Hello to all. I am a frequent traveler to the wonderful island of Aruba, and I always rent a vehicle when I arrive at the airport (I thoroughly enjoy the freedom of a car rental as opposed to public transportation). Being a creature of habit (maybe it's the Virgo in me...), I usually get a vehicle from the same company at the airport: "Top Drive." After a rather unusual experience with the company last year (I won't bore you with the details) and reading posts from other forums, I am now of the opinion that some of that company's activities could easily be labeled as nefarious. I did however, hear that other companies like "Royal" are very reputable, and I was interested in renting from them this year. Does any body have an opinion with respect to Royal or any other renal company for that matter? Thanks in advance.

Does the #5 train stop at Reina Beatrix International?

Hey,
I rented Jeep Wrangler from Royal in August 2005. The car was kind of shaky while driving on the flat road, I had a bad feeling about the car, I asked Royal to give me another car, because I felt it was unsafe for the off-road, the following day they brought in brand new Jeep Wrangler which was much better and felt safer. Anyways, I do not recommend you renting Jeep Wrangler, because there are better 4x4 you can rent in Aruba. Royal is a good rental agency, they are accomodating and reasonable. I rented from them via Bucuti resort front desk.
Would I be renting from them again? Probably, also depends on the price I guess.

I appreciate the response. Royal is sounding like a very viable choice.

Does the #5 train stop at Reina Beatrix International?

I alway's go with the best price as we are there for a little over two weeks. You will get many different answers from different people. But as long as the price is right and the car is in decent shape we are happy. This will be my 6th trip and I have used, Ace, Caribbean twice, Econo, and Royal. I have never really had a problem with any of them. Right now I am doing some pricing and will decide within the next week who I will reserve with. I don't mind a car with a few scratches on it, especially in Aruba we go snorkeling and exploring and I don't have to worry about damaging a new car.

Good luck in your search and have a great vacation!

I am renting from Thrifty in two weeks. Most of the rental agencies only have compact cars and if the picture on your post is of you, you are also a big guy. I rented a midsized car as the full size cars were really pricey. On the Thrify site directly they have a 15% discount and I think the weeks rental was about $170 in total.

Again, I appreciate the responses. They are indeed very helpful! I'm worried about the rates, but I am also worried about the reputation of the company itself. Last year when I rented from Top Drive, I thoroughly inspected the car upon picking it up at the airport. After my first night in Aruba, I noticed a large dent on the top of the hood. I was pretty sure it wasn't there when I picked up the vehicle, and the location of the dent was not in an area where it could have been caused by contact with another vehicle. I was fortunate enough to have an employee at the hotel pull the dent out for $20 (a little FYI if you get into a minor fender-bender) and I was able to return the car with no penalties. I was however disturbed by the dent because of its location on the vehicle, and because I didn't see it until the car was parked at the hotel for 2 hours. I'm not prone to fits of paranoia, but when I came back home I was checking some other boards and I saw people complaining of similar incidents with this car company. One gentleman on another board said that he lost the key for the car, and then after topdrive came to the hotel to give him a spare key, the spare tire in the trunk was stolen. He was subsequently charged a fee for the tire by the company, and they told him that whomever found the key probably stole the tire. However, when he got back to the United States he found the lost key in his belongings. Although I'm not trying to be defamatory with respect to anyone's business, I would prefer to rent from a company that is not prone to a lot of "unexplained phenomena." I could go to the Bermuda Triangle for that

Does the #5 train stop at Reina Beatrix International?

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When Will Dh Take Me Back to Aruba?

We have rented from Royal, Optima, Thrifty and Value with no problems.

Aruba Trip Reports

I too recommend TROPIC
No gimmicks, no fooling around
no problems with TROPIC

Hans Dhooge is the owner and it is a 3 person operation.
Hans, Mrs Dhooge and i cannot remember her first name, and Denis.

Their vehicles are reliable, clean and cost efficient.
Most of their cars are Toyota Yaris.

I liked being greeted at the airport by Hans or his co-workers.
Tropic makes us feel important, welcomed and is appreciative of our business.