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Archive for February, 2012

Car Hire in Alicante

February 29th, 2012 No comments
Alicante, a city in Spain, is situated on the lap of the Mediterranean Sea. It is a major port of the Valencia district of Spain. Located between mountains and sea, it a famous tourist spot. Car hire Alicante is the best option to explore the city that offers an amazing juxtaposition of culture, history and modernity.

In the heart of the city there is the Postiguet Beach. The sandy beach is popular during the day and fairly busy during the evening when it's illuminated by sodium street lights. These give the beach and breaking waves a surreal effect. The white sand and clear blue waters with palm tree vegetation, makes it a favourite spot among the tourists. Using any of the car rentals, visit this beach and enjoy the amazing water sports at the Postiguet Beach. If you are interested in history and monuments, you should visit the Castle of Santa Bárbara situated on Mount Benacantil. It was built in the 10th century by Moors. It has everything, from moats, canons, to a tattered church and the perfect view of entire Alicante. There are two cafes also is you wish to take a break after all the sightseeing. During summers, between July and August, ‘castle evenings’ are organized where a lot of concerts take place. If you do not wish to go on foot by taking the winding paths through the mountain, go for car hire Alicante and visit the Castle. There is another castle, St. Ferdinand Castle, located on the Tossal Hill. It was built in the 19th century to prevent Napoleon’s advances and has articulate exteriors.

The most famous promenade of Alicante is La Explanada de España. The most distinguishing feature of this place is the 6.6 million tiles in red, black and cream colour depicting the waves of the Mediterranean. It offers a perfect getaway with palm trees, cafes, stalls with local handicrafts and the cool sea-breeze. The easiest way to reach this place would be by using the car rental services in Alicante. If you are an art lover, visit the Paseo de Gadea, where local artists display their works. The Museum of Contemporary Art is famous for its displays of old and new paintings by artists like Bacon and Picasso. Another interesting museum is the Bonfire Festivities Museum which has the paper sculptures from the festival of San Juan. Visit the museum to see how these beautiful art forms are made. If you are a fan of bull-fighting, explore the Bullfighting Museum which has all the artefacts from swords and capes to stuffed bulls.

Visit Alicante on the white coastline of Costa Blanca and enjoy the beaches, the marina, the sea-food, history and culture of Spain.

Simon Calder gets caught with car rental rip off

February 25th, 2012 No comments
Simon Calder the Independent's Travel expert has recently been involved in a car rental rip off in the USA.

According to his article in the 25th February 2012 edition of "Independent Traveller" he recently visited California. His moto is never to upgrade a US hire car and always order go for the basic model.

This time he arranged the rental via Holiday Autos and when he went to collect it, was offered a "Thanksgiving weekend upgrade special". He declined it and was then asked to initial the rental contract in the places he was asked to do. He had just had a 12 hour flight and like any traveller tired.

He discovered when his credit card bill came in and additional £26 had been added for the upgrade!  He took up the issue with Holiday Autos customer services who did a an efficient job looking into it and they got hold of a copy of the rental contract. This showed he had initialled for a better car.

This type of action by car hire receptionists, of getting customers to sign here, there and there is so similar to when my wife rented a car in Dublin via Irish Car Rentals the Europcar Ireland franchise operator. She declined their excess insurance has she had her own, however was told sign here, there and everywhere and when questioned later, although she has said she did not want it, but they said you signed for it so we are not refunding the money.

Do take great care and if you are tired, why not write on the contract "don't want upgrade" or "your excess insurance" even if it is one of those screen signature boxes that a lot of car hire companies are now using.

To see Simon Calder's article on line at The Independent, follow this link.
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Experiencing the Royal taste in London

February 24th, 2012 No comments

The London is well known for its royal antiquity and its Royal family. London is one of the most visited tourist places in the world. This ultra-modern city is generously famous for its top shops, fast foods and especially for the royal family of the kingdom. Most of the tourist places are centered at the tower of London. The unique architecture and elegant infrastructure represents each bits of the cities personality. If you want to experience the royalty look for the car rental in London services. There are tons of cheap car hire available across the London that could compensate for all your travel needs. If you are planning to experience the royalty in the city of royals then look for your best deals.

