Which is best/ cheapest! :-)

[markhula]

Hi all,

We finally intend to visit our villa again next year, HURRAY!

Anyway!, now that's out the way....

We are going for 3 weeks to Florida, but intend to take maybe a 7 day trip to Great Exuma (off the coast of Miami).
We would book our carhire online as the points are nice :-)
But is it cheapest to hire the car for 3 weeks, drive to Miami, leave it there and simply when we we return pick it up and back to Florida or do it as 2 seperate car hires and "save" 1 week???????
I assume online for the car booking you don't get these kind of choices i.e. it's not the flexible.
Just wondered what others do?
Also is it easy to drive from Orlando to Miami airport?, i.e. how long?, and is the airport easy to get to?

You can guess with almost certainty we'd get lost [msnwink]

thanks

[ShirleyD]

I think you will find with US car hire that you can pick up at Orlando airport and drop at Miami airport or port, then do the same on return. Miami airport is easy to get to, but traffic can be bad once you get close, so allow some time. If you are worried, then why not hire a SAT nav as well

[Mo Green]

It is easy to do seperate bookings through this site. Earlier this year we booked for 4 weeks in the USA using 3 seperate car hires. One week in our villa, a few days in San Diego then returning to our villa for the remainder of our time. All 3 cars booked easily through this site.

The car hire places are all off airport at Miami. We flew into Miami airport in September for a stay in Fort Lauderdale and then across to the Gulf Coast. Before leaving home we down-loaded a detailed map of the airport/car hire area and did not get lost so you probably will not need a Sat.Nav just for dropping off/collecting a car at Miami.

Other people who regularly use Orlando/Miami can probably advise the best route to take.

Mo

[MarkJan]

I would have 2 separate bookings. On golf, each would have a tank of fuel.

[markhula]

Thanks-you

It sounds simple enough, and I guess 2 seperate bookings is best.
Do we really need the sat-nav though to get to Miami airport???

Cheers

[Mo Green]

Depends how bad your Navigating is[msnwink]. Most of the car hire/drop-off sites are in NW South River Drive.

From Orlando if you come down on the Florida Turnpike when you reach Miami take the Dolphin Expressway East (836). Stay on that and you will pass the airport on your left. Come off at the junction for NW 42ND Avenue. As you come off turn left and go under the Expressway heading north on NW 42ND Avenue. After passing NW 31st Street on the right the road forks. Bear right and then right into NW South River Drive.

You will have to get the courtesy bus from the off-site car hire drop-off to Miami Airport.

Download a local map and it will help if you take a wrong turning.

Mo

[Susan J]

You should get a Sat Nav anyway- it makes SUCH a difference- we have found lots of quicker ways to get where we are going- and I know Orlando better than Cheshire!
Really- it makes you very confident in going anywhere- try it!!

[markhula]

Hi all,

Yep!, I think we've decided a sat-nav will *really* help; so we will try it.
Thanks for everyone's help and input as usual

Mark

[markhula]

Hi all,

Have booked online for 2 seperate carhires (as we have a 5 day break in between both and don't require a car).
I did have to pay for sat-nav twice..., surely I should be charged once? (or some kind of discount?).
Can someone please take a look at my order and see if we can sort something out??

thanks in advance

Mark