Aruba on Our Own

[nursegrrl8]

Is parking your rental an issue anywhere on the island?

[Arubalisa]

We are looking to see some of the fantastic beaches of Aruba so we are thinking about a rental car for the day... Anyone have any suggestions about this?

Renting a car or 4x4 is a wonderful way to see the entire island in one day at your own pace, stopping when and where you choose.

Is it possible to hit Malmok Beach, Eagle Beach, and Palm Beach by bus?

Yes it is very easy. http://www.arubus.com/

That would obviously be cheaper but not as convenient assuming we may want to take in another sight or two or stop somewhere for lunch or shopping. We want to snorkel and just hang out on the beaches. Is parking at any of these beaches an issue if you have a rental car?

Parking along Palm Beach might be an issue because there are really only the parking lots of the hotels. If you wanted to park in one of the lots, I suppose you could always tell them that you are going to their casino. :confused: Otherwise, Malmok/Arashi, parking should not be an issue, nor Eagle Beach. Downtown Oranjestad parking is difficult, you just need to keep riding around until you found a parking spot.

What rental car companies should be avoided or recommended?

I did a search here on the forum http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search.php?searchid=4372246 and there are many threads. Royal has always gotten very good reviews, with one bad review recently. Up until then, everything had been positive, I would hate to think they have taken a turn for the worse. We have used them twice in the past during land vacations and never had a problem. In September we used Hertz for a one day rental (only because they were conveniently located right at our hotel) and the 4 x 4 was a piece of garbage. We have had excellent experiences in the past with Avis. I believe they have pick up at the cruise terminal.