Sorry - but another "Jeeps in Aruba" question

[kathyjack]

Our group of 16 will be in Aruba in January. Because we are there for so long, some of us have talked about renting jeeps and touring the island. DH and I have always booked our shore excursions through the ship, but if we book the ship jeep excursion at $75.00 each, some may not be able to, or want to, spend that much money on an excursion. I know I've read on threads a while ago about some who have rented jeeps through independent rental co's. So...my questions are: who did you rent your jeeps from, how much was it, do you make reservations prior to getting there, how far out did you make your reservations, did you have to pay prior to getting to Aruba or pay when you get there, how long did you have the jeeps, what condition were the jeeps in, how many did one jeep hold (if 4 - could an 8 year old fit in a jeep with 4 adults?), and any other info you could give would be greatly appreciated. Also, if there are some of you who booked the jeep excursion through the ship, I'd love to hear your pro's and con's as well. Thanks!

[jenny368]

My family was in Aruba for the day in April. We rented a 4x4 from Hertz at the pier. We reserved this months in advance. Be careful-when we were walking to find the Hertz dealership we were told by a man that he had jeeps for rent and that Hertz was no longer at the pier. This was untrue. We declined and continued to look for Hertz-and there is was-right there. I think the cost was around $60.00 for the day. The Hertz guy said we could keep the jeep for as long as we wanted and if he was closed when we returned the jeep to just lock the keys up in the 4x4. I ordered a very detailed map on line and the Hertz guy also gave us a map. If I had this to do over again I would have taken a jeep tour with a group. We could not find 1/2 of what we wanted to see. We did find the light house and Baby Beach. We were very disappointed at how hard the attractions were to find. A lot of them were off of dirt roads that are mostly unmarked. We could not find the natural pool or natural bridge. Go with a tour guide and you will get to see more than on your own. That is my honest opinion. Have fun!

[dbcruzin]

kathyjack

We found a place right around the corner from where you leave the pier that we were able to rent 4x4's. These weren't jeeps, but the smaller Suzuki type. But, the were automatics, had air, and the back convertible roof was able to be let down. We were able to rent these for $70 each for our parties of 4. It made for a wonderful day.