Carhirewarehouse.com

This is our sister brand where we offer an on-line service for clients who prefer to book that way. The big news is that we have integrated a new booking engine in to www.acarinSpain.com. This new engine offers another variation on the on-line service. Instead of full payment on booking, only a deposit is taken. The balance is paid when you collect your car at your destination. This allows very early booking of limited availability vehicles – people-carriers, convertibles, automatics, 4×4s, etc. – without immediate major financial outlay. So you can book now to secure the car that you … Continue Reading

As well as the Porto-Barcelona one-way, there was other unusual and interesting business this week. First was a 2-day rental at Caen, popular location for the Normandy D-Day beaches, or this could become a one-way rental from Caen to either Paris or Calais. Any of these options is possible. Then an automatic economy car in Madrid. This was more difficult as the Spanish are not fond of automatics so there is little local demand and the number of autos. on rental companies fleets is therefore very low. Secondly the car was required for early April. This is Easter and the … Continue Reading

An interesting enquiry was for an international one-way rental from Porto to Barcelona. International one-way rentals are often permitted but there are terms and conditions. In this particular case there is a 1,000 euro plus tax ‘international one-way fee’ – these fees can vary between different rental comapnies but are always high between Portugal and Spain (or vice-versa). Some combinations of countries are not so bad. We have arranged Paris-Rome at 250 euros, and both Toulouse and Perpignan to Barcelonalso a at 250 euros. Poland-Hungary was reasonable. Another restriction is that many types of cars are not permitted on … Continue Reading

Good news for those looking to rent a car in Spain. One of Spains largest rental companies, Goldcar Europa, has just announced the opening of two new offices. One will be at Reus airport on the Costa Dorada, convenient for the resort of Salou and the Port Aventura theme park. The other will be at Seville airport. Both airports are becoming increasingly popular with low-cost airlines and Europas presence will increase choice and competition as the company will be offering their full range of cars at both locations. This means a wide choice of economy and family cars as well … Continue Reading

Looking down from the picturesque square in Guadelest you overlook what appears to be a lake. in fact this is the reservoir that serves Benidorm and much of the Costa Blanca. At the foot of the mountains there is a waterfall that uses water from this reservoir. No matter how hot the weather is, the waterfall is always freezing and is a popular tourist spot as a result. To get there you follow the signs to Callosa and then turn right in the town centre signposted Fuentes d’Algar. For Guadelest, go straight on at Callosa…. Continue Reading

No, its not mistake. This is the historic village of Guadelest, only about 20kms from Benidorm but a world away. Situated high in the mountains, the story goes that many centuries ago the villagers held out against the Moors for 70 years on this mountain top before committing mass suicide. Guadelest is now a major tourist attraction on the Costa Blanca, its bell tower an iconic image of the region.

Newly received feedback from a client on their rental car in the Dordogne last week ‘Thank you for arranging the car Mark, it was fab. We had a good holiday.’

A family rental company on Lanzarote e-mailed us this week asking would we be interested in learning their rates? We are always interested in talking to rental companies and had a look at their web-site. Their fleet of cars is limited in choice, no convertibles or people-carriers, but covers the most popular cars used by our clients so that is fine. We advised that we preferred pre-paid rates and indicated what we expected to be included in those rates in order for them to be competitive with other rental companies and look forward to hearing more.

The overseas property and lifestyle exhibitions season is in full swing and we are getting invitations to take stand space or other advertising/promotions at these events daily. Over the next few weeks there is Homes Overseas, Viva Espana, La Dolce Vita, The Homebuyer Show, Steps, A Place in the Sun and possibly some that we haven’t heard of. These are all nationally promoted shows largely taking place in London. In addition there are local shows, such as the KM Overseas Property Show in Maidstone and many events run by individual property agents. If you are considering buying a property overseas … Continue Reading

As always during school holidays, this week has been a bit quieter than normal but there have been some interesting enquiries. The most unusual was from Australia about a car for three weeks in the UK – at Broadstairs on the Isle of Thanet in Kent. Unfortunately none of the major rental companies that we work with have an office anywhere in Thanet and offices in Canterbury seem to have closed. The nearest option would appear to be Dover. Rates have been e-mailed to the client and we await hearing further. Another UK enquiry was from a young lady with … Continue Reading