Car Rental

[daleyboy]

Does anyone have reccomendations for car rentals that i can pick up from bkk airport? I am going to need a minibus as there will be 7 of us travelling. I want to pick it up at the airport as i dont fancy driving through too much Bangkok traffic. The best price i have been able to find over the net is about £196 for a week.

I have looked for somewhere that rents the slightly posher mercedes vans, but cant find any anywhere, anybody know where i can find them? I am also wondering what type of insurance is best?

And one other question, could anyone give me some directions from the airport to Sakeao, which is East of Bangkok on the way to Cambodia.

I was going to go by train but it is a 5 hour journey in 3rd class, cant go by bus as they dont have seat belts for a child seat so this is my only other option, honestly how bad is it driving in Bangkok? I drive low loaders in the uk but i have really never fancied driving round bkk. I am thinking that we will leave at like 3am in order to miss the traffic, but if i do this then i am assuming that i will have to ge the motor delivered to the hotal the day before because i am sure the rental offices wont be open at that time of the morning.

[Rinrada]

Quick check....can also try Hertz-Avis -Alamo etc and if you fly Thai or have any privilage card number you could probably get a further discount....

from car hire4less..

destination : thailand

pick-up location : bangkok airport

drop-off location : bangkok airport

from : Mon March 20 2006 at: 10:00

to : Mon March 27 2006 at: 10:00

no. of days : 7

age of driver : 30

car selected : : Van 12 seater 4dr a/c

phone price : 215.00 GBP

total saving : 33.00 GBP

discounted price : 182.00 GBP

carhire4less

[bino]

Hi Daleyboy,

Can't help with the directions to Sakeao, or where to get a Mercedes minivan, but I can heartily endorse your plan to leave the city early.

Whenever I'm heading upcountry, I usually leave Bangkok around 5 AM. This gets you past the airport and well out of the city before sunrise and the traffic starts pumping in the city. The roads leaving the city are usually empty, and any traffic you see is going the other way into the city.

As an added advantage, you will arrive at your upcountry destination in the early afternoon, in time to have a late lunch and enjoy the rest of the day. If I leave at 5 AM, it is easily possible to get to Chiang Mai by 2 PM. This way, it doesn't feel like a whole day lost to travelling.

5 AM is sufficiently early to get out of the city. If you left at 3 AM, it is possible that you will encounter a lot of 18 wheelers / commercial trucks, which tend to travel in the night hours.

Driving in Bangkok is no big deal. Being that you are from the UK, you will be familiar with driving on the left. (this took me a while to get adjusted to...) Most of the time the downtown traffic is so bad that you are crawling. Provided that you are not in a hurry to get anywhere, this is relatively easy and stress free.

Enjoy yr trip......

[daleyboy]

Hi Daleyboy,

Can't help with the directions to Sakeao, or where to get a Mercedes minivan, but I can heartily endorse your plan to leave the city early.

Whenever I'm heading upcountry, I usually leave Bangkok around 5 AM. This gets you past the airport and well out of the city before sunrise and the traffic starts pumping in the city. The roads leaving the city are usually empty, and any traffic you see is going the other way into the city.

As an added advantage, you will arrive at your upcountry destination in the early afternoon, in time to have a late lunch and enjoy the rest of the day. If I leave at 5 AM, it is easily possible to get to Chiang Mai by 2 PM. This way, it doesn't feel like a whole day lost to travelling.

5 AM is sufficiently early to get out of the city. If you left at 3 AM, it is possible that you will encounter a lot of 18 wheelers / commercial trucks, which tend to travel in the night hours.

Driving in Bangkok is no big deal. Being that you are from the UK, you will be familiar with driving on the left. (this took me a while to get adjusted to...) Most of the time the downtown traffic is so bad that you are crawling. Provided that you are not in a hurry to get anywhere, this is relatively easy and stress free.

Enjoy yr trip......

Thanks for the advice. 5am sounds better than 3am without a doubt, when we take a taxi it nornally takes abour 3 hours to the wifes, so we will actually be in time for brekkie.

Quick check....can also try Hertz-Avis -Alamo etc and if you fly Thai or have any privilage card number you could probably get a further discount....

from car hire4less..

destination : thailand

pick-up location : bangkok airport

drop-off location : bangkok airport

from : Mon March 20 2006 at: 10:00

to : Mon March 27 2006 at: 10:00

no. of days : 7

age of driver : 30

car selected : : Van 12 seater 4dr a/c

phone price : 215.00 GBP

total saving : 33.00 GBP

discounted price : 182.00 GBP

carhire4less

Nice one thanks for that mate. They all seem to be round this price, would you reccommend a bigger firm like avis,alamo etc, or do you know of any smaller local firms that would be just as good? Also do you know what differnt types of insurance are available and which one would be best?

I have only ever hired m/bikes and never had any of this hassle, it was just turn up, agree on any damage pay a deposit and away you go. Ohh to be young and single