Private St Maarten Island Sightseeing Tour

Posted By : Linda_C
Elaine was amazing. So nice to have a native tour guide, she was so knowledgeable about the island and very willing to answer so many questions.

Highly recommend her.
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Posted On : 2024-02-23 13:39:47

Posted By : William_B
Finding the parking lot for non Cruise line tours was difficult, then we find another family in the van we paid for. The driver was the wife of the person we had contracted, he had a flat tire. After that confusion we get driven 5 minutes away to be dropped off for 45 minutes in downtown? It improved after that, and ended at the beach by the airport, fun but overall pretty average day.
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Posted On : 2023-10-12 14:03:14

Posted By : Marilyn_B
Clyde was our driver, and he was very informative. He took us around the whole island and stopped when we asked and we hit all the spots we requested. He told us about the 2 sides and the different areas. It was very informative. Unfortunately, it was raining and a little chilly that day, so we chose to skip the shopping. We had a great time.
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Posted On : 2023-04-11 07:38:44

Posted By : Cindy_L
Domingo was amazing! He gave us a great tour and history of the island. He catered to both the adults and the kids in our group. The van was very comfortable and air conditioned and he had water for all of us. Our favorite part of the day was going to the Aviary sanctuary. Traffic was not our friend that day and we missed going to Maho Beach, but we still saw and learned so much about the island. Even though our tour ended at 3, Domingo spent extra time and drove us to a nearby beach just so the kids can jump into the water. Highly recommend this tour!
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Posted On : 2023-04-03 19:51:37

Posted By : Rosemary_D
We were eager for our private tour with Domingo. I selected this tour based on the 25 five-star ratings and excellent comments Domingo received, and on his customization of the itinerary to meet the needs of our group of 11. The other ten people trusted me to make this decision because I have coordinated excellent private tours in the past.

I planned with him for more than a month for a tour that focused on "the history and culture of enslaved and indigenous people on the island" We designed an itinerary that included the National Heritage Museum, the Emilio Wilson Estate, the Creole Market, at least two stops at high elevation vistas, lunch at a lolo, and other points of interest as time permits such as to see iguanas. We were not interested in shopping, swimming, or in the beach with the plane flyovers.

Domingo wrote on 12/29, ".If all goes according to plan, I'll be your driver on January 16, 2023, and I'll be taking care of everything on your itinerary and making other stops as time permits." He reiterated by phone the day before the tour that we could expect to see him.

The morning of the tour shortly before disembarking, I received a message with contact information that Aline would be our guide. I messaged Domingo that this was not what was agreed to, that there were no reviews for Aline, that I had not been in communication with her about what we did and did not want to see and do, etc. He said that she knew what we did and did not want to see and do.

We think that Domingo knew when I made the reservation that he would be with a group that had made their payment before I made ours, but he did not tell me until the morning of the tour. I would not have booked the tour with a guide for whom there are no reviews on the Viator site.

Aline was not prepared to conduct this tour. She provided little commentary on the stops that we did make and did not address our main interests: the history and culture of enslaved and indigenous people on the island." For example, she told us nothing about the National Heritage Museum, did not accompany us into the free museum, and allocated too much time for a small venue. At a lovely vista, she did not explain the statue on the site or what we could see from the vantage point. She was not able to answer basic questions like the demographics of the island.

One stop was supposed to be the Emilio Wilson Estate. When we arrived, the museum was closed. Aline asked me if I had made reservations. I said, no, that is why I arranged a private tour. Domingo had written that he was taking care of everything on our itinerary. This was an important part of our planned tour where we expected to spend at least an hour.

After leaving the closed museum, Aline drove to the beach with the airplanes overhead – one of the stops I specifically said that we were not interested in. She was going to park the car and have us go into a bar or shop; no one in the van wanted to get out at this stop.

We did go to the requested restaurant. Aline did not join us. I am used to the guides at least sitting with us so that we can learn more.

We did not see the Creole Market; we did not stop at another scenic vista as planned.

