Just looking to hire a car in Mallorca, one of the company's is called,
DoYouSpain.com. Has anyone used them, recommend them or otherwise ?
Many Thanks.
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I would suggest you search doyouspain on trip advisor and take a look at the most recent reviews.
I have never had personal experience of this company, however so it's not fair for me to comment.
It just interested me to do a bit of research as I travel a fair bit to Spain.
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I had the misfortune to use Holiday Autos for a hire car in Menorca last year. They'd sub-contracted to a company called Atesa, who told me on arrival at the airport 'we don't have a car for you, go and get one somewhere else and re-claim your money when you get back to the UK'.
That was the first time I haven't waited until I got to my destination to hire one - I thought it'd be simpler.
Every organisation in Spain has to have a complaints book (HOJAS DE RECLAMACIONES) gospain.about.com/od/shopping/qt/complaints.htm
Apparently, they carry some weight. I'll know better next time!
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Use the bus. Or train. Or taxi. I wouldn't want to drive around Mallorca. Especially don't want hire car firms to get hold of my credit card details.
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>>I wouldn't want to drive around Mallorca
It's the only way to see most of the island, although the train from Palma to Soller and then the tram to Port de Soller is worth doing (so I'm told - I'll get round to it one day).
Sa Calobra used to be a lovely drive before the cyclists ruined it.
Last edited by: bathtub tom on Tue 8 Jan 13 at 20:06
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Used doyouspain last year in Valencia.
They are just a broker / booking agent so they don't actually supply the car. Ours was supplied by Sixt. No complaints here, but then, we didn't have any problems.
I would say hire a car in Mallorca - its a very pretty island and driving is really easy. Gets you away from the somewhat tacky south of the island to the picturesque north
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.....should have added we used doyospain or recommendation of a colleague who has used them every year for a number of years
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For what it's worth, if I'm on business and someone else is paying then I just book a car through one of the big international renters on the basis of the low hassle quick service etc. However if I'm on holiday, and I've got all the time in the world I'll tend to take a cab from the airport or a bus to wherever I'm staying and then look and ask around the next day to work out who and where is the local car rental firm. They'll always negotiate and can sometimes be astonishingly cheap. Not always the newest of cars but hey if you're on holiday...
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Humph's approach is exactly right.
You just need a little confidence to do it, which some people find daunting abroad - my parents for example.
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"...the train from Palma to Soller and then the tram to Port de Soller is worth doing (so I'm told - I'll get round to it one day)."
It is. Especially the Tren de Sóller - VERY good.
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>> I wouldn't want to drive around Mallorca.
Why on earth not?
>>don't want hire car firms to get hold of my credit card details.
I don't really understand this, but if it worries you that much get an additional credit card with a [very] low credit limit card and only use it for such things.
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The roads are incredibly narrow, in the best parts. Some of the drivers are rather mad. And to see the island you need to walk:) I do have a low limit card as well as my main one. I still wouldn't hire a car. Not worth the trouble.
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>> The roads are incredibly narrow, in the best parts. Some of the drivers are rather
>> mad. And to see the island you need to walk:) I do have a low
>> limit card as well as my main one. I still wouldn't hire a car. Not
>> worth the trouble.
>>
What trouble? I've hired cars overseas for business and pleasure over the last 15 years, probably an average of 10 a year, and never had any issues whatsoever.
Always found Mallorca a rather easy place to drive - there are a few narrow roads, but nothing to taxing
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I agree Mallorca has a good road system and you really need a car to see the more interesting areas. A drive through the mountains is a great experience. As you can see from this video the roads can be narrow in places but nothing to worry about. Surfaces are generally good and normally well protected, nothing like some of the Greek islands for example.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Png3HWavq8
Am planning to drive the Canadian Rockies this year - Calgary to Vancouver. Anyone done this and and any recommendations re routes, places to stay etc.
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>>www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Png3HWavq8
Not realistic, ask anyone who's driven that road recently. Not a push-bike in sight and at that speed they'd be overtaking almost continuously.
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What time of the year was that. I was there there in spring (March) 3 years ago and I don't remember many push-bikes and not a lot of cars either. I see that video was filmed in 2009 as well.
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I was there last spring. The railings round the harbour at Port de Soller was solid bikes.
