Do I need a car at Aruba

I just got confirmed for a 1 bedroom/1 bath villa for mid May. This is my first trip. The question is do I really need a car at Aruba for the week. If yes, what is the best rental places there that isn't going to cost me an arm and a leg. Thinking something like a convertible or jeep.

We have been to Aruba seven times. The first time we did not reserve a vehicle. The second day there we got one. Have been renting one every since. We like to be able to go when and where we want. And Aruba is one place that you can do just that. My advise is to rent a jeep and explore the whole island. Last time there, Royal had the best rates for a jeep. A good place to look is visitaruba.com. They have links to almost all the rental agencies.

You'll find opinion split on this issue. many visitors (including myself) prefer the ease and availibility of having a car. However, I have friends who prefer to use cabs, which are plentiful and relatively inexpensive. There are a lot of great restaurants by the OC and the SC, some even within walking distance. A car gives you the freedom to explore a little, go into town to shop or whatever, etc.

I never rent a car. I don't want to drive there, period. Cabs and buses are all very good and relatively inexpensive and that's are means of transportation for our 3 weeks.

There are alot of car rentals companies there. The popular ones are Tropic, Econo, (not economy), TRAC (Toyota), Thrifty, Royal, and a few others.

We have been there several times. In a timeshare, I think it is definitely worth having a car. In a hotel, I could go either way. The car will let you do a bit of exploring and some restaurants are a bit far away. If you plan to go downtown - for shopping etc. - there is ample free parking near the Renaissance resort.

Check out this site for EVERYTHING you want to know about Aruba:
http://www.aruba-bb.com/

Econo

We have been to Aruba 3 times and we have always gotten the best deal from Econo. Last time we had a brand new car!

I would never have been a person to rent a car in a foreign country...

But we did in Aruba!


The Marriott has extremely expensive food. I think it was like $10 for a hot dog...


I'm not sure we really saved too much versus a taxi, but we did definitely leave the resort every day, sometimes twice a day.

We like to explore the island so it looks like we will rent a car. We may splurge a bit and get a convertible however do we need 4-wheel drive? If we tour the island by ourselves is there parts of the island that isn't paved?

Is Jeep necessary?

I'm going in less than 2 wks and I'm leaning towards renting for convenience if nothing else. Are the roads in good shape?

I've got a toddler and an infant so we're not doing off roading/ natural bridge so do I need a Jeep or will a simply small car do?

Places of interest to us include Baby Beach, Butterfly farm, and the semi submarine, as well as Ling's if that's helpful.

I made the mistake of getting a regular car in St. John and I flooded the engine going through standing water, almost missing the ferry and my return flight back!

ffxjack said:

I'm going in less than 2 wks and I'm leaning towards renting for convenience if nothing else. Are the roads in good shape?

I've got a toddler and an infant so we're not doing off roading/ natural bridge so do I need a Jeep or will a simply small car do?

Places of interest to us include Baby Beach, Butterfly farm, and the semi submarine, as well as Ling's if that's helpful.

I made the mistake of getting a regular car in St. John and I flooded the engine going through standing water, almost missing the ferry and my return flight back!

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A regular car is fine for your purposes.

To answer leylandpark's question- get a Jeep if you want to go to the natural bridge/off-road areas on the other side of the island. If you want to stay on the hotel side everything is paved and a regular car or convertible will be fine, but a Jeep is rec. for the more adventurous.

chrisnwillie said:

I never rent a car. I don't want to drive there, period. Cabs and buses are all very good and relatively inexpensive and that's are means of transportation for our 3 weeks.

There are alot of car rentals companies there. The popular ones are Tropic, Econo, (not economy), TRAC (Toyota), Thrifty, Royal, and a few others.

Click to expand...

To add to that list, we used ACE and the guy gave us a great deal. The best rate we were able to get thru Alamo, he beat that rate and gave us a bigger vehicle than we had reserved. Just fyi...

I checked with y local AAA office. For tuggers with AAA auto insurance, please be aware that AAA does not cover you when traveling out of the United Sates. There are special provisions for traveling in Mexico and Canada and you should check with your local AAA insurance for those provisions. So when renting a vehicle in Aruba, make sure to buy their insurance or look at your credit credit if they provide the extra insurance.

This is for California AAA. Check your local insurance to confirm.

Rental Car in Aruba

We are in Aruba now. I strongly recommend NOT using Alamo/National. The price was good compared to others I checked and Tropic Car Rental (Hans) did not have anything available. However, we waited forever for a Dodge (?) Lancer to be brought around from their lot that is dirty, scratched up and a piece of junk. There were no other cars available anywhere since it is the busy season or we would have walked away. It is nice to have a car - particularly if you want to go to the market and do other things on your own schedule. However parking in the busy areas, such as near where many restaurants are located in the high rise hotel area, is very difficult.