Aruba getting around - first time visit

[jaym]

My wife and I and our teenage sons will be heading to MSU in a couple of weeks. I have done some research regarding car rentals and general transportation options in Aruba.
We plan to do some sightseeing and dinners in downtown, etc. so may rent for a few days out of the week. Seems many have had decent experiences and value with rentals from Royal, Econo, Tropic and Optima.
A Yaris or similar seems too small for luggage and 4 of us if we want to use the rental to transport ourselves to airport on departure day. I also found out that Royal's Hyundai Sonota fleet are 2004 models but fully equipped. Any experience with Royal's fleet? I noticed they offer free phone with rental but w/o minutes, is it worth it to get just a phone?

Also, if on arrival we take bus from MSU to Ling and Sons mkt., how far to walk from Oranjestad bus stop? Is this the bus route final stop?
Thanks for any advice, comments from experienced visitors to Aruba!

J-

[TravelBug]

You might also try Hertz. We always rent a car for our 2 week yearly trek to Aruba and grew tired of the Yaris. We've used Hertz the past two years and they were just slightly more expensive than the others at the airport.

A note of caution...unlike in the US, most of the car companies in Aruba charge extra for a second driver, even spouse!

If I recall correctly, there's a bus stop at the entrance to the Surf Club, but am not positive.

I think you will enjoy Aruba. DH and I love to travel and try new and different places, but when we discovered Aruba, we loved it so much, we go back each year. We also stay at the Surf Club and love it.

[jaym]

[quote=TravelBug;328192]You might also try Hertz. We always rent a car for our 2 week yearly trek to Aruba and grew tired of the Yaris. We've used Hertz the past two years and they were just slightly more expensive than the others at the airport.
QUOTE]

Travelbug-
thanks. We use Hertz local in our area occasionally with MVCI free membership for Gold. Avoid airports, BOS and PVD and they usually have decent rates.
But I've heard that some big rental co's. in Aruba offer much older fleet (castoffs from U.S.) and service was not so great w/Hertz among others. Many visitors seemed content with some of the Aruba independents. I will look into Hertz rates further to compare. What did you rent w/them?

From a map, it seems that Ling & Sons is off JE Irausquin Blvd., behind "Sun Plaza" bldg. so I was wondering how far that is from bus stop downtown, less than a mile?
Excited about first trip to Aruba and MSU.

J-

[TravelBug]

We've tried many of the car companies in Aruba including the local independents...all of the cars were "tired" with high mileage including Hertz. I don't remember the model, however, it was a mid-size Nissan. About 20K miles on the odometer if I recall correctly. I mean, really, you need to drive a lot on an island 6 x 19 miles to rack up 20K miles on a late model car! Just be sure to check the car over before you take off; most of them will have scratches and/or a ding or 2. The only company I would never deal with again in Aruba is Budget. We've rented a lot in Europe and I can state unequivicably (I wish they had spell check here), renting a car outside the US is an adventure in itself. The story I could tell you about our rental in Ireland, or was it Wales... I was actually surprised at Hertz's rates in Aruba. Just rented a car for a long weekend later this year in So Calif and Hertz was 2x the cost. Needless to say, we went with another company.

I don't know how far from downtown (DH says I'm challenged in that way), but there are 4 grocery stores on the way to the hotel zone on the right hand side. We hit them all looking for diet decaffeinated soda. The first is Certified, then a variation of King Kong, then Superstore or similar. Lings is the first right about a block up. If you park in the Certified area, you can hit the first three w/o moving your car.

[m61376]

We rented the Sonata from Royal in Feb. While it wasn't a new car, it was in good shape and they were very easy to deal with.

The free phone is nice, even though you have to buy the minutes. But it is MUCH cheaper than using your Verizon phone if that's what you have at $1.99 per minute. I don't know if the other cell services are cheaper, but the minutes for the phone are quite a bit less.

[eglon999]

It is also easier to walk from the Surf Club to many of the restaurants --- then you don't have to deal with parking. The bus service is convenient from the Surf Club. Enjoy your trip!!

[Ekain Kalani]

if you plan to do a lot of sightseeing then yes. and get a 4x4 b/c many of Aruba's roads are not yet paved. if you plan to stay at your resort for much of the time i would say just rely on taxis and the local bus. taxis are cheap, flat rate of $6 to travel anywhere on the island. Oranjestad is so small, you could walk it so don't think you'll be traveling far. Aruba is only 19 miles long and 5 miles wide. another fun option is to rent an ATV or moped so you can cruise the streets

[katiemack]

Originally Posted by Ekain Kalani

if you plan to do a lot of sightseeing then yes. and get a 4x4 b/c many of Aruba's roads are not yet paved. if you plan to stay at your resort for much of the time i would say just rely on taxis and the local bus. taxis are cheap, flat rate of $6 to travel anywhere on the island. Oranjestad is so small, you could walk it so don't think you'll be traveling far. Aruba is only 19 miles long and 5 miles wide. another fun option is to rent an ATV or moped so you can cruise the streets

This is not true....while there are some off road areas near the rough coast, most of the roads are paved. Taxis cannot take you anwhere on the island for a flat rate of $6....I don't know where you are getting this information, Ekain....yes, Oranjestad is walkable. Oh, and the bus station is right near the port area.

Take the bus from MSU, and tell the driver you want him to let you off at Ling supermarket area, it is near the turn onto the main road, just after the Tamarijn property ends .... when you leave the supermarket area, there is a bus stop not too far from the front of Certified Market, just ask a local if you need help identifying it.

[rikkis_playpen]

Looks like this was resurrected by a SEO hound with no real purpose other than to try and insert a link.. I'll at least insert a helpful one..

brochures.aruba.com/arubamap/download/arubamap.pdf

This is a great interactive map of the island that I often send to clients.. I'm not sure how up to date it is, but it has some good info. Be aware, when you open it- the PDF file will open full screen and if you want to exit, you'll need to hit the escape key.

[GrayFal]

Thanks Frank, I just saw this in my email