My husband and I hired a private boat in the Caribbean and it cost $200 per person for three hours, here are the details we wish we would have known before we left

**Cost:** $200 per person for a three hour private boat. It ended up being $240 total because we tipped $40. <br><br>**Getting There:** We flew into St. Maarten airport and took a taxi to the port where we met our captain and got on the boat. The taxi took about 20 minutes and cost $25 for two people.<br><br>**Booking:** We made the reservation as soon as we booked our flights and hotel. We had to pay a $100 deposit to secure the reservation. We made the full payment the day before and cancelled by 9am the morning of if we wanted a refund, otherwise it was non-refundable. <br><br>**Weather:** The weather forecast said it would be 87° and partly cloudy. It rained for about 10 minutes while we were on the boat but the rest of the time the weather was perfect. There was enough cloud coverage to prevent it from getting too hot.<br><br>**Itinerary:** We took a taxi to the port at 8:30 and met our captain at 9am. We set off at 9:15. At 10am we stopped at the first beach, at 11 we stopped at the second beach and at 12 we headed back to the port. We were back at the hotel at 1pm, so all in all it was a four hour day for us in total.<br><br>**Food and Drink:** The captain provided snacks and soda. He also had a cooler with water and beer. We tipped $40 and he gave us two more beers to take back to the hotel with us.<br><br>**Beaches:** The first beach was a secluded beach that wasn't accessible by car. There was another couple there and the captain told us they were also on his boat. We thought we were getting a private boat to ourselves but it was actually a semi-private boat where we were the only two passengers. The captain stayed on the boat while we swam at the beach. The water was perfect - clear and cool. We swam for about 45 minutes and got back on the boat at 10:45. At 11 we stopped at a second beach that was accessible by car. This beach was much busier and had restaurants and shops. We swam here for about 45 minutes as well and got back on the boat at 12. <br><br>**Captain:** Our captain was very nice but not talkative. He pointed out a few things along the way but didn't say much throughout the three hours. He was willing to answer questions though. We asked him a few things about the island and he told us where to go for dinner.<br><br>**Details We Wish We Would Have Known:**<br><br>\- We didn't realize that we weren't getting a private boat to ourselves. It wasn't a big deal but would have been nice to know ahead of time.<br><br>\- We read reviews saying that you could ask the captain to play your music but you had to bring a cord. I'm not sure what type of cord we would have needed but we had a portable speaker and just played our own music on that. It was nice to have because the captain didn't play any music otherwise. <br><br>\- There was nowhere to change your clothes. We wore our bathing suits under our clothes and just took our outer clothes off. If you need to change from one bathing suit to another you might want to bring a towel or something to change behind. <br><br>\- There was nowhere to put your bags so we held ours the whole time we were on the boat.<br><br>\- There was nowhere to sit in the shade. We were in the sun the whole time. We took breaks at the beaches and had cloud coverage so it wasn't the worst but if you need to sit in the shade, you won't be able to.<br><br>\- There were no restrooms. We only had to go once and the captain dropped us off at the beach, so it wasn't much of an issue for us but you might want to keep that in mind if you have a small bladder.<br><br>\- Bring bug spray. We had mosquitoes following us on the way to the port and they were bad again when we got back.<br><br>\- Bring sunscreen. We had cloud coverage and only got sun for about 10 minutes but if you're fair skinned, you will burn in that 10 minutes. <br><br>\- Bring snacks if you need to eat throughout the day. We had a light breakfast thinking we would eat lunch at one of the restaurants at the beach but the restaurants were closed so we didn't eat again until we got back to the hotel at 1pm.<br><br>\- Bring a portable charger for your phone. We took a lot of pictures and I didn't realize my phone was dying until we were heading back to the port. The captain had a car charger but no portable charger.<br><br>**Overall Experience:** The overall experience was great. It was a beautiful island and we got to see a lot that we wouldn't have been able to see by car. It was nice to have a small boat where we could easily swim and get back on without having to worry about anyone else.<br><br>**Would We Recommend:** We would definitely recommend hiring a private boat. It was a great experience and we got to see a lot of the island. We plan on hiring another private boat next time we visit.