This is the old road bypassing the tunnel north of Bunyola. I think the sign speaks for itself! goo.gl/maps/dgPCn
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Business and private use out of hundreds in total. In separate hire cars: bald tyres, cracked windscreen, check list incomplete (dings left unrecorded for harvesting I suspect) low oil, claim subsequent to hire for repair of ciggie damage. Odd that for a non-smoker. Claim rebuffed. All the faff of checking the thing and photos. On holiday, I'd rather not have to bother and it saves having to park and remove valuables. I try to avoid car use when it's unnecessary, choose places (Puerto Soller, Berlin, Amalfi, Stockholm, Dublin, Boston MA, Munich, Mittenwald etc ) with good access to the parts I want to see. With prudent taxi and train/bus use, can get to many spots if not all and I can see the scenery rather than the black ribbon. But that may be idiosyncratic on a motoring forum. And saves money. Maybe:)
Last edited by: NIL on Thu 10 Jan 13 at 09:16
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Driving is really the only practical way to see some of the more remote parts of the island. I would not have been without ours and, as we had a flight that arrived at Palma late in the evening, it was really the only way of getting to our hotel in Sóller.
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Thanks everyone for advice. We've been to Mallorca a number of times & always hire a car, mainly because we stay in Peurto Pollensa, A taxi would be about 50 euroes each way. I think i'm going to use Sixt because of their full to full fuel policy. Thanks again.
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I often find that a hire car is the same price or cheaper thnt taxis from and to the airport and full to full is the only way to go on a small(ish) island unless you are going to do a great deal of driving, which isn't what I go on holiday for!
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If you can a) be bothered and b) are comfortable to do so, then get to your hotel any old way and then go for an explore the next day.
You will find some back street place who will rent you a perfectly serviceable Fiat or VW, which won't be new, or well equipped, but will cost begger all and be safe to park anywhere unattended.
And then just enjoy. Don't worry about getting lost, I do it all the time. It just costs a little time (and you;re on holiday anyway) and so often you find something better than you were originally looking for.
As my hero Douglas Adams once said...(horribly paraphrased)
" find someone who looks like they know where they are going and follow them. Dirk admits this method rarely gets him where he was going but it often gets him where he is supposed to be"
I am always surprised by, and a little sad for, people who will happily visit an unknown town or village in the UK and become adventurous explorers, finding all manner of unknown treasure, but somehow become shy and intimidated when faced with the idea of doing the same in a foreign land.
Last edited by: No FM2R on Wed 9 Jan 13 at 17:28
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Sometimes known as Zen navigation. Good fun when you are not in a rush.
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>> If you can a) be bothered and b) are comfortable to do so, then get
>> to your hotel any old way and then go for an explore the next day.
>>
Spot on. That's what we did before the kids, well, in fact we did a 3 week holiday with our eldest when he was 9 months old. Just booked cheap flights and a hire car and then winged it from the airport. Funny how some people thought we were mad, but whats the worst that can happen!
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Hired a back street car in a resort town on Crete, it was a beaten about 6 year old Fiat with over 80k on the clock, dirt cheap, but flew like the wind, clearly been driven to within an inch of its life all its life. Perfect on an island like that, you blend in just like a local.
On the other hand I have hired a near brand new top of the range Fiat 600 on Sicily, and that was a severe disappointment, but trouble free.
Have hired a car on damn near every continent of the world and never had a problem.
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>> Thanks everyone for advice. We've been to Mallorca a number of times & always hire
>> a car, mainly because we stay in Peurto Pollensa, A taxi would be about 50
>> euroes each way. I think i'm going to use Sixt because of their full to
>> full fuel policy. Thanks again.
>>
As I mentioned above, our doyospain car was supplied by sixt but at a fraction of the price of booking direct.
Ours was also full to full, and they didn't even offer us the opportunity to buy the tank of fuel
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I didn't think that you could specify what hire company you wanted when you booked via a "broker"
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You cant, but it may be worth asking them if you booked x for y dates then they may be able to advise you who it will be with.
As I said, they have an association with sixt so you never know.....
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Just a quick update, DoYouSpain now have a"filter" on their site so you can choose the fuel policy. A C2 on "full/full" costs 44 Euros more than "full/empty.
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Shows how much profit they make from that scam, however it would appear only certain companies are prepared to do 'full/full' and it's the non-specified companies that quote cheaper and 'full/empty'.
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Car Hire Mallorca - Notdoctorchris
