Im heading to Surfers on the 14th of may for 5 days and
will require a car for my family and I (4 people total).
Looking for some options other than the big companys or rent a bomb(had a big issue in another state)
Any Advice would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
I have used Abel a bunch of times, cannot fault them. They ferry you to the airport. I find their rentals a but less flexible than the majors, but also generally (though not always) at a lower cost. They are sometimes willing to make a deal too.
I've had bad dealings with East Coast, and would not deal with them again nor recommend them.
Usually these days I hire through the bug companies or Red Spot for the convenience of having them at the airport for pick up and return with two kids in car seats. I always:
Check each of the sites (and the web) for discount codes
Check Expedia (I've had super bargains on the majors)
Buy Travel Insurance (through TID with a discount code) rather than excess reduction.
Do you really need a rental? If staying in Surfers then you'll be able to walk everywhere. For other travel such as getting to Theme parks and even to and from the airport the local bus is quite good, though a bit more expensive than Victorian buses. Children will get concession, but once over 15 then they pay adult fares as other states do not give concession to children over 15. http://translink.com.au/travel-information/visiting-south-ea… Make sure you go to Harbour Town for some great bargains.
I use http://www.economycarrentals.com/ for any car hire around the world. They have tie ups with local companies like eurocar, hertz, etc. Their rates are the best I've found so far and include ZERO excess.
I have used them around 7-8 times and never had any issue.
The last time I hired a Commodore SV6 for 2 weeks, it turned out to be from Eurocar and the daily rate came to ~$45 with zero excess.. :)
rentabomb is nearby.
cheap
online quotes for new or used.
1273 Gold Coast Highway
Palm Beach
(07) 5568 7333
I am also travelling to the Gold Coast in a week or so. I booked our flights (only 2 of us) etc through Flight Centre (as I haven't flown for years). They also arranged (for the last 2 days) car hire for a total of $94, which I think is quite good really (cheapest vehicle Hyundai i20 or similar). (This is with Europca: Surfers 61 75583 6430, and Coolangatta 61 7 5569 3370). Have never used them before, although I have had experience with Rent-A-Bomb in Cairns…. Although I have to collect the vehicle myself (5 mins away from accommodation) have arranged to drop the car off at the airport.
I am still to arrange bus passes (2 x concession) for the Gold Coast, which also covers airport transport, as I am unsure if friends are ferrying us around or not… As an RACV member Concession (5 Day Freedom Pass) is $68.40 each, otherwise $76. A family 5 Day Freedom Pass is $238 or $214.20 with RACV membership. Freedom Pass door to door theme park transfers and unlimited 24 hour kicak 24 hour bus network and Surfside Bus Lines … 45 bus routes. Was told me that regular bus services run at least every half hour to the theme parks, but best to check yourself. Car hire may be better, more cost effective alternative for you, especially if you can get better prices than us. Be wary of car parking charges as some establishments can charge quite hefty fees, and I understand that in the heart of Surfers is seriously expensive.
Hope this helps … have been doing some research myself lately. Have a nice holiday! :o)
Are you going to use the buses enough to justify the cost of these passes? To work out costs of the bus travel in Queensland go to translink journey planner http://jp.translink.com.au/ and you'll be able to calculate the cost of any travel you may do- including the transfers from the airport door using the Surfside buses. $238 is a lot of travelling, maybe the travelling you do will not cost that much? Just a suggestion. I travel up to the Gold Coast regularly and just 'pay as I go' with a GoCard. Have a great time.
Thank you very much for the handy link, which indicates catching bus from airport will cost us $4.30 each (Concession), or by using the GoCard $2.92/$2.34. Seems like this GoCard is the way to go. Also indicates what buses to catch; TX2 bus takes us to MovieWorld etc.
We had been thinking of the $68.40 5 Day Freedom Pass (Concession RACV)each to use for 4 days, equating to $17.10 per day each, minimum 2 trips daily. Estimated that we would need to credit the GoCards $45 each for the same. When I rang Translink they said I could purchase at airport, and obtain a refund for any unused portion too at the airport; good option. Only Freedom Passes were suggested to us by travel agent and RACV. Wish they had also mentioned these GoCards to us!
Thanks again :o)
Check out some previous threads (which you can find by just doing the search):
I won't comment again lest people think I'm a rep or something of a cheap car rental place on the Gold Coast…