Bad experience with rental car in Santorini

[steveg]

We had a confirmed reservation for an automatic 4-door car with Tony's in Santorini for our just-ended Grand Princess cruise. The price quoted was 60 Euros for the day plus 12 Euros for "full insurance." When we arrived at Tony's at around 9:00 AM, they asked whether we could drive a shift. We said no and they said that they didn't have a car for us but would transport us to another rental agency that did. We were annoyed that they didn't honor our confirmed reservation (for which I had provided credit card information), but as long as the other agency could accommodate us, we weren't concerned. The other agency had a car, and even though their rate was more they indicated,they said they would honor Tony's rate. Their "full insurance", however, didn't mean full insurance and they told us that there would be a 600 Euro deductible for any damage. Questioning how "full insurance" could still result in a 600 Euro deductible, they indicated that that was what "full insurance" means. Not wanting to be potentially liable for that large an amount, we decided to forget the rental. We and our friends with whom we were going to share the car then hired a taxi on a per hour basis to take us around the island to the places we wanted to visit: Oia, Pyrgos, Akrotiri, the Red Beach, and then dropped us back in Fira, where we enjoyed a relaxing lunch and a walk around the town before taking the cable car back down to the ship. It cost us more (200 Euros total for 4 hours of cab time, or 100 Euros per couple) than the rental, but we avoided the potential liability, didn't have to worry about finding the places we wanted to see, and didn't have to worry about parking. With respect to rental cars anywhere, I recommend making sure you know what your potential liabilities are before you rent a car, even with "full insurance", and make your own decision as to whether or not you want to take the risk.

[Susan-M]

Hi Steve...thanks for the 'heads-up'. It sounds like automatics are in short supply because I've read this comment before about having to go to another agency for one. Do you know if Tony's insurance provided a lower deductible, or are they all the same?

[FLJudi]

Santorini is very easy to do by public bus, and it is only about 1 Euro per person per trip. We had plenty of time to take the bus from Fira to Oia. We loved Oia, which was much more picturesque than Fira. We had a great lunch overlooking the water. We then took the bus back to Fira where we caught another bus to Kamari Beach which was lovely. Try Hooks Cafe for wonderful ice cream and chocolate crepes. Back to Fira with enough time to walk around, find a nice bar for a drink, or dinner at a restaurant overlooking the water, then back to the cable car (leave plenty of time - the lines get long) to return to the ship. There were five of us and transportation was only @ 20 Euros. We skipped Akrotiri since we were already "ruined" out and still had Athens to do. No liability issues taking the bus.

 

FLJudi

[tbccruise]

I agree that Santarini is very easy to do by public bus. We got off the ship by tender at about 8:00 and took the cable car up, found the bus station, and took the bus to Akrotiri. We were there 15 minutes before the site opened. Then we bused back to Fira and caught another bus to Oia where we visited the town until about 2:00. Then we caught the bus back to Fira where we visted the museum and shopped until it was time to return to the ship. The total cost for transportation was 4 euro.

 

The only comment is there is no need to get off too early as Fira and Akortiri does not seem to open early in the morning. We could not even find a taxi at the taxi stand at 9:00 a.m.

[edinburgher]

Another vote for the bus! Cost us next to nothing and we got to enjoy the scenery.

 

Some (but not all) the buses look just like the tour buses, very new with tinted windows, forced air or air con, reclining seats etc. Our driver even played recorded Greek music!

 

What a bargain.

[Sominex]

Fortunately both hubby & I drive standards and we have 5 couples sharing the cost.

SOM

[Susan-M]

With respect to rental cars anywhere, I recommend making sure you know what your potential liabilities are before you rent a car, even with "full insurance", and make your own decision as to whether or not you want to take the risk.

 

All rental agencies apply a deductible even to full insurance. It was unfortunate that Tony's didn't have the car you requested and left you with an unsatisfactory option. But I hope it doesn't deter others who had planned to do it by rental car, because a lot of people have very good experiences with rental cars there.

 

We had such a fun day on Santorini doing it by rental car ( through Tony's) - it's an easy island to drive on, very inexpensive to rent (we paid 55E for a standard, including the cost of gas and insurance) and you can explore the whole island. We weren't interested in spending time in Fira, so as soon as we picked up the car, we were off to quieter and more scenic areas of the island. Spent from 9 a.m. till 8 p.m. exploring and ended up in many places that the buses don't go to.