Aruba Car Rental

[riverdees05 Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close riverdees05]

What do I need to know about renting a car in Aruba? What are some good sources? What about insurance? Etc.?

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

I used a new company I liked this time - I will be home Sunday and post the name.....it was off site which was actually more convenient then onsite!
They picked u up and dropped u off so u were not schlepping your luggage.

My CC covers me in almost all countries - check with your CC to see if u have this coverage.
MANY cars in Aruba have dings and dents so make sure to do a complete check with the agent. They mark up a sheet and u sign it.
Also, be sure to check that the spare tire is there and inflated - many people will off road and get a flat and not report it to the compnay....an annoying problem.

[katiemack Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close katiemack]

Where will you be staying? Some resorts have a rental desk right there, and you can rent for a day or the whole week....

We never rent for a whole week....the public transportation and taxis are our favorite mode.

For the one or two days that we want to visit around island, that is the day we take a rental.

The bus is about $2.40 rt (ask for a transfer when you get on the bus)....the transfer is good for the day. If you take a taxi, depending on where you are going it can be as cheap as $6. to as high as $19.....

We take a taxi from airport when we land, head to hotel, and then use the closest bus to get around for the most part.

[riverdees05 Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close riverdees05]

We will be staying at the Marriott Surf Club.

[katiemack Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close katiemack]

If you are familiar with the island, the Marriott is at the far end of the Hi-rise area, and you have easy accessibility to this area by walking or by bus or taxi.

There are several car rental companies around the area as well....we have used the ones at Hyatt and Playa Linda, as well as those in the lo-rise area (where Divi resorts, Casa del Mar, and Costa Linda are).

If you rent a car, and if you have AMEX, you are usually covered for any events if you waive CD coverage.

The bus stop is right in front of the Marriott property....and you can take it all the way into Oranjestaad bus station. The downtown area of Oranjestaad is where all the elite shopping, jewlery stores, many restaurants, bars, and cruise port are located, as well as the Renaissance hotel and resort.

There have been a couple of threads running on the Aruba forums about car rental cars being targeted for theft....Here and and HERE.

These discussions range all over the place, but there seems to be some trend going on...odd though it is, it seems to be happening from reports.


As the island isn't very large, we have usually done our sightseeing in a couple of days. There are also some great local tour companies who offer tours which can be quite enjoyable, as the Arubian guides are known for their sense of humor and being pretty good hosts. Here is a link to one of the oldest companies: Welcome to De Palm Tours - Your adventure starts here!

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

Discount car Rental from Usave.
I really enjoy the convenience of having a car but you certainly can do without one.
Off season May-Dec, a car rental is $165-200 for the week - the cab ride from the airport to the Marriott is $20-23 plus tip each way.

This is a smaller company but all the people we dealt with were very nice - the owners nephew drove us from the rental agency to the airport!

There is a new shopping center right near the Marriott called Paseo Herencia
Paseo Herencia*-*Aruba By Night which has shops, restaurants and even a movie theatre!!
Many new restaurants have opened up along the high rise 'strip' making it a very popular late night as well as a daytime destination.

My favorite spot for an evening drink and some nice relaxing saxaphone music is Miro Solo at the Radisson Mira Solo at the Radisson Aruba Resort & Casino
Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino & Spa

Be sure to check out our restaurant/things to do thread http://www.timeshareforums.com/forum...-must-dos.html

[riverdees05 Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close riverdees05]

Any additional input on renting a car in Aurba? There will be three adults.

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

Eric we were there for two weeks a few years back and only used a car 3 days. We rented from the desk in what was the Royal Palm at the Aruban Grand.

If you do the tour at Divi Golf Village they will give you an SUV rental for the day. Low pressure and not very time consuming. Suggest doing that early so you can book the SUV as they run out towards week's end.


Whatever you do don't do the tunnel of love!