Simpson Bay Private Tours: Island Drives and Anguilla

Choosing Simpson Bay private tours by route

Simpson Bay private tours make particular sense when your island plans cross between a beach base, lagoon surroundings and the French and Dutch sides. A customised drive lets you put those interests into a route, while a private Anguilla outing makes the international crossing and beach programme the focus. These are different uses of a private booking, so begin with the destination rather than the word private.

The main island choices are a four-hour private drive with pickup and drop-off and a five-hour customised route starting at the EDC Parking Lot. Anguilla is a six-hour alternative with boat transport, a host and a fuller beach-day package. For a stay around Simpson Bay, the starting arrangement is part of choosing between them: a port-area meeting and an accommodation pickup create different mornings. The transport guide explains the local starting areas.

Five hours with a driver and guide for your group

The five-hour customised day tour begins at the EDC Parking Lot. Its 439 USD fare covers a private group of up to 8 people. A customised itinerary, driver and guide, and drinks are included; gratuity is extra. It suits a party travelling together that wants a shared island route and can use that named meeting point.

A group quote is useful here because the same total can be divided among the people actually travelling. With four participants, 439 USD works out at 109.75 USD each. With eight, the arithmetic is 54.875 USD each, or about 54.88 USD rounded. Those examples explain the division of the group total; the booked product remains a 439 USD group fare. A smaller party divides the same total among fewer travellers.

The custom route can centre on the contrast between the French and Dutch sides or include a requested Simpson Bay visit. Choose the interests first, then place them within the five-hour outing. The island's southern part is Sint Maarten and its northern part is Saint-Martin; the lagoon itself spans both jurisdictions. A route designed around that geography offers a concrete reason to book privately with your own travelling party.

When a shared outing is a better fit

For one or two travellers who mainly want an introduction to both island sides, the shared 4.5-hour island tour at 53 USD per person is the simpler budget comparison. It includes transport, a guide and one drink and starts at the cruise port in Philipsburg. If its existing route matches your interests, a private vehicle adds a substantial cost for a small party.

For eight travellers, the private group fare divided equally is close to that shared per-person fare, with the private trip lasting five hours and offering a customised route. This is a useful comparison of format and cost, rather than a claim that either option is a small-group product. The shared outing's total passenger count is not the basis of the decision. Our tour comparison covers the shared island alternative in more detail.

A couple considering the four-hour private option should therefore value its private format and included pickup as part of the purchase. A larger party considering the EDC departure should focus on the group total, starting location and customised itinerary. Matching the transport and programme to the party is more informative than assuming every private tour will be the same kind of day.

Private Anguilla with lunch and beach facilities

The private Anguilla excursion costs 429 USD per person and lasts six hours. It includes a personalised day itinerary, a host, return boat transfers, immigration fast track and departure tax. Lunch consists of a choice of dishes, alongside five complimentary beverages in total. Beach chairs, an umbrella, a shower and bathroom, and a beach attendant complete the included beach facilities.

Choose this option when Anguilla itself is the priority and you want the crossing and beach programme together. It is a different purchase from a customised drive around Sint Maarten and Saint-Martin. Prepare a passport and the entry documents applicable to your nationality as part of the international journey. The Anguilla guide explains the separate public ferry and Meads Bay transfer-package alternatives.

Keep the included departure tax attached to this package when comparing costs. The simpler Meads Bay package has both departure taxes extra, and the public ferry from Marigot has its own fare and head charge. For a boat day, leave room for weather-related changes in your wider schedule. The season guide describes the drier and wetter parts of the year without turning them into a promise about conditions on your chosen day.