that someone forgot something and they were already at the airport.
Sammy dropped us off at our rum tasting, and set a time he would be back (the owner was made aware) he went across the island to grab what the guest needed, and got it to his team at a halfway point so that the guest had all of their belongings and so his staff didn’t have to run all the way and chance not making it back to the airport because the traffic during flight dropoff and pickup is awful!
Sammy didn’t miss a beat and was back in under an hour and everyone had what they needed.
Our Personal Driver In St. Martin Offered The 2nd Set Of Eyes!
Each of our private tour drivers in St. Martin went above and beyond, but this situation was definitely outstanding.
We headed to the SXM airport to watch the planes (MAHO Beach) take off and land it was a total adrenaline rush.
As a mom of three, a travel writer who needed photos, and a tourist I kind of got lost in the moment watching the planes across the street from Maho beach at the airport fence.
The area is beyond busy between the beach, the bar, the planes, and the traffic, you have to keep your head on. Here you’ll see a lot of people getting around SXM and I learned my lesson!
My kids ended up on a wall watching from the beach (well I thought they did), I was by the fence and I have no idea where my husband was, but, Sammy somehow parked, and then located my three kids and swooped them together to make sure they were fine and he said, “I saw you got lost in the moment, and I wanted to make sure the kids were fine, that’s why I was with them!” He didn’t need to do that and he did, he was the extra pair of eyes I needed and I can’t say thank you enough!
Night Life And St Martin Private Tour Drivers (Sammy)
While the roads are nice and they drive on the same side as the USA, there are steep hills and unexpected changes throughout it’s just easier to be a passenger and especially if you want to have your own little party with the punch!
Our resort was very quiet after 10P so a night out was the request!
Sammy took us back to the resort to freshen up and came back in 2 hours to pick us up for the night out, which leads me to another fabulous reason to let the driving through Saint Martin to the pros!
We hit up a rib shack with awesome rum punch and shrimp and more rum punch. Well, no way were we going to drive but we didn’t have to! Sammy ate dinner with us and he was the DD!
Vacation is a party, getting around Sint Maarten was made easy with him as our driver! Stress-free!
Sammy’s knowledge of the area, and the way he sets expectations are perfect.
Again, Sammy is in high demand from those that visit the island year after year so book him ahead and you won’t have to worry about anything.
Robert Richardson For Unparalleled Customer Service Getting Around Sint Maarten
We had the pleasure of meeting Robert at the resort when we landed in St. Maarten.
Robert is professional, helpful, and reliable as well. In fact, he was our ride back to the airport (even though he had the day off he still took us) and he is as punctual as the clock ticking the minutes!
Traffic can be awful in some of the SXM areas and it can make you lose time and not make an adventure (night sunset tours leave without you if you don’t make it to the dock), but when we booked Robert Richardson, he alerted us to the fact of the nuisance traffic which could impact our travel time to the sunset cruise and explained exactly when we needed to be in the van to get there.
Without exception, he was correct and we did make it on time and we did experience traffic. He also set up a pickup time and place because he knows when the cruises come in and out and it was that easy.
He was where he said when he said and it was easy (and this was a booze cruise in St. Martin, so yeah, I am a bit of a lush on vacation and I’ll own it but I never drove so it was all good!)
Also, we had an adventure at Rainforest Adventures for zipping and it was really crucial we arrived on time, and again, Robert explained the timing and we were there and he was back for pickup without exception he was awesome.
We wanted to get back to the beach as soon as possible after our adventures so the fact that he was on time and got us right back meant more fun in the water and that was the goal!
Robert Is A No-Nonsense Person + Shined Through In An Awkward Situation
Robert is in high demand because he is a pro, and we were invited to do a small tour and then shop (at the last minute) to take a quick trip to the shopping district of Philipsburg.
Neither Robert nor Sammy were taking us, instead, we had an escort to go into the shopping district in SXM (to experience a bit of the area for my article and coverage) on the Dutch side, but no real plans on how to get back (which didn’t seem to matter at the time!)
We did know that both Robert and Sammy were on overload with passenger transport to and from the airport so I didn’t bother to make pickup accommodations, we just figured we could walk back or taxi it back to the resort!
Once we were done seeing what our escort for SXM had wanted us to see, we were on our own to shop, and our phones did not have service (we didn’t have the SIM cards changed ).
Why We Did Not Walk Back To Our Resort From Philipsburgh in SXM
My husband and I had already taken morning walks while the kids slept and were unimpressed with the walk to and from Philipsburg because we could not fathom a walk with 3 kids, lots of traffic, and barely anywhere to walk along the road as the walk area is very narrow. So really this is not my ideal situation and is rather inadequate accommodation for walking.
Plus on the way back it is a big hill and after shopping and walking there, you’ll need to get back and there is public transportation or a taxi (eye roll)
Why Touring SXM With A Private Driver Tour Is Best (The SXM Cabbie)
We (my family) walked to the taxi center in Philipsburg as a party of 5 you don’t just hail a cab here it is centralized.
Each taxi driver (after speaking to 3 or more) told us that they can’t take that many people in one taxi!
One driver then told me, “Family, we 2 drivers will take you back. We split our group into 2 cars a group of 3 and a group of 2”. Our agreed-upon negotiated rate was $5 a person for what would be about a 5-minute drive to the resort at most. (Front Street to DIVI)
Now not my personal favorite but, I had no idea there were messages on my phone from Robert offering to come to pick us up because he KNEW what was about to play out!