The London is a town adorned with the royalty at each and every single stretch of its length. There are tons of particular tourist sites in the London that could keep you spell bounded for some time. One of the must see location in the London is the ‘London eye' which is located at the bank of the river Thames, it is the largest exhibition wheel in the world and provide the tourist with the spectacular view of the London city. The view from the London eye is enchanting a experience of a life time.

The house of parliament is the, place that is credible of the visit. The gothic architectural structure consists of a large bell which is famously known as the big ben, which illuminates whenever the parliament proceedings are going on. This building was built in 1840. The whole of the place is blessed with the elegant architectural style and majestic infrastructure.

Other interesting places are the Buckingham Palace, The Tate Gallery of Modern Art and Tower Bridge etc. which will engulf you with the essence of elegance and royalty. These palaces take you to the life and time of the royal family and you could experience the same within yourself.

If you are planning on paying a visit to the London and that also in a Royal style then it would be better for you to opt for car rental in London services. Cheap car hire services are available at the airport and at major parts of the city. You are also provided with an option to book your car online, this will help you to get your car rental easily and without any hassle.

Looks like Irish car rental companies are still mis-selling car hire excess insurance

February 24th, 2012 No comments
I have just come accross this article on the Auto Exress web site "Watchdog: Mis-selling car hire cover" by Mike Gibbs on the 22nd February 2012.

Reading the report it looks like the same old story is cropping up again. According to his article - "Conor Mills from east London pre-booked a car to be picked up at Knock Airport, Ireland, through online broker CarHire3000. The best deal was through Budget.Conor Mills from east London pre-booked a car to be picked up at Knock Airport, Ireland, through online broker CarHire3000. The best deal was through Budget.The car was fully insured, but Conor paid CarHire3000 an extra £26 for an excess waiver, to avoid having to shell out the 1,200 Euro excess if he damaged the car. But the lady at the Budget desk at Knock Airport told him CarHire3000’s excess waiver policy had loopholes big enough to drive a car through. “She said the insurance did not cover any accidents deemed my fault, or repair time,” Conor told us.So he forked out another 45 Euros (£37) for Budget’s own excess waiver. This was totally unnecessary". See full story here

From personal experiences over the years and other peoples experiences, I have written about these continual problems on this blog and with articles on the insurance4carrental.com site How Irish car hire companies are not improving Irish Tourism, Car hire company in Ireland charges for unwanted excess insurance, Irish car hire companies are taking visitors for a ride  and then in November 2011 iCarhireinsurance published Dubious Dublin airport car rental staff

It is such a shame that these companies continue to do this to tourists, business people and even their own nationals returning to the home country for a few days. It is not a good advertisement for Irish Tourism and this is happening at entry points to the country. 

On a positive note however, on the last three occasions my wife or I have rented a car in Dublin we have used Hertz. We have told them we have our own excess insurance, we are then told that they will deduct several hundred euro from the credit card till the car is returned, but there is no pressure to take their own products, which probably like in the story in Auto Express is exactly the same coverage and in reality, they have the right to deduct the amount from the credit card, but don't actually debit the account, unless it is required.

Irish car rental companies you are giving Ireland a bad name. It is about time that you thought more about returning customers than making a fast buck from the one standing in front of you.
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Car Hire Alicante – A Ride through the Beaches of Spain

February 18th, 2012 No comments
Spain is beautiful. It is one of those mesmerizing beauties that cannot be defined in words. The beaches of Spain are a treat to the eyes and the soul. Amongst all the beaches located in Alicante, the Postiguet Beach remains one of the most favorite to the masses and the local residents of the city. This is one of those few sandy beaches that give you the picturesque view of nature. A ride through this beach can be a breath-taking experience. You can now go for car hire Alicante and enjoy an evening ride through the pristine Postiguet Beach in Spain.

