Wrigley772

I am going to Aruba with my girlfriend and was wondering if it would be worthwhile to get a rental car? We are staying at the Hyatt if the location matters. Any other advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

sceneisle

Just returned from Aruba yesterday. I guess it depends on how much sight-seeing you want to do. If you will be staying around the hotel, Palm & Eagle Beaches, Orangestad and the surrounding areas, you could probably get around via the island's bus line. If you plan on daily trips to the other side of the island (natural bridge, caves, etc.), you might want to rent a car. We did all our sightseeing in a few days. After that, we probably could have relied on the bus; albeit an inconvenience.

TioGringo

Car rentals on Aruba can often be dirt cheap. I was able to snag on a small Toyota for about $25/day. Considering that a taxi would have cost $20 one-way from the airport to the hotel, having the car for a few days made a lot of sense, IMHO. Plus Aruba is *SO* easy to drive around in, after all, the island is only, what, maybe 20 miles long -- if that...

Have fun!
Mark
www.tiogringo.com

greenie

Get a car. Aruba is the kind of island you can just hop in the car and go. Very easy to navigate! There are great beaches to snorkel from and wonderful restaurants everywhere.

We rented from Tropic in September. Hans Dhooge met us at the airport. Great car, great guy! Agree with previous poster...car rentals are dirt cheap in Aruba. We had a toyata yaris (like a tercel) for $160 for the week and that included tax and insurance.

Have fun, Greenie

aspinxtreem

My boyfriend and I were in Aruba last May and were also unsure about renting a car. Definitely don't have to worry about it until you get there. We found two days (out of the seven we were there) was plenty. We got a 4x4, as recommended by many, and found it was less than $30/day. There were mostly unpaved roads and rocky hills where we went and we were pretty glad we got the four wheel drive. We drove around the entire island, stopping at the lighthouse, the natural bridge (way overrated) and many other spots. It was great to see the "non-touristy" parts of the island but I would say two days to do it is fine. You are going to LOVE the Hyatt. The restaurants there are great, it is a great location, and they have a cool little open air bar with live music every night. It's a good place to just hang out in the great weather and enjoy some drinks. We stayed just down the beach from the Hyatt and found getting downtown was no problem at all. The buses are pretty constant and really cheap. Just ask around. We drove downtown one night and found parking was a pain and that public trans was just easier. Not to mention that staying right on Palm Beach, you can just walk to so many restaurants and bars down the beach. Hope that helps!

tengohambre

If you will be in Aruba during a "vacation week," for example President's Week or Easter, etc., then you definitely should reserve a car in advance. A car is a great benefit on the island. All the dealers get sold out quickly. I had a horrendous experience - as in one of the worst of my many years of traveling - at the Thrifty rental location at the airport. While the story is long, suffice it to say they produced a hunk of junk and, when I asked for "any other car because this one is leaking and shaking" they refused to give me any option, refused to let me speak to a manager (literally, while speaking to the manager in town refusing to hand me the phone, although I pleaded for the receiver) and said "if you don't like it go elsewhere." I said I would. I spent 20 minutes during a holiday trying to find another car. I finally did, at a much higher price. When I returned to the Thrifty counter to say "may I have my credit card receipt back" they said "no, we are charging you for a day's rental." "What? -- if that's the case then I want the car." "Sorry, we just rented it to someone else." "And you have the nerve to charge me?"

Later that day I called the manager of Thrifty on Aruba and he was very helpful, apologized and eliminated the charge. Nevertheless, the experience left a terrible taste in my mouth such that I will never rent from Thrifty again, even if it means squeezing my entire family onto a skate board and telling everyone to push.

girlonthego

We went to Aruba last spring break and did not rent a car. If we go again, we would. We stayed at the very end of Palm Beach (just a few doors down from the Hyatt at the Marriott).I really felt we didn't need a car. Maybe it would have been nice for a day trip to baby beach to snorkel,but other than that we spent our days at the beach and pool in front of the Marriott. All of the watersports will be right in front of your hotel. We took cabs at night to dinner. We didn't have to worry about who was going to drive home after a couple of drinks. It was just easier to taxi it. It cost about 5 dollars each way for dinner. It cost about 25 dollars from the airport one way. We were on vacation so we didn't think about it much. It is probably cheaper to just rent a car. If you don't, have your taxi stop at the grocery store on your way to the hotel. We picked up some sodas and beer for our room. Aruba is great and the Hyatt looks gorgeous from the outside! I am sure it is just a nice inside!