car hire for the naive

Hi

I%26#39;m going to be staying at the ledra beach in September and we are thinking of hiring a car. i have never done this before so i%26#39;m hoping someone can tell me what the pitfalls are, what insurance and waivers i need to buy, do i need to fill it with petrol before taking it back etc... also the estimated cost and best place to hire from.

Also, the main reason for hiring i is to go to a restaurant in the mountains for lunch. can anyone suggest interesting sites to visit while we have the car - little villages or monastery’s etc...

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Dave

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Hi,

no pitfalls in hiring a car.Very simple all are insured and usually have enough petrol.As you are going in September I would certainly haggle for a good price,(expect 12-14 Cy per day).There are hundreds of car hire outlets,so no need to worry re choice.

You are certainly spoilt for choice on where to go once you have a car,my advice would be head up the mountains.A place that tourists genrally never go is along the coast from Polis towards the green line.You will pass some lovely villages and a couple of very small seaside towns.You finally end up at the checkpoint for the Turkish side,well worth a trip just to see the Turkish bunkers and gun emplacements overlooking the area.

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We used econamy car hire we picked it up from the airport and dropped it of on the way home all you needed to do was make sure it had a 1/4 tank of petrol when returned. The car was fairly cheap and hassle free when we picked it up.

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Hi - most of the companies are quite straight forward when telling you what is covered and (unlike some countries) dont add lots of extras after quoting the price ! Some companies give you a full tank and you take it back the same- others will say bring it back as they give it you i.e. half full, third full. Just try not to go through your travel company - we were forced to one year and got royally ripped off ! We also had to pay a fuel deposit which we got back 2 months later ! You should reckon on about £20 per day. You will have plenty of choice in Paphos and the hotel may even recommend a company.

Driving is fairly easy as they drive on the left same as UK, just be aware of very high roadside verges - saw someone take his exhaust off trying to park half on the pavement.!

Also just take it steady once you get away from the main areas as the roads can suddenly become tracks ! Dont try and go off road without a 4 x 4. Remember to take your licence. Enjoy

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thanks for the replies so far everyone. seems far more straight forward than i expected. I was under the impression you have different types of insurance and also a policy with an excess waiver, so if you did have a prang you don%26#39;t have to pay the excess. if this still the case?

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No excess,just remember tourist hire cars have red plates,this can sometimes lead to Cypriots being a little impatient.We always get a car with white plates-you tend to be treated in a different manner.God forbid you have a prang but if you do take a photograph straight away,it is quite common for some road users to drive away (as my father found out).Also watch your speed there are now plenty of speed traps in Cyprus and the fine will be hefty.There is a notorios one on the way from Paphos to Limassol(it is the only tunnel on the island)because it belongs to the UK bases they tend to man it rather alot,you will be stopped if only 5km over the limit.

Drink driving is also a big no no,even the day after a few drinks,no excuses they will come down extremely hard.Sorry I have probably put you off now....Common sense prevails in Cyprus,enjoy...

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We are going to Coral Bay in Sept%26#39; %26amp; have hired our car from Savvas Houlos . He comes highly recomended on this forum %26amp; doesn%26#39;t ask a deposit . you can settle it all by e-mail before you go so you have nothing to lose by giving it a try.

houlos@hotmail.com

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thanks for the replies again.

still not 100% sure about the %26#39;extras%26#39; Avis offer this on their website, could anyone tell me if i need all of them? seems the cost with avis for an astra is almost 80 cyl per day with these extra%26#39;s, is that expensive compared to independants in Cyprus?

Collision Damage Waiver ( 8.00 CYL per day ) --

Personal Accident Insurance ( 1.30 CYL per day ) --

Liability Insurance ( 2.21 CYL per day ) --

Theft Protection ( 2.60 CYL per day ) --

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No extras needed.When you hire in Cyprus you will be fully insured.It will include all accident damage,theft,fire and breakdown.It will also work out alot cheaper than through a holiday company or a world wide franchise.

I have been hiring cars from independants in Cyprus for over twenty years and have never had one problem.We have always had a quality car (nissan,toyota honda) and always under 10,000 on the clock..in Paphos you are spoilt for choice...also once you are out of the towns you will find the roads extremely quiet,even at peak periods.

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I have just read your quote from Avis...I think that figure is obscene,the maximum you should pay with air con is £20cy,personnally we pay half that.I am quiet prepared to give you contact details but it is in Limassol,and we hire for the full duration of our stay.The car is waiting at the airport on arrival and we leave at the airport on departure..

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thanks for the reply

i think i must have picked the most expensive car hire company in the world!