Also known as the El Postiguet beach, the Postiguet Beach got its name from a pre-existing secondary gate that earlier provided entry to the main city of Alicante. As far as your eyes can see, the beach is surrounded by beautiful palm trees, which makes it an enchanting view to witness. During the summer nights, the beach becomes a meeting point for several love birds. Recently, the golden sand strip was renovated and opened for visitors. This sand strip is very close to the El Postiguet harbor, thus making it pretty easy for the visitors to reach it.

During the day time, this sandy beach remains very busy with people coming from all four corners. Car rental is the best way to get to the beach from any part of the world. All you must do is simply take your time out and come here. Car hire in Alicante will offer you excellent deals to make your way to this beautiful beach that takes a different turn in the evening. The evenings are usually busier with the sodium street lights flanking the beach and making it a perfect place to spend some good time with friends and family. The lighting effect of the Postiguet Beach created a surreal effect. It is a wonder to watch the breaking and cascading waves. If you love to travel to different beaches, Alicante will definitely be one of the cities listed on your mind.

Apart from the Postiguet Beach, you may also want to try the San Juan Beach in Spain. It is a long and beautiful beach that can be reached with a car rental. You need a car hire in Alicante to be here. The San Juan Beach is 7 kms long, and is known to be the finest places in Spain. Therefore, if you are planning to come to Spain, you simply cannot miss the opportunity to visit this place. The breath-taking beauty of these beaches and the turquoise clear water will keep you busy for hours. Sitting idle in the beach is the best thing you can do to spend your time.

Car hire shortages in Spain in the summer of 2012?

February 17th, 2012 No comments
Economy car hire issued a news release yesterday.

They said that one of the largest independent car hire companies in Spain has recently announced that they will cease trading causing a shortage of vehicles this summer.

AurigaCrown have been operating under administration for around two years, however, due to increasing costs and lower revenue, it has been decided that they will cease trading. As a result the availability of hire cars across mainland Spain will plummet. The loss of 15,000 vehicles in the market will cause prices to rise significantly in the coming months according to Economy Car Hire, one of the UK’s leading car hire brokers.
In both 2009 and 2010 there were availability issues due to the economic situation in Spain, making it difficult for car hire companies to raise finance in order to equip their fleets. 2012 is in danger of being even worse due to the fall in the number of cars.


Economy Car Hire warns customers that they must book early if they want to secure a hire car this summer. The costs of car hire will also rise, meaning that customers may end up paying more than double if they leave booking until the last minute, if there are any vehicles left at all.


“It is clear that the recent raft of exceptionally low prices has taken its toll on the car hire companies of Spain” says Rory Sexton, Managing Director of Economy Car Hire. “There is no doubt that following the failing of one company, the rest will increase their prices. The message is clear, book in advance.”


If you have already booked your holiday for the summer, Economy Car Hire advises that you book your hire car now. This way, you can choose the most suitable vehicle for your stay and not be left with something hugely inappropriate, or worse still, nothing at all.


It is not yet known exactly when AurigaCrown will cease trading, however, as a precaution Economy Car Hire have already moved affected bookings to an alternative provider. Customers who have a car hire booking with AurigaCrown made through another broker or agent are advised to make alternative arrangements.


Economy Car Hire provides car hire services in over 26 countries worldwide, including the UK, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Slovenia, Croatia, Turkey, Jamaica and Australia.

Source: Economy car hire

If you are going on holiday this year to Spain book that car hire now. Remember back in 2009 there were a lot of shortages It can be rather frustrating leaving the car hire booking to the last minute and then finding you cannot get a car or the price has gone sky high.

Notes: The AurigaCrown website was still working OK today (17th February 2012). According to their website "AurigaCrown Car Hire was founded in the begining of 2006 with the merger of two leading companies in the rent a car sector in Spain Crown Car Hire and Auriga Rent a Car, what converted this new company into the leader of the rent a car sector.With over 40 years experience in the rent a car sector and a fleet of over 18.000 vehicles, none exceeding an average age of 6 months, a network of 30 offices distributed all over Spain, and our staff of 350 multilingual and qualified professionals, our aim is transparency and reliability in order to improve a better service for our clients day by day."



