Azores Islands- anyone rented a car or a taxi?
Jul 2nd, 2007, 06:18 AM
#1
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Azores Islands- anyone rented a car or a taxi?
My two sisters and their significant others are traveling to the Azores in July. They are trying to rent a car for a few days on each island. The other option is to hire a car and driver. The car rental rates they are hearing are very high. Anyone have any thoughts?
Jul 2nd, 2007, 07:39 AM
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Maybe try www.autoeurope.com
A sample reservation of a economy size car from/to Ponta Delgada airport got a quote of $216/wk.
A sample reservation of a economy size car from/to Ponta Delgada airport got a quote of $216/wk.
Jul 5th, 2007, 01:08 AM
#6
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I got along just fine with taxicabs on Sao Miguel (largest Island) and Terceira.
You're talking about 2-couples (i.e., four people): you might need two cabs or a minivan, especially from the airport(s) to your Hotel(s). Most of the full size TaxiCabs on those two islands are pretty good size Mercedes.
You're talking about 2-couples (i.e., four people): you might need two cabs or a minivan, especially from the airport(s) to your Hotel(s). Most of the full size TaxiCabs on those two islands are pretty good size Mercedes.
Jul 5th, 2007, 02:37 AM
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I have been to 5 out of 9 islands in the Azores, and we never rented a car. On Sao Miguel we used both local busses and taxis, on the others we hired a taxi. We also did some hiking, and made deals with taxis that they come to a certain spot at a certain time to pick us up. It never failed.
Jul 5th, 2007, 05:41 AM
#8
Where are they arriving? Are they mostly interested in towns or countyside? I've been to the Azores many times, primarily to Terceira, Faial and Pico. On those islands I would recommend a car. Not because you can't get about by taxi and bus, but because a car will allow you to explore the beauty of the islands spending as much time as you like where you like and discovering new delights. The driving is easy, and because the islands are small it is difficult to get lost. The rental price of 800 euro for four days seems way off base. The going rate is usually about 25-50 euro/day with unlimited km and less for a full week. The lower price gets you something quite small like a Matiz with a manual transmission. The higher will get you something bigger or an automatic such as a Renault Clio. Something like a Clio is sufficient for 4 people and you wouldn't want anything too big on the islands in any case. Do they really plan to visit all nine of the Islands? a few are quite small and a "few days" would seem excessive.
