By prearrangement, a luxury resort like the Guanahani will pick up guests at Juliana Airport on St. Maarten and transfer them by private speedboat to the hotel's dock. The island has also long been a popular destination with yachtsmen. The cars most in demand are VW beetles or little open Gurgels and Mini-Mokes. Considering the hilly roads, these are the cars that make most sense, but drivers must know how to operate a stick shift. The island is crisscrossed with about 25 miles of steep narrow and winding roads, so careful driving is advised.
Weekly rentals are more economical.
There are two gas stations on the island, but neither one is open on Sunday. St. Barts' first all-night automatic gas pump recently opened at the airport station. It uses magnetically sensitized cards, on sale at the station for 50F minimum. A few hotels have their own fleet of cars. Because of limited parking space at their properties, these hotels may request that you book cars through them.