Arrive LHR at 10pm, car hire, hotel? Options?
Discussion
We'll be flying into LHR July 21st and will be staying in the Midlands, but after 20 hours air travel we don't really want to drive at that time. Any suggestions for hotels right near the airport?
Or pick up a hire car, stop on the M40?
Which car hire joint would be open at that hour?
Or pick up a hire car, stop on the M40?
Which car hire joint would be open at that hour?
Well, we've arrived. First night we stayed in Premier Inn near the airport. Except what they call 'near' was £30 in a cab from terminal 4..........
Still, nice enough place, for £90 and if you are into big English breakfast buffet you can't go wrong. £8.75 and kids under 16 eat free.
Car hire is from Europcar. A Kia Venga, bit small, but enough, diesel too. Cost an extra £45 to be able to go across the waters to France, plus we needed a £30 'foreign kit' from Halfords to be legal.
I've paid the extra £16 a day car insurance for the whole two weeks, which supposedly waives any costs for any damage. We shall see......
Still, nice enough place, for £90 and if you are into big English breakfast buffet you can't go wrong. £8.75 and kids under 16 eat free.
Car hire is from Europcar. A Kia Venga, bit small, but enough, diesel too. Cost an extra £45 to be able to go across the waters to France, plus we needed a £30 'foreign kit' from Halfords to be legal.
I've paid the extra £16 a day car insurance for the whole two weeks, which supposedly waives any costs for any damage. We shall see......
audidoody said:
Wow. £16 a day??? I just get the excess protection cover for about £10 a week. Everything else is usually included in the hire fee.
Excess Protection Cover? That is what this is, and nobody sells it for £10 a week. Normal hire makes you pay the first £1000 on any damage you do to the car. It differs from company to company, but none give cover for it for free. Or even for £10 a week.Simond S said:
King Herald said:
audidoody said:
Wow. £16 a day??? I just get the excess protection cover for about £10 a week. Everything else is usually included in the hire fee.
Excess Protection Cover? That is what this is, and nobody sells it for £10 a week. Normal hire makes you pay the first £1000 on any damage you do to the car. It differs from company to company, but none give cover for it for free. Or even for £10 a week.£39 annual cover if that floats your boat
Just checked up on the final bill for the car hire. It appears to come to £767 for a Kia Venga for 13 days. 
I was quoted £367 for a Vauxhall Astra, including going over the waters, and that appeared on my credit card, but when we collected the car I asked about up-sizing as it was obvious the Astra was a little petite. That added a tenner a day, then the extra insurance mentioned above was £16. Still not sure how it added £400 to the final bill though.
I had to sign some paper with some figures on, which showed the extra cost, and I asked if this was in addition to the £367 they had already taken, and she actually told me it wasn't but was the full price. I knew she was wrong, and the sums didn't add up, but I never really 'did the math' myself, and when I checked later that paper was not in the bundle we were given.
When we took the car back I asked for a full statement of what we were being billed for, which, unfortunately, did have the full figure on.
Oh well, it was a fun fortnight, we covered over 1500 miles, including an extra 300 in France due to my wifes skills at navigation (and me not having a map or working sat-nav)
One interesting point, filling the tank with diseasal in England, from 1/2 to full cost £52. Filling from 1/4 to full in France cost 54 Euros. I even rocked and bounced the car a bit to get the very last drops of cheap fuel in.
I was quoted £367 for a Vauxhall Astra, including going over the waters, and that appeared on my credit card, but when we collected the car I asked about up-sizing as it was obvious the Astra was a little petite. That added a tenner a day, then the extra insurance mentioned above was £16. Still not sure how it added £400 to the final bill though.
I had to sign some paper with some figures on, which showed the extra cost, and I asked if this was in addition to the £367 they had already taken, and she actually told me it wasn't but was the full price. I knew she was wrong, and the sums didn't add up, but I never really 'did the math' myself, and when I checked later that paper was not in the bundle we were given.
When we took the car back I asked for a full statement of what we were being billed for, which, unfortunately, did have the full figure on.
Oh well, it was a fun fortnight, we covered over 1500 miles, including an extra 300 in France due to my wifes skills at navigation (and me not having a map or working sat-nav)
One interesting point, filling the tank with diseasal in England, from 1/2 to full cost £52. Filling from 1/4 to full in France cost 54 Euros. I even rocked and bounced the car a bit to get the very last drops of cheap fuel in.
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