FOAK: car hire in Crete

Any recommendations / avoids?

Flying in to Chania (not been before) prefer car hire pick up on the
airport.

TIA

 

Holiday autos - I've used 'em many times and places (but not Crete).

 

Every time I've booked via holidayautos it has worked out well - the
operator has been a random local outfit, but the cars have always been well
prepared and there has been no hassle on return.

The one time I went for the cheapest price I had hassle as the booking
agent, autobookers, went bust *after* I went on holiday, without handing my
money over.

 

I've mostly used www.carjet.co.uk and they've been great, but they
don't seem to offer a service for Crete.

 

Last year at Agios Nikolaos at the other end of the island,
it would have been cheaper to rent a car locally by the day, especially
if you don't need it every day and might sometimes prefer a bike.

Of course that only works on a package holiday where there's a coach to take you to the hotel.

 

forgot to mention, £10 discount if you go via Quidco direct to Holiday
Autos

5% Quidco if you book the car at lastminute.com, should that be a greater
saving (holidayautos is part of the lastminute group)

 

I've used http://www.carjet.co.uk/index.php both in spain and cyprus a
few times with no issues. They appear to cover Chania airport.

 

Chania is listed under Greece on the carjet site.

I used them once for Spain, where their prices seem good. Prices for Italy
were not, last time I looked.

I liked the fact that they did not take any money when you booked - you pay
the car hire firm directly. Is this still the way they do business?

 

ah, OK - I've never been to Crete, and "Chania" means nothing to me.

Yeah, that's about the size of it: used them twice in Spain and last
week in Portugal, where their prices were the best I could find, but
as you say, they weren't that competitive for Italy (IIRC I got the
best price in Italy last year going direct to Hertz).

Yes - that's the way it still works.

 

the student reporter? I'm a little whooshed.

 

Heh.

 

http://ifyoulikeitsomuchwhydontyougolivethere.com/2009/05/22/so-many-questions/

 

Hertz gave my credit card address to English plod and then charged me
GBP34.50 for the "service". I still suspect this is illegal.

I'm told that other firms also do this, but Hertz have done it to *me*,
so now I'd rather walk. I told them this and oddly enough they didn't
seem bothered.

 

thanks all

used carjet myself 3 or 4 times now never a problem but the prices they
were coming up with for Crete seemed expensive whereas holiday autos
does seem to come out with a good price.

Anyone remeber that fly-on-the-wall documentary about holiday autos?
IIRC that was brand-damaging at the time.

 

<snip>


I couldn't help with the rental part (never used one here), but please be
careful when driving in Crete. For old-EU standards, conditions are terrible
and the drivers are even worse (several driving without a license, or just
having bribed for one).

Steer clear of any pickup truck (particularly Nissan Navaras) with tinted
windows and aftermarket rims/tyres. That's the approximate equivalent of a
village yob/saxo boy.


Geo