kmb1116

You've been very helpful to us as we've planned our June honeymoon to Anguilla, St. Martin, and St. Kitts. Our travel agent is another story. We found her from the Virtuoso website and have been disappointed with her questionable knowledge and substandard level of service. Most recently, she says that it's impossible to rent cars on Anguilla. I did a quick search on this site and others to find several places that rent cars, and I just want to confirm this is true! We're thinking about using Ronnie Bryan. Does anyone have any input? Thank you so much!

A_Traveller

Whether you can rent a car or not depends on your age. Most car rental companies won't rent to anyone under the age of 25. Age limits vary from island to island and there's always the possibility you'll find someone somewhere who will rent to underage people. You have to ask around.

ejcrowe

The age caveat aside, yes you can rent cars on Anguilla. Perhaps your agent was confused with Bermuda, where tourist may not rent cars.

Callaloo

Of course you can rent cars (assuming you're eligible). We used Avis a few weeks ago (reserved online). From what I understand, the agencies charge comparable prices for comparable vehicles. Driving is easy -- go for it!

DavefromCA

KMB1116,

I highly recommend Ronnie Bryan. We used him in December and he is very helpful. His email is [email protected]. His cell phone number is 264.476.6407.

Make sure you get to Nevis when you're on St. Kitts!

Dave

tyedye33

You can rent a car on Anquilla but you will have to buy an Anquilla Drivers license (no test involved just fork over the cash)

beachdreams3

I agree with everyone else; car rentals are the norm on Anguilla since the beaches and restaurants are spread out, there is no public transportation, and taxis get expensive.

Here are some other suggestions and websites for you to check:

1. List of agencies: http://www.anguillaguide.com/article/archive/66/

2. Bryan’s Car Rental - http://www.nancweb.com/bryans/

3. Island Car Rentals - http://www.islandcar.ai/

I'm heading to Anguilla for the first time in a couple of weeks, and I went with Island Car Rental because I am flying into AXA, and they are within walking distance of the airport. In Anguilla, rental car agencies are not supposed to pick up passengers at the airport or ferry terminal (to ensure some business for taxi drivers)or meet incoming passengers, so some people just take a taxi to their hotel and have the car delivered there later or the next day.

I think I read that Ronnie Bryan sometimes leaves cars in the parking lot at Blowing Point (ferry).

Finally, the temporary AXA drivers' license is $20/driver, and I believe it just involves a minimal amount of paperwork.

ALR

I had a similar experience with a Virtuoso travel agent. When the AXA airport was closed, I walked in and asked if a travel agent could help me get to Anguilla. The reply was "If the airport is closed, you can't get there." He had no idea about suing SXM. There are a number of car rental companies in Anguilla. But none of them have desks at the airport. It's best to book ahead. If you book Avis online, you will get a 10% reduction in rate. And they won't charge extra for a second driver if you have AAA. Also, if there's a problem, at least you're dealing with a U.S. company. Island is a favorite rental company that I use as much as Avis. They all have similar cars and rates, so it doesn't much matter which one you use. I'd recommend taking out the additional insurance, which is something I never do anywhere else. But after reading the fine print on my policy I realized that although I'm insured in Anguilla, they won't cover any lawsuits outside of the U.S. or damages casued by uninsured motorists outside of the U.S. Above postes have provided links. Good luck!

myfavblueberry

If you do the research you'll find that TA's are pretty much unnecessary these days.

We quit using ours when booking a back to back cruise that would've netted us a 200$pp credit if we had booked it ourselves....she didn't even send us anything, told our parents she was....anyhoo, even tho shes a family friend, we do our own booking now.

kmb1116

Thanks for the messages, everyone! I really appreciate all the helpful links and information.

I'm sure that other TAs are better. I had done all the research myself anyway, but after seeing people highly recommend Virtuoso thought maybe she would have some connections/what have you that I didn't have access to. Turns out that she found exactly the same things I did and sometimes couldn't find what I was able to (in this example). We're also using her because we tried another TA for our destination wedding to set up hotel blocks/group airfare for our guests and she is also terrible and doesn't know what the guests are talking about when they try to call. I will be planning my own trips from now on- thanks for the opportunity to vent

Wazzy

My daughter & I were there 2 years ago staying at the Ku. We rented a car from the guy right next door to the Ku. It was about $200.00 for the week. A lot cheaper than going to an agency. He just handed both of us a drivers license that said "DRIVE ON THE LEFT!"

TPAYT

We also rented a car from "Uncle Ernie", next door to "Ku", and it all was very easy. We stayed at "Shoal Bay Villas" on the other side of "Ku". Both resorts were great, and Uncle Ernies's food at lunch was some of the best for casual food. He also rents those wonderful rubber floats. Get one for the week and drag it up to your room at night. The calm water of Shoal Bay is perfect for floating. I saw my first "sun dog" while I was floating there--what a thrill!

absolutkz

I used Ronnie Bryan, and would use him again. He brought the car to Ku, and let me leave it at the ferry. There was a minimal parking fee for the lot at the ferry.

PandyB

You should report your travel agent to Virtuoso corporate. They are supposed to be highly trained, certified Virtuoso agents, and if you feel you weren't getting the level of information you felt she should have provided, you're probably not the only one.

[email protected]

kmb1116

PandyB- yes, we're planning on doing that once we get back from our trip. We've already talked with her twice about being disappointed with her level of service and clarified our expectations (which are not unusual!) and she is still getting back to us late, etc. It really is a shame because we had heard such good things about Virtuoso before.

justme22

yes you can rent a car on aguilla and i recommend it highly so you can see different beaches. Unlike everyone else, i cannot recommend Ronnie Bryan at all. horrible experience. contacted him got everything arranged, and when we got to the house, no car, no message from bryan no bryan to be found. no email no nothing a complete no show. no explination. our house rental agent, got us a car from avis that same afternoon, she took me over to avis in her personal car and got us squared away. thanx to Kendra and Island dreams.

Kelly1212

We used Avis when we went to Anguilla in December and were quite pleased. We contemplated using Ronnie Bryan or Island, but ultimately decided we'd be better protected using a U.S.-based company. Though we didn't encounter any problems, so we never really found out!