carolemg

Hi all,

I've just started looking into organising a rental vehicle for our holiday in Eleuthera this December. We'll be there for a week - is a jeep really necessary or can we make do with a car? I know some of the roads (including ours on banks road) are in pretty bad shape but to what extent?! Any inside info. re. how much we should pay and who we should go through would be much appreciated!! Also - how much should we expect to pay for fuel?

Thanks in advance

Carole

jhshiver

Not sure where Banks road is, but we have visited Eleuthera several times and usually have had a car with no problem, and we've been all over the island from one end to the other. Just be advised that the vehicle you rent will probably be en old GM or Ford where the odometer stoped working at 165,000 miles. But since you will be going 40 mph, it doesn't matter. Also, gas prices shouldn't be an issue, since there isn't very far to go, but you'll think the car is a bit pricy. E-mail me if you have any quetions.

caribtraveler

We rented a car during our '07 stay. If I were to do it, I'd do a jeep. We did quite a bit of driving and some of the access roads to the beaches were pretty bad. There were a couple of beaches we ended up not going to because it had rained and there were potholes filled with water that looked way too deep for our car. We just didn't want to get stuck.
Back in '07, gas was close to $5/gallon and the car was $60/day.

ishkribbl

We stayed in that area in April 2008 and rented an (old) Suzuki "jeep" from Stanton Cooper- very nice man- the vehicles, as others said, are more often than not old and pretty worn. Ours was fine- great AC- and we were glad for the extra height and ground clearance on very rough terrain like going to Lighthouse Beach ( a "do not miss" in my opinion). The cost between the car and the "jeep" was small so we thought it was well worth the difference. Which house are you renting (some are farther down a bumpy road than others)?

ishkribbl

PS I am guessing from your verbage and spelling that you are British or Canadian? Gas prices might be far different for us and you even in our own countries or even areas of the US. I know gas was about 1 1/2 times or even twice what we were accustomed to at home (southern US) at the time of our visit- no telling now- but we have found that all over the islands due to the import issues and costs. I will tell you that we travelled all over Eleuthera all week long and actually burned very little gas so I don't think it is a major budget issue.

carolemg

Hi, thanks everyone for all the info im swaying towards a jeep mainly for the journey to lighthouse beach. We've had a bad experience of being stuck in a beach in the middle of Donegal, Ireland that we'd hate to repeat! We have been offered a 'Ford Explorer Sports Utility Vehicle' for $70 per day from Taylor & Taylor which sounds about right.

Ishkribbl - well spotted, im Scottish! we're staying at windchat, ru familiar with the house?

x x x

ishkribbl

Carole- That price seems fair. I think I know where Windchat is- I am pretty sure we passed it (or the sign at the drive) as we went farther down that road to the house we rented in NPP. The photos look lovely- have a great time!

carolemg

Thank you so much, I really cant wait!

Thanks also for the info

ishkribbl

I always wonder why people dredge up years old threads and add to them long after the OP has traveled. Sorry you did not have a good experience but everyone else I know had a good one as did we. Almost all of the rentals in Eleuthera are (understandably) "beaters"- it's not like they have readily available parts to fix things and the weather takes a tremendous toll quickly on vehicles, as well.

ishkribbl

PS I do think also that the rule of thumb for travelers anywhere ought to be "you get what you give"- we always give a friendly, polite and respectful attitude to people in service industries when we travel and we get that in return. Mr. Cooper was a complete gentleman and a helpful and friendly man when we did business with him.