Find out more about Economy Car Hire Here
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Cheap Car Hire in Mallorca, Spain

February 17th, 2012 No comments
Mallorca is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and paramount spots for your holiday tour, in Spain. Mallorca is worth a trip for your next holiday to watch out for the beautiful traditional villages, museums and undisclosed beaches. You may feel you might face many problems to reach your desired destination at the time of your arrival on Mallorca airport. But if you have a will then you can achieve your dream tour come true. Car hire Mallorca will help you to discover the beautiful islands, mountains, sea cliffs and sandy beaches and also the unique Spanish villages. Traveling numerous spots with a cheap car hire guarantees you to get all the particulars of the spots you would like to stopover because you can stop when you desire.

Car hire Mallorca range from cheap economical cars to luxurious big cars. You can select your rental car at affordable prices by just referring to rental guide which helps you evaluate the costs with that of the competitors. To get pleasure of travelling at one of the best cosmopolitan nation of Spain, with an extensive field of beauty from the forerunner buildings to the amazing delightful villages, the best transportation is the car rentals from the Mallorca airport. There are numerous companies providing car hire services with simple hiring process through online request on websites or calling the help counter. These car rental companies have toll free numbers to get in touch with them to book a car in advance to evade last minute dissatisfaction.

Cheap car hire is the best option to obtain inexpensive fares while traveling in the Mallorca city. You are facilitated with cheap car rentals at the Palma de Mallorca airport itself. The charges are much lower from other destination tourist places and there are discounts and offers given to facilitate the customers, while hiring the best car for themselves. There are offers on advance bookings at airport which brings the costs of hiring still lower. There are also big competitions among the car renting companies in Spain as a result of which lowering rental costs has become a business strategy among the companies which automatically benefits the customer with less charges. Select from a variety of cars available with the cheap car hire companies and choose the best suited vehicle for your vacation. There are cars of all sizes and all models. All these cars are new with many features like air conditioning, extra driver services and children spaces so that you don’t have to carry extra baggage for kids when going for holiday.Car hire Mallorca comprise of a guide for you to have a timetable of the places where you can stopover so that you can enjoy many exceptional locations within a short time.

The ‘Winterisation’ Charge for your Hire Car

February 15th, 2012 No comments
I visited the icahireinsurance blog a short while ago and found a very interesting piece written by Ernie about going skiing. 

No it was not warning you to take great care when you are on or off the slopes, but before you actually got to the ski resort.

The blog went on to say " If you are taking advantage of the near-perfect skiing conditions in Europe, be aware that if you are hiring a car you will probably come up against a 'winterisation' charge (or ...another opportunity to fleece you out of your hard-earned cash).



Despite hire companies knowing that winter comes each year this is an opportunity for them to levy an additional charge for the winter tyres and snow chains that your hire car will need by law in many European countries.

Many people are surprised when they arrive at the car rental desk to pick up their car to be told that they have to pay an additional fee for the hire car's anti-freeze, tyres and chains so if you're not sure check your booking T&Cs. The charge is usually about 5 euros a day.One way you can save money is to make sure you buy your car hire excess insurance in advance and save up to 70% when compared with buying it at the car rental desk. Excess Europe retails for £39.99 for an annual policy or £2.99/day for Single Trips."

