Car Rental at Airport

[CandyC55]

I need to know how to go about renting a car , picking it up at airport on our arrival, what car rental company and is this a good idea?? Or should we wait take taxi to marriott and rent from there? what are some car rental companies ...

[amarg]

I am not much help as it's my first Auba trip. I can share what I've learned from the forum and my research.
Renting a car from the airport costs more due to an airport surcharge or whatever. However, companies that don't have booths directly in the airport, will still pick you up there and drop you off or provide shuttle service.
The most suggested car rental places on the forum are Tropic and Econi. However, there ate many choices and just type "car rental" into the search engine to the left of this page.

I tried reserving with Tropic was told that they have zero cars available for the 2 weeks I'm there. So reserve early if you want a car for sure with a specific company.

I have decided to wait and see how it goes to rent a car while I'm there. The buses are apparently good and cheap. The taxi I'm using has a car seat and all cab fares are regulated and set so no surprises with a running meter.

[Arubalisa]

Airport car rental or not...

Car Rental
www.aruba.com/OurPeoplePlaces/Transportation/search/carrental.aspx?searchon=type

As Amarg stated, rentals at the airport are traditionally a bit more expensive due to additional taxes. The advantage of renting at the airport vs. the hotel is not having to pay for transfers or a taxi from the airport to your resort.

We have had excellent experiences with Amigo Rent a Car
www.aruba.com/OurPeoplePlaces/Transportation/Amigo_Rent_a_Car.aspx
as well as Avis Car Rental www.aruba.com/OurPeoplePlaces/Transportation/Avis_Car_Rental.aspx which is a local franchise and not corporate owned.

http://www.aruba.com/forum/tags/car%20rental.html There is almost as much car rental info here as there are rental agencies I can say from past experience, that the least expensive car may not be the "best" car. You very well may get what you are paying for.

Addtional info Car Rental www.aruba.com/OurPeoplePlaces/Transportation/Car_Rental.aspx

[amarg]

Hmmm, I agree with Lisa, I notice that some of the rental places only offer Toyota Yaris (I think that's right) and no other cars and I guess that is ok for short jaunts around but I don't know how it would be for sight seeing excursions or if you had a lot of baggage or other stuff to put into it from the airport. In my case, since I am bringing baby gear and stroller, I would only rent a small car like that once situated at the resort for treks to the store, restaurants, occasional shopping and such.
When I went home to Vancouver a couple of months ago, I rented a small car from Budget at the airport and first of all, they'd lost my reservation and it was a nightmare. Secondly, I had to upgrade to an SUV as they were out of midsize cars and all my baby stuff and bags wouldn't fit into the Yaris.
I have read on this forum and the other one, visitaruba.com, of people having bad experiences including mechanical trouble with some cheaper car rental places. I would go with a reputable company and that's recommended on here. If Lisa says Avis or Amigo, I would trust her implicitly.
I didn't know Avis was a franchise, that makes sense why the 1800 had no clue re car seats at the Aruba location.

[Arubalisa]

Originally Posted by amarg

I didn't know Avis was a franchise, that makes sense why the 1800 had no clue re car seats at the Aruba location.

This is exactly correct. What we consider North American car rental companies are "franchises". If seeking information from one of these "name brand" companies make sure you contact the office(s) in Aruba directly for first hand information. "Been there done that on Curacao as well "

[Windy]

We rented a Rav4 from USave (we were picked up at the airport, it's right around the corner!). Had a very good experience with them.

[CandyC55]

Windy couldn't find any info on U Save did you contact them in advance?

[Windy]

Originally Posted by CandyC55

Windy couldn't find any info on U Save did you contact them in advance?

Yes, our cousin did -- here's one link I found: http://www.usave.com/StarLocationDetail.aspx?fid=100033

[Arubalisa]

Originally Posted by CandyC55

Windy couldn't find any info on U Save did you contact them in advance?

Twice when trying to rent a vehicle upon arriving on the island during low season for a specific date, we found nothing available.

When renting a car on the island, even during low season, I always now advise reserving in advance. There are only a limited number of cars on the island. Some rental agencies such of Tropic book up full, many months in advance.

[jeffnev]

We recently rented at Budget at the airport and they were terrific to deal with. Their rates were good and the car choices were fine. Since it was only the 2 of us, a Toyaota Corolla was perfect and about $200 for the week. Check in and return was efficient and they are directly across from arrivals. if you decide to use them get on the Budget Aruba web page to reserve as it is about $10-$15 cheaper for the week than the Budget.com site. As Lisa said, these are local franchises are its best to deaal directly with them.