Kusadasi-car-hire

I am looking at a website for a company called kusadasi-car-hire. It looks respectable, but I cannot find any mention of this company on tripadvisor or cruisecritic. Has anyone had experience with this firm? Thanks.

There are alot of companies that are recommended by the CCr's here...Why not stick with them?

I travel throughout Europe on a regular basis and have visted Kusadasi three times. It is a place where I probably wouldn't hire a car.

I find the driving in Turkey very unprofessional and roads in many places are in bad condition.

At the port in Kusadasi there are plenty of taxis to be able to negotiate a good price.

I travel throughout Europe on a regular basis and have visted Kusadasi three times. It is a place where I probably wouldn't hire a car.

 

I find the driving in Turkey very unprofessional and roads in many places are in bad condition.

 

At the port in Kusadasi there are plenty of taxis to be able to negotiate a good price.

We are going to politely disagree (in a big way) with your post. We have also been to Kusadasi many times and up until our most recent trip had always used taxis, public transit, tours, etc. But on our 2 day visit this past April we rented a car (Europcar) for the day and actually drove over a hundred miles in several different directions from Kusadasi. We were surprised to find excellent roads, plenty of signs in English, sufficient gas stations/rest stops to keep DW happy, etc. While we do recall some pretty lousy roads during our first visit (about 25 years ago) it appears that Turkey has really improved their infrastructure. And keep in mind that we went well off the normal tourist routes when we drove all the way to the town of Tire to experience the local market. By the way, Tire was totally fascinating and like a throw-back to another time in the past. We were the only non-locals in that town (at least we did not see any obvious tourists), very few folks spoke any English (unlike in Kusadasi), and you did not see any females sitting at any of the outdoor coffee shops/cafes.

We will be back in Kusadasi in a few weeks and may again rent a car. The rentals here are quite cheap (we paid less then $50).

Hank

We are going to politely disagree (in a big way) with your post. We have also been to Kusadasi many times and up until our most recent trip had always used taxis, public transit, tours, etc. But on our 2 day visit this past April we rented a car (Europcar) for the day and actually drove over a hundred miles in several different directions from Kusadasi. We were surprised to find excellent roads, plenty of signs in English, sufficient gas stations/rest stops to keep DW happy, etc. While we do recall some pretty lousy roads during our first visit (about 25 years ago) it appears that Turkey has really improved their infrastructure. And keep in mind that we went well off the normal tourist routes when we drove all the way to the town of Tire to experience the local market. By the way, Tire was totally fascinating and like a throw-back to another time in the past. We were the only non-locals in that town (at least we did not see any obvious tourists), very few folks spoke any English (unlike in Kusadasi), and you did not see any females sitting at any of the outdoor coffee shops/cafes.

 

We will be back in Kusadasi in a few weeks and may again rent a car. The rentals here are quite cheap (we paid less then $50).

 

Hank

I have to agree with Hank. I am never a fan of renting a car and driving somewhere unfamiliar to me, but after 3 private tours in and around Kusadasi, I'd almost be willing to do it myself. In driving around from Priene to Miletus to Didyma, and another time to Ephesus and the museum nearby, I had a front seat and could easily see that the roads were great, not very crowded, and clearly marked.

I'd 20 times rather drive there than ever try driving in Italy!!!

There are alot of companies that are recommended by the CCr's here...Why not stick with them?

There are? I have only seen Europcar mentioned in Kusadasi, and they don't have any availabilities the day I will be there. I tried to book with Avis, but their US customer service doesn't actually know where they are located in relation to the port, and the address on their website is "Kusadasi-Aydin." Aydin is over 40 miles from Kusadasi, and no one will answer my email to tell me where the agency is physically located.

Perhaps other companies have been mentioned, but I haven't found them.

The rental car situation in Kusadasi is a bit strange (to say the least). When we walked down the street the main street (along the water) to get to Europcar we passed a couple of other rental car office signs (even closer to the ship) including an Avis sign. But its true that if you look for Avis on the web you cannot find that office (have no clue as to why?). Even the Europcar situation was a bit strange. They gave us a car with no fuel (it was on empty) and explained that the norm was not to ever leave gas in a car. They assured us we had more then enough to get to a gas station...and we did. Our car was fine...but we worked hard to make sure we returned it on empty :). Keep in mind that most rental cars in Turkey are manual shift.