Find out more about icarhire insurance Here

At the insurance4carrental.com site we have a list of Driving Guides for numerous countries. Information has been compiled from our partners in the travel, car hire and insurance business and whenever we have the winter tryre in snow image, information on regulation is provided.  For example in Bulgaria "Snow chains should be carried in the car in the winter from 1st November to 31st March. The road signs will indicate when snow chains are compulsory or not. The use of snow tyres is not legally required"  Find out more about the driving guides Here 

In the meantime if you are renting a car in a country like England, that hopefully has just had it's snow fall for the winter, remember driving conditions can still be icy and if you are not used to a car because it is not your own personal one, but a "hire car" take even more care. 
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Have a Fabulous Vacation With Luxury Car Hire

February 13th, 2012 No comments
Everyone wants to own a luxury car and everyone wants to purchase one in the most cost effective and smart way. The smartest way to go about buying a luxury car is to be completely sure about it before you invest in it. The market is booming with endless number of different luxury cars. So how do you test which one is the best for you? If you’re thinking a test drive is the answer then you’re severely mistaken. How do you think a short hour long test drive will prove when you can test drive the same car for a day or even more? This is exactly what luxury car hire allows you to do.

If you have been dreaming about the perfect car for you for quite a while then to make the dream a reality you should go for car rental and take it for a test run for few days. This will help you familiarize yourself with the car and its machinery. It will also let you find out what are the short comings of the car-the kind of terrain it’s made for and the fuel it consumes. Car hire has become very easy and all you have to do is some research. You can even use the help of online booking system which enables you to book the cars online and even compare the different rates offered by different rental services. Luxury cars are much more expensive than the regular cars on the road. Because of this, they are priced much higher than regular cars, meaning that not everyone can afford them. The one time you may be able to rent one for cheap for only a few days is with a car rental company.

And not just for test runs but you can also experience the thrill of driving your dream luxury car that you could never buy for yourself, while you’re on holiday. There is no greater privilege than to have a car available to show you around when you are visiting a foreign location. Thankfully, there are many different car rental facilities that available in every part of the world. It is a great relief to know that these days there are many companies online that you can choose from, and they are reliable to make your travel experience an easy and relaxing one. Online, you can actually make a booking. You just have to input necessary information such as arrival date, airport name, credit card number, and other important information needed to book for your rent a car. When you are on a trip, going with a luxury car hire over a regular car rental is a great way to enhance your trip. It can truly make your trip that much more enjoyable and definitely luxurious.

Flash Sale discounts at Holiday Autos

February 11th, 2012 No comments
Holiday Autos today announced that If you’re one of the lucky ones planning a holiday before the end of March, make sure you’re quick off the mark to save money on your car hire in the Holiday Autos’ Flash Sale. - "10% off car hire in selected locations in the Holiday Autos’ Flash Sale"

Between 13th – 19th February 2012, (that is this coming Monday and the following Sunday) Holiday Autos is offering 10% off car hire in South Africa, UAE, Cyprus, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. The promotion is valid for pick-ups until 31 March.



In order to redeem this offer, simply use the promotion code FLASH10 when prompted during the booking process. A minimum 3 day rental applies.

Go to the Holiday Autos website Here and book a holiday to somewhere hot now. They have included the UK in this promotion and it is currently minus 4 degrees in the High Wycombe, Bucks area however as this offer is valid for pick-ups until 31st March we could have a heat wave by then. Remember the Easter of 2011?

According to Holiday Autos media department - "The FLASH10 promotional code will apply a 10% discount off the car rental cost off car hire bookings made in United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, UAE, Cyprus and South Africa until 19 Feb 2012 for rentals until 31 March 2012. Minimum 3 day rental applies. This code must be entered and applied in section 6 of the booking details page in order to redeem the discount.

Please note that this code may not be valid for selected car types and you will be informed on section 6 of the booking page, once you have applied the code. This code will also not be valid for van, prestige or motorhome hire bookings. Limited offer. This promotion is subject to availability. All bookings which require confirmation within 48 hours will still be eligible for the 10% discount providing the original booking is confirmed with our supplier.

If we are unable to confirm your original booking within 48 hours you may still be eligible for the discount providing you re-book your car hire with holiday autos within 48 hours of being notified that your original booking cannot be confirmed. The holiday autos standard terms and conditions apply. Prices are applicable to UK residents only and may be subject to change without notice." Source Holiday Autos News Room 10--2-12
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