Rent a car for the day vs. Hiring a driver/tour?

[mex25]

Hi all

 

After doing some comparisons i was thinking that rentng a car for the day and exploring wouldnt be half bad?

 

thoughts?:cool:

[Grammar Goddess]

We've been on three cruises to Barbados; it's one of our favorite islands. All three times we toured the island with Cameron Reid [camireid@yahoo.com] and were well-pleased. He really knows his island, can safely and efficiently drive you to all of the sites you'll want to see, and/or make wonderful suggestions of his own. He's a courteous and charming gentlemen with an immaculate vehicle. When there's only a limited amount of time to see them and so many great sites--Barbados is such a glorious place--it seems to make all kinds of sense to leave the driving to someone else. Cameron will take you wherever you like, let you have as much time as you need everywhere, and talk knowledgeably about Barbados. He'll be waiting for you when you disembark, so there's no lost time. We recommend him without hesitation. :)

Hope this helps! Have a great cruise.

 

GG

[Aplmac]

Hi all

 

After doing some comparisons

I was thinking that renting a car for the day and exploring wouldn't be half bad?

Something tells me you're British? :confused:

 

If you're accustomed to driving on the left

renting a car for the day might indeed be a viable option, yes

but you'll have to concentrate a bit.

 

The roads are not as well signposted as they used to be back in British Colonial times...

plus having an experienced map-reader/navigator in the passenger seat would be a great asset.

 

 

.

[mex25]

Sorry aplamac-100%USA-never have driven on the left-private driver may be the answer-

 

Thoughts?

[138east]

Alpmac is giving good advice - if you've never driven on the left, it really does take one person to concentrate on the driving and another person to navigate. For just one day it will be very stressful. Hire a driver so you can sit back and enjoy the beautiful island of Barbados.

 

St. Martin, Aruba, Curacao, and Puerto Rico are all islands you could rent a car on.

[Aplmac]

Alpmac is giving good advice ===> I try!

- if you've never driven on the left, it really does take one person to concentrate on the driving

and another person to navigate. ===> Yes. Good combo.

For just one day it will be very stressful. ===> Kinda!

Hire a driver so you can sit back and enjoy the beautiful island of Barbados. ===> Busy island traffic-wise

If you were here for 3 or 4 days it would make sense to give it a shot

even though your first day would be 'trying'

but for just a few hrs. ashore, it's hardly worth the stress.

 

Just hire a cab and let him drive you wherever you want to go. ;)

 

.

[Travel To Be Free]

Does anyone know of car rental company names right at the port? Approximate cost of rental for one of the motes as they call them -- convertible-type of a Kia???

[barbados]

I belive Stoutes is at the cruise terminal.

 

From what I remember, US$90-100 a day is the normal charge.

 

I do not recommend any convertibles. Please use sedans.

 

Convertibles sometimes get.....hum...waylayed.

 

Don't ask, just rent a sedan and you'll be fine.

 

Please enjoy your short visit and come back to see us. Soon! :):):)

[rjscott]

I agree with GG. For the short time in port, you will spend a good deal of time trying to find your way from point 'A' to point 'B'. As Aplmac said, the roads are not well-marked and they are narrow and winding. We've also used Cameron Reid twice and thoroughly enjoyed our tours of the island. Both my husband and I both could relax and enjoy the sights, while Cameron did the driving and narration.

[sunseeker09]

For those of you who used Cameron, was it a tour with a bunch of people in a van, or did you hire him as a private driver for just your group or 2 of you? if so, how much?

We were thinking of just getting a cab because we don't want to do an organized group tour where everyone else wants to go.

[Travel To Be Free]

Thanks everyone for the input -- Barbados/will do a sedan if we decide to rent, do not want to be waylayed.

 

Thanks for the input on Cameron Reid, also, may check into this.

[rjscott]

Sunseeker, Cameron Reid provides car and driver services. He can put together a "standardized" tour for you, or, if you have specific sights you wish to see just let him know what those are and he'll map out a route and tour for you to those sights. When we toured with him this past Feb, it was $135 for 4 hrs for the car and driver (the car would have held 4). Cameron was our driver this past visit, but on a previous visit we had Herman as our driver and he was every bit as good and professional as Cameron was. Here's Cameron's website, so you can get an idea of some of the sights on Barbados you might want to visit: http://www.scenicbarbados.com/ And here's Cameron's direct email: camireid@yahoo.com

[woodofpine]

Hiring a driver is probably a good value for the numbers quoted above. Plus Bajans are typically friendly so having a knowledgeable local onboard would be pleasant and useful.

 

Driving on your own takes a flexible attitude. It is easy to get lost in the interior. As Aplmac says, the roads are not well marked. Notwithstanding the beach road ringing the island, most roads run generally North - South or East - West. Since the island has few topograghical prominatories, and one is usually out of sight of the sea, it is easy to get disoriented in the interior. Having a compass is VERY valuable to know which end of the island you will eventually hit (junction with the beach road).

 

I drove up to Harrison's Cave once and the roundabout tour I made of the interior was interesting - but I would've LOVED a compass.

[sunseeker09]

Sunseeker, Cameron Reid provides car and driver services. He can put together a "standardized" tour for you, or, if you have specific sights you wish to see just let him know what those are and he'll map out a route and tour for you to those sights. When we toured with him this past Feb, it was $135 for 4 hrs for the car and driver (the car would have held 4). Cameron was our driver this past visit, but on a previous visit we had Herman as our driver and he was every bit as good and professional as Cameron was. Here's Cameron's website, so you can get an idea of some of the sights on Barbados you might want to visit: http://www.scenicbarbados.com/ And here's Cameron's direct email: camireid@yahoo.com

 

Thanks :) I have sent him an email. After all I have been reading in reviews lately about taxi drivers wanting to take people places they don't want to go, and inconsistent rates, I think I'd prefer to pre-book someone reputable.