Now I’ll be honest, we had an obnoxious taxi driver, who downed every other driver, including asking us if we had knowledge of different island history, and then went on to tell us that since we couldn’t answer it our private tour drivers were obviously the worst! (Ask me if I wanted to take the steering wheel over and set him in the back seat. )
Why Use Private Drivers Not Taxis In SXM (my story)
The good news is, that once in the taxis, getting around Sint Maarten (rather than walking to the resort) was easy and fast!
The other taxi arrived at the resort first with the kids and pulled in right behind them!
Our driver refused to break a $50. The cost of the ride was $25 as agreed upon and of course, we would tip. but not another $25 that would be ridiculous.
To solve this, we went into the resort reception area, to break the $50, and I was ticked off and it read like that all over my face. Robert was in between airport transfers and just happened to be in the reception area.
Robert, concerned by my scowl I assume, asked me what exactly was going on, and I quickly explained it to him while my husband waited in line. Robert wasn’t having what was going on, and once my husband was out of the line, he explained to us that he would be stepping in as well and he had a personal discussion with that cab driver!
Robert is a no-nonsense kind of person who wants each person to have a great St. Martin experience, he wants everyone to be comfortable and treated well, not like what we had happening as it tarnishes word of mouth for the island and I agree!
The good news was we were back at the resort, the bad news was this guy doubled his fee, so it is what it is, and there is a reason to hire a private driver and not a taxi!
While this driving taxi duo might be the exception to the rule, I’ll advise you that before you get off a cruise ship, go to the shopping district from a resort, or Airbnb, and don’t get lured into a nonsensical taxi ride, the drivers I have listed or they will give you names of alternate drivers!
Book Robert in advance he is in high demand due to his incredible customer service skills!
Tony’s Taxi – Our Personal Driver For The French Side Tour
Visit the French side of SXM specifically with TONY’s Taxi he is quite entertaining and knowledgeable! Fair warning and honesty, he has a heavy accent and you may have to ask him to repeat things but he doesn’t mind!
- perfect for finding nuggets of the French side you might not otherwise see (tops of mountains and hills for photos)
- Tony speaks 8 languages (your cruise specialist IMO)
- This driver lives on the French side and his recanting of the hurricane will leave it embedded in your mind.
- He will accompany you everywhere and share more knowledge than you ever knew you needed (a good thing)
- When you want a photo, he will literally just STOP to get it (that’s amazing!)
- He’s forthright with his opinions and doesn’t hold back (as he told the manager about the food at a restaurant)
- Tony’s Taxi is punctual, reliable, and very busy and his tour van is named BABY!
More About Tony’s Taxi Service
In my honest opinion, Tony does better with adults than young adults (my children) as he is quite opinionated (it’s not a bad thing but…)
We got to experience places like Paradise Peak for a million-dollar view (it was raining so that made it not so perfect for photos but it was gorgeous) and Orient Bay, Marigot, and Kontiki restaurant.
His van is very clean, and he prides himself in the maintenance of the vehicle he has affectionately named “BABY”
Tony is very conscious of time, especially because when you are deep in the French side you are about 1/2 hour away from Philipbrugh and if you have a scheduled night activity you will appreciate this a lot!
Hiring St Martin Private Drivers Helps You Avoid All Of This
Trust me when I tell you, I have an adventurous side, and I’ve walked 16 miles a day in NYC, ridden the New York City subways, taken cabs in Mexico, ridden dog sleds across ice bays, taken crazy busses on 1-way logging roads, rode bikes in crazy places where I shouldn’t have, but if you want the most relaxing, easy mode for getting around SXM, avoid all of this!
This is My List Of Things I Would Not Do To When Get Around St Martin
- Rule out renting a car in St Maarten cruise pier instead hire the best private drivers
- Walk from resorts to Philipsburg (shopping district) the roads are narrow and not pedestrian friendly
- Walk at night
- Take a cab (you read the story)
- Drive after drinking their spirited drinks (wow they are strong)
- Not have a preplanned personal driver in St. Martin (you can’t get what you don’t reserve ahead of time)
- Bike – we didn’t see bikers and I would not bike on the roads
How To Reserve Any Of The St Martin Private Drivers I Have Shared
Don’t wait too long to book your driver to get around Sint Maarten (Dutch Side) or Saint Martin (French Side) or both sides, or transfers to and from the airport, or cruise ship port of call day trips these guys are busy!
Getting around SXM is easy, to hire SXM Sammy, use his website or the info below.
Driving through Saint Martin with Robert. Getting in touch with Robert to hire him to be your personal driver in St. Martin is easy, use WhatsApp, Gmail or Call Him here is all the info you need!
Contact Tony’s Taxi service in Saint Martin using the information below!
Enjoy A Fun Getaway
Enjoy your vacation without the hassle and at a relaxed pace.
I have only one list of suggestions to create the best experience with your personal driver in St. Martin so here’s my list!
Enjoy XO Dana
Dana Vento: Award-Winning Travel Writer & Seasoned Explorer
Join me on a journey through the world’s wonders. From compelling stories at Niagara Falls to accolades in writing and Instagram photography, my global adventures are rich with experience. Each article offers a slice of life—from cruising the seas to exploring vibrant Aruba—turning every trip into an award-worthy adventure. Here’s to a life of exploration and unforgettable stories
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