19 Nov 2011 2:47 PM:

We live in West Wales and have a property near Alicante. The majority of our journeys are by air, and we hire a small car when we arrive. We have travelled by car, on two different routes - one using the Plymouth to Santander ferry and driving via Madrid to Alicante, the other through France [via Luxembourg] and down the coast via Barcelona. Both these routes have some beautiful scenery and interesting places to stop and stay if you wish. If using the Santander route, we take two days, sleeping overnight on the ferry, and arriving at Santander at lunchtime, then driving to Alicante in around 8 hours. Through France takes longer obviously - we go via Luxembourg [my sister lives there and we stay overnight] and the second day gets us to around Carcassone or Barcelona, finishing the journey on the third day. Costs are very relevant, and the length of stay is important. The Santander [return] route costs around £600 for the ferry [depends on time of year], with fuel costs of around £300 [at 35mpg]. The France route costs around £50 for the ferry [or cheaper] and fuel around £500, two overnight stay at perhaps £50 each [you really cannot safely do it in one or even two days], the road tolls in France of around £80 or more. Then, for both routes, you have extra insurance cover for your car, and perhaps roadside assistance, and the cost of all your meals en route. And don't forget you lose a number of days off your visit.

For stays of up to 6 weeks or so, it is much cheaper to fly and hire, especially when hire charges are low - you can hire a small car at the moment for around £40 a week! [Much higher I know in summer].

Hope this helps.

Thread: manchester to la manga ?

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26 Jul 2007 10:33 PM:

I go out to Spain regularly and have hired from a number of companies. I always ask for a security pack when at the office [contains triangles and vests] and pay a returnable deposit of about 18 euros. You can ask for more vests in the pack. However, none of them provide spare bulbs, and all of them deny that this is a legal requirement! I must admit I've never had an 'insurance' document, only a copy of the hire contract. I'll ask for one next time!

Peter C    

Thread: Are Car rental companies making you break the Law in Spain!

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05 Jun 2007 12:48 PM:

Hi

Just picked up this thread. We originally bought on an inspection trip with Parador, which was very good. Nice hotel, no pressure, helpful. Then, when we had signed up, we took the after sales service. What a mistake! They have not helped us one bit, and in fact have been a real pain. Everything seems to have gone wrong. They do not appear to keep any records, and it was only because I kept careful records of letters, emails, etc. that things got progressed at all. It was like dealing with a bunch of amateurs. The 'single point of contact' did not work. They made promises that they tried to break. They did not keep us informed. They sent us photos of the wrong property. They sent progress reports which were totally inaccurate. I could go on. I know of others who have had the same type of problems. Only a couple of weeks ago I was contacted about the house insurance I took out in January - they claimed nothing had been signed and perhaps I wasn't covered! When I pointed out that they had confirmed in January by email that everything was ok, they said they didn't keep emails! I was covered in fact, but what sort of outfit works like this? Unbelievable.

If you are considering aftersales with Parador, you have been warned.

Peter

Thread: Parador Problems (I mean Property's)

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04 May 2007 10:32 PM:

My wife and I were in Alicante a month ago, together with my son and his wife. Middle of the day, walking on the promenade, with lots of people about. I left the group for five minutes, and my wife had her bag taken. Luckily it was recovered straight away by my son, but just for info this is what happened. All three of them sat on a bench near the water's edge, then were surrounded by members of a large family. Two women and a young child stood in front of them, looking into the water, and a man threw bread into the water to attract fish, then motioned to my family to get up and watch the fish. They didn't get up, but moved towards the edge of their seat. A second man moved behind them and must have snatched the bag from the bench. My wife shouted her bag had gone, then a third man pointed down the path shouting to my son that 'the black man had got it', trying to persuade him to run and chase. My daughter-in-law saw the bag on the next bench down, next to yet another woman from the same group, and the bag was recovered. The whole family then disappeared rapidly in all directions. A lucky escape, and my wife is always so careful. Beware of similar tricks!

 

Thread: Beach Thieves! - Be aware!

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