If the Europcar web site shows no cars we would probably call their toll free number and have it double checked (you may have done this already).

Hank

We had a car in Southern Turkey for a week plus last October. We found the roads and the drivers to be just fine. In the city was another matter. Once we got used to how the locals drive we had no real issues.

We also travelled throughout Cappadocia by van. Roads seemed just fine to us.

The original post here was in relation to http://www.kusadasi-car-hire.com/

I too have found the site and been quoted half of what Avis and Europcar have quoted. I know the addage 'if it's too good to be true - it probably is' so... has anyone used them? Are there any recommendations good / bad?

Thanks

K.

We rented from Sixt in Kusadasi about 3 years back (I reported back on CC, so it's buried deep on the search facility somewhere).

It's about a 15 minute walk from the ship. Pre-booked, paid on the day, very straightforward, good newish car, sensible money. When we returned it, one of their drivers gave us a lift in it back to the ship.

No worries.

If you just want to visit Ephesus, which is what most first-timers do in Kusadasi, it's simpler & quicker & almost-certainly cheaper to pre-book a private transfer or barter with a taxi driver to get you there & back. You can pick up a guide or guide-book at the site, you need one or the other. Alterrnatively book an Ephesus tour which includes transportation.

But if you want to strike out elsewhere (we went up in the hills to Sirince, then down to the beach & national forest south of Kusadasi) then a rented car is the way to do it.

The driving is easy (ok, Kusadasi itself can get clogged).

Renting in Istanbul would be a very different story ;).

JB :)

We would agree with JB that a rental car is generally not worth the hassle if you are planning on staying in the Kusadasi area to see places like Ephesus and the Virgin Mary House. However, a rental car is a fantastic option for those who want to go further from the port. For example, as we mentioned in an earlier post we drove ourselves to the small city of Tire for their weekly market, We then backtracked and drove all the way to the ancient sites at Priene, Miletus, and Didyma. The latter 3 sites are highly recommended (by moi) for those who have previously visited Kusadasi and already visited the famous (and fantastic) local sites such as Ephesus.

Hank

I have just booked a rental car from AVIS. The AVIS website displays that the office is just 500m from the cruise port. Here is the map with the exact location:

http://www.avis.de/Autovermietung/Europa/Tuerkei/Aydin/Kusadasi

I used an AWD which I found in the web and got bargain rates. They were so low that I decided to splurge and reserved a BMW 3xx @ € 67 for a day. Of course, they have much cheaper cars.

We will primarily drive to Ephesos but a rental car gives us more freedom. Maybe we will be able to include Miletus or at least we will drive a little bit into Milli Park.

I have just booked a rental car from AVIS. The AVIS website displays that the office is just 500m from the cruise port. Here is the map with the exact location:

 

http://www.avis.de/Autovermietung/Europa/Tuerkei/Aydin/Kusadasi

 

I used an AWD which I found in the web and got bargain rates. They were so low that I decided to splurge and reserved a BMW 3xx @ € 67 for a day. Of course, they have much cheaper cars.

 

We will primarily drive to Ephesos but a rental car gives us more freedom. Maybe we will be able to include Miletus or at least we will drive a little bit into Milli Park.

Very convenient rental location. :)

The road to Milli Park is fairly slow & congested, especially since it's the opposite side of K from Ephesus. Google has Ephesus to Milli Park at 30 miles / 1 hour. But then it's a beautiful winding wooded road in the park. Park entrance is payable, not expensive but I don't know if they accept other currencies or plastic, we had Turkish. Lots of little side roads to beach parking, take your beach gear. Muslim women bathe in full outfits, quite a sight.

Google has Milli Park to ship at 16 miles, 40 minutes.

BTW, one small problem with self-drive to Ephesus - entrance & exit are at opposite ends, taxis & buses drop at one end & collect at the other. Ask the rental depot which end you park, but one of you at least is going to have to back-track. A 15 min walk?

JB :)