Holiday in LA, Car hire or Taxis etc?

ferf1223

If it were me and if it were possible I'd consider looking at a hotel with free parking, though if you're set on Santa Monica that might not be easy. We stayed not far from there (Marina Del Ray area) at a hotel we got through priceline with loads of free parking and a shopping centre (with a Starbucks - yay!) right there...it was perfect and so much cheaper than anywhere else in the area to book direct.

We picked up a car at LAX in April (rental with Alamo)...took about 40 minutes to get through the queue - several people in front of us and not too many people working...but it's really down to when you arrive and how many people are waiting in front of you of course.

JackRS

Thanks Ferf1223, hotel already booked and paid for so can't change that now.

We're looking into if we can park somewhere else not too far from the Hotel in Santa Monica at a lower price. Has anyone any car park experience in Santa Monica? Looking at his site http://parking.smgov.net/det_downtown.html it shows car parks in the same street as our hotel as follows:

Open 24 hours 8am - 6pm: first 2 hours free, $1 each additional 30 minutes; $7 maximum daily; entering after 6pm: $3 flat rate

So maybe it's possible to park not so far away for $7 a day, provided there's spaces?

JackRS

blindman wrote: »

Lots of thread on here about car hire.

I always go through Netflights
Never let me down and usually the cheapest with usually NIL excess
Always check what the excess is on car hire

I've been looking at the car hire options and Netflight does seem to give the best price (excludes tyre/windscreen/battery). It indicates 2 providers Thrifty and Dollar with the former being around £1 a day cheaper. Does anyone have any good or bad experience with these providers from LA airport? It’s difficult to know what the difference is when comparing T&C and cars as they seem similar. Would hate to go for the cheapest to save just £10 to find that there was a significant difference I've overlooked?

dickydonkin

Agree that Netflights give good value for comprehensive car hire.

One thing to remember though when picking up your car is that the car rental agent will attempt to fob you off with things you dont need. Certainly my Netflight package included EVERYTHING I needed.

The reality is that most hotels in and around LA charge an overnight parking fee, however, I always select a hotel in or around the Garden Grove/Anaheim area where parking fees and hotels can be cheaper. (Hate Disney by the way but a good location if that is your thing).

Also, by locating in the Anaheim area, you are one and a half hours drive from Mexico, 50 minutes from Santa Monica/Hollywood or Downtown LA, and about 15 mins from Costa Mesa (massive shopping area) and around 25 mins from Newport/Huntingdon Beach.

I believe a car is essential especially for first timers to California who may want to take in all of the sights - organised trips are very expensive - particularly if you have a family. Enjoy!

JackRS

Thanks dpassmore

We've decided to go for car hire and we're already committed to where we're staying in Santa Monica (already paid).

I was just interested if anyone had any ideas on the difference between the providers on the Netflight site Thrifty and Dollar?

dickydonkin

Thanks JackRS

Don't know if you have already been to SM but you will enjoy it - great place you lucky s*d!

I was there last year (June) and the main shopping mall was a bit of a mess as the whole place was demolished but should be finished now.
The place is full of 'Transients' who are harmless but sleep on the beach and grassed areas at night - you will find many of them talking or shouting to themselves engrossed in their own little world - all part of the experience.

Regarding your car hire, I tried booking a car online from LA airport locations and despite the very favourable £/$ exchange rate at the time, I still got the best price with Netflights.

Such was the situation at the time with gas in LA nearing $4 (£2) per gallon (when ours was nearing £5 a gallon) I was given an extensive choice of vehicles - (most were a much higher class of vehicle than we paid for) - the majority being massive gas guzzling 4X4s as the Americans were avoiding them like the plague, however, I settled for the grade I paid for as we usually do quite a lot of miles.

But whoever you use for your car rental, don't be pressured into buying 'add ons' - in particular insurances - that you already have or don't need.

With the downturn, you may now be able to get a good deal direct from the rental company, but certainly purchasing from Netflights will give you peace of mind as the price is fully inclusive of all your insurance requirements.

BTW - I don't work for Netflights!!!!!!

DP

JackRS

Thanks again DP, I'll do an internet search and see if I can indentify any difference between Netflight providers Thrifty & Dollar

JackRS

I’m about to book through Netflights not sure if the One Full Pre-Paid Tank Of Fuel for £29 is worth it or not. Otherwise the following applies and I’m not sure what they’ll charge? </SPAN>

Dollar Rent a Car supplies all of its vehicles to renters full of fuel, and renters are charged an amount at the start of the rental for the fuel in the car. This amount may vary dependant on the category of vehicle. Renters are then instructed to return the vehicle as empty as possible. No refund is provided for unused fuel.
So if it’s the current rate of $2.90 per gallon and the amount they charge is in line with that then the £29 is not a good option. However if they charge the fuel cost plus say 100% for admin/filling etc then maybe the £29 is a better option. Anyone know what they typically charge for mid or full size car?

ferf1223

Don't know for sure with Dollar but when we rented with Alamo in LA and had to pay for a tank of fuel up front (and return the car empty) as per the terms with carhire3000.com they charged us at a rate that was I think about $0.05 more than we could buy it for at a local petrol station...where you get screwed is when you don't pre-pay for a tank of fuel and don't return the car full - then they whack the price up - in our experience at or more than double what it would cost you to buy it at a petrol station.

Looking at the £29 option though, it may not be a bad deal...if petrol is $2.90/gallon (I haven't checked) and the car takes say 17 gallons that's $49...or about £29.

JackRS

Yeah i did that calc last night and decided to go for it, so all booked up now thanks.