Car hire at Airport

[JH02JLH]

Unfortunately it's the reason we decided not to book the villa we saw in Cala San Vicente - I wasn't prepared to pay 800 euros plus for a hire car.

Next year I'm definitely looking into the possibility of driving to Mallorca. We're only two and a half hours from Barcelona where we're staying in France so it's really not a huge journey.

 

[Sparky]

Jane just be aware that the cost of the ferry is quite high .

 

[Smiddy]

PP

I've always used a car in 2 out of my 3 annual visits. I'm hoping this problem may be confined to high season, if not then i'm simply not interested in paying ridiculous prices. I wouldn't blame Mallorca itself as i've had some great deals over the years.

Appreciate some people depend on a car, don't forget it is quite easy to get about the island by bus, ask yourself, "Do i really need a car?" If more people said "No" then i've no doubt the car companies would soon re-eveluate their strategy.

 

[Sparky]

You are so right Smiddy. It's supply and demand, pure greed.

 

[JH02JLH]

Jane just be aware that the cost of the ferry is quite high .

Yes, I know. I was researching it this year and was surprised at the prices. Probably on a par with four flights!

Appreciate some people depend on a car, don't forget it is quite easy to get about the island by bus, ask yourself, "Do i really need a car?" If more people said "No" then i've no doubt the car companies would soon re-eveluate their strategy.

Funnily enough, I had this conversation with hubby the other day. Thinking of the villa we booked last year he maintained that we could have done without a car, but there is no way I was going to stagger back from Eroski with bags of shopping or attempt to walk along the busy main road in the dark after a meal! Constantly using a taxi would be really expensive so if we rent a villa we have no option but to have a hire car. However, if we rented an apartment in the port it would be lovely to go without a car for two weeks!

 

[Sharonh]

Hi Jane

Just so that you know Eroski now deliver for about €4 or €5. We haven't used this service as we have two supermarkets very near our apartment and just nip round each day but the delivery service may be the answer for big shops.

We are currently in PP and, for the first time, decided we didn't need a car. We decided that €800 would pay for an awful lot of taxis! Also during the summer we tend to say in the Port during the day and only head up to the old town in the evenings. We have actually used the public bus on the evenings we have gone to Pollenca - €1.10 each, and got a taxi back for €9.

We have missed the absolute freedom that a car gives you but not to the extent that we would have parted with €800!

We booked a hire car for 9 days in October 2009 just a few weeks ago and it was €150 which I think is reasonable and compares to the price we paid last year. Maybe it is just a July & August issue.

Regards

Sharon

 

[sws97sdg]

Have to agree about the bus and taxis great value. Our villa was 10 mins walk to the town, so when we went to the port in the evening we caught the bus for €3.30 and got a taxi back for €9.50 cost, £11, good value for a night out I think. You could use the bus for shopping as well, it stops near them all. We get a car in with the villa package so it didn't affect us this year, but the car sits on the drive for 80% of the time, I am sure we could do without it.

 

[JH02JLH]

That's good to know, thanks!

I sometimes dream of holidays where I don't have to drive and try and park, etc, so this may be a way around it.

 

[ragdollabbi]

Sharon
Who did you book the car with for October? What was included ( fuel, insurance etc) £150 is still almost double what we paid for a week last year in October (with Hertz) but at least it's better than over £200.

 

[ryansclan]

We booked a hire car for 9 days in October 2009 just a few weeks ago and it was €150

I think the quote is in Euros and for 9 days rather than a week so this seems OK to me similar to last year out of season. I've also booked 4 days in October for 79 euros including full excess waiver with Record.

 

[eleanor]

I spoke with a friend who has just returned from Italy and it seems the car rental problem is the same there too. It's an awful situation but I feel happy that it isn't just Mallorca suffering. Lets hope the rental companies sort their act ready for next year. I agree that many including myself, will think seriously of alternative means of transport whilst in PP. Most of the time the car sits outside the villa anyway!

 

[Sharonh]

Ragdoll

We booked using 'doyouspain.com' and were allocated Record.

Regards

Sharon

 

[whaleywanderer]

Our villa was 10 mins walk to the town, so when we went to the port in the evening we caught the bus for €3.30 and got a taxi back for €9.50 cost, £11, good value for a night out I think.

Hope this is a mistake sws, if not it's not very good value.

 

[whaleywanderer]

?Time share car hire?

Just strikes me that there are so many people on the forum wanting car hire that some sort of time share may be the answer.

 

[JH02JLH]

Do you mean an official PP forum car? What a good idea!

 

[Gommar Goffer]

Jane - I think we would need a fleet of them

GG

 

[sws97sdg]

No its right whalley, which bit did you find expensive?

 

[whaleywanderer]

No its right whalley, which bit did you find expensive?

Just done a quick calculation sws and at todays rate 9.50€ would be £8.18 (0.86 or 1.16) so the rate of exchange at the time would have been extremely bad for 9.50€ to = £11.

Think I've got it right

 

[sws97sdg]

Sorry for confusing you, I meant 3.30 + 9.50 which is 12.80, which I very roughly worked out to be £11, I try not to convert back all the time, I try to work in Euros when I am there, hope that clears it up.

 

[whaleywanderer]

Sorry for confusing you, I meant 3.30 + 9.50 which is 12.80, which I very roughly worked out to be £11, I try not to convert back all the time, I try to work in Euros when I am there, hope that clears it up.

Thanks sws, it doesn't take much to confuse me nowadays but I understand where you are coming from now.