During the drive, Aline stopped at two landfills, pointed out McDonald’s, Chinese restaurants, resorts, and various stores, but little of historical or cultural interest. Her driving did not allow us to take many photos from the moving vehicle. Given the many speed bumps on the island, we all thought her driving speed did not take the comfort of the passengers into account.

Given the above, I requested a refund. D AND A refunded $150 of the $550. I wrote that this was insufficient,

I received this reply, " They is no Situation you the problem. Just because Domingo was not you tour guide. He inform you via Email ( ROSEMARY IF EVERYTHING GOES ACCORDING TO PLAN, I MAY BE YOUR TOUR GUIDE ) None of the other Passengers had an issue with the Driver. The other Passengers told the Driver ( Aline ) dont worry with you. THE $150 REFUND STAND SO YOU CAN GO-HEAD AND WRITE YOU NEGATIVE REVIEWS WE A STRONG. WE WILL ALSO SHARE OUR SID OF THE REVIEWS .We also copy in VIATOR"

The quote from Domingo is wrong; he said I'll (I will) be your tour guide, not I may be your tour guide.

Nor is it true that none of the other passengers had an issue with Aline. Here are a few of their comments:

One friend wrote, "By the end of the day I was very uncomfortable in the back of the van, as they had removed the head rests and I couldn’t lean my head back when the bumping and abrupt stops got bad."

Another wrote, " their response is laughable regarding how much "we all" enjoyed the tour. I, was seated in the back row-side seat, so I beg to differ. Not only could I NOT see anything, it was uncomfortable."

Another wrote, "The part that struck me is their claim that we all enjoyed it. We may have appeared to enjoy it because we are all polite, nice people who didn't want to make YOU feel bad, or even to make the driver feel bad in the moment."

And another, "I was not happy, but like the others, did not want you to feel bad. And I really do not like their response . We did not see the things on the itinerary."

Like a waiter who gives poor service, we gave Aline small tips. Maybe, they interpreted tips as our being pleased.

GOOD NEWS: After reviewing the information, Viator refunded $350. The total is not $550 because A AND D asked me to pay for the 11th person in cash.

I think that if our guide had been Domingo, the tour would have gone differently although he had not made any arrangements at the Emilio Wilson Estate.

I have had many positive experiences arranging private tours with Viator and will continue to use this as a resource in the future.
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Posted On : 2023-01-31 17:53:40

Posted By : Emily_j
Domingo was excellent ! Very knowledgeable and informative. Clean, cool vehicle . Plenty of variety of Refreshing drinks available . He took us all around St Maarten. He was very accommodating to us, we saw everything we wanted to see . We had a wonderful tour of St Maarten and will be coming back ! He Even took us by the iguana farm so my kids could feed the iguanas !!! Thank you Domingo .
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Posted On : 2022-12-16 12:45:34

Posted By : Sandra_F
Clyde met us on time, in a comfortable van for the 10 of us and we had picture perfect spots to stop
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Posted On : 2022-10-22 11:43:13

Posted By : Eric_M
We had a great time on this tour. Our driver, Domingo, was awesome. We had a five hour private tour with just our family. There was 10 of us total in the van. He met us there at the cruise port after we got off the ship. Domingo pretty much tailored the day to whatever we wanted to do. He drove us around the island, telling us a lot of interesting facts and history and answering all of our questions. We were able to tell him the most important things we wanted to do and he completely accommodated us and let us spend as much time as we needed to at each location. He also knew all of the flight times that planes would be landing at Maho Beach. Would totally recommend this tour. So worth it!
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Posted On : 2022-06-12 17:20:10

Posted By : Barbara_D
Domingo met us at the port and spent the better part of the day sharing his knowledge about the island and showing us the highlights of both the Dutch and French sides of the island. He is extremely knowledgeable and personable. It was a great day.
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Posted On : 2022-04-10 19:35:33

Posted By : Patty_F
Excellent guide. Selected activities that our teens and young children thought were awesome - like feeding iguanas! Best ever.
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Posted On : 2022-04-01 06:59:37