Car rental Muscat Airport, Oman - any recommendations?

[philcray]

Will be in Oman for a week in October and plan to rent a car at the airport. Have used the Zest website as a broker in Europe but they do not seem to have much in Oman and, googling the rental companies including the big names, they all seem to have terrible reviews even by car rental company standards.

Does anyone have any experience of car rental at Muscat, recommendations, ones to avoid etc?

The best deals on Zest are with Green Motion but I have never heard of them and they do not seem to have any reviews, unless anyone knows differently?

Thanks for any feedback!

[z4RRSchris]

stick to the big names, if you haven't been to the middle east before then familiarize yourself with the arab efficiency and inshallah etc. Make sure you have all your nice bits of paper.

If you want some tips where to go drop me a DM, family been there since 1970.

[bennno]

philcray said:

Will be in Oman for a week in October and plan to rent a car at the airport. Have used the Zest website as a broker in Europe but they do not seem to have much in Oman and, googling the rental companies including the big names, they all seem to have terrible reviews even by car rental company standards.

Does anyone have any experience of car rental at Muscat, recommendations, ones to avoid etc?

The best deals on Zest are with Green Motion but I have never heard of them and they do not seem to have any reviews, unless anyone knows differently?

Thanks for any feedback!

Easier to just use Taxi's - not expensive.

[z4RRSchris]

bennno said:

Easier to just use Taxi's - not expensive.

or get a driver / guide and a 4x4 for the day - c£250 a day.

might want to go down to wadi shab, nizwa, few interior bits, beaches.

[cb31]

I got a boggo Nissan Sunny from Europcar a couple of years ago from Muscat airport. Was absolutely fine, nothing like some of the scam merchants in Spanish airports. Very useful for touring and much better for me than taxis/organised trips.

[StoutBench]

z4RRSchris said:

bennno said:

Easier to just use Taxi's - not expensive.

or get a driver / guide and a 4x4 for the day - c£250 a day.

might want to go down to wadi shab, nizwa, few interior bits, beaches.

Oof, from hire car recommendations to £1,750 for 7 days hire and driver. PH on form.

[z4RRSchris]

StoutBench said:

Oof, from hire car recommendations to £1,750 for 7 days hire and driver. PH on form.

You wont need a car every day. Muscat is a pretty small place.

Its only if you want to traipse a few hours into the desert or down the coast you would want your own car perhaps.

or if your staying at shangri la which is middle of nowhere.

[Snow and Rocks]

No tips for car hire but get out of Muscat as much as you possibly can - not the most exciting city in my mind unless you're into large hotel complexes with overpriced alcohol but the surrounding area is pretty special with loads to see - swim in a wadi, head into the mountains and go and play in the desert etc.

Definitely worth driving yourself - roads are excellent and it's pretty easy to find your way around. Some traffic problems in Muscat itself but generally quiet once you're out of the city.

[philcray]

Thanks for all the feedback, will definitely be hiring a car and will have a look at Europcar as suggested so should be ok.

[JSP440]

Just watch out for speed bumps on duel carriage ways leading to a roundabout approach!

[cb31]

JSP440 said:

Just watch out for speed bumps on duel carriage ways leading to a roundabout approach!

Actually good point, I went over countless small speed bumps at speed due to not seeing them early enough. A lot aren't signposted and blend in with the dirt/tarmac, in the end any time I was near entering or leaving a town/village I was on high alert.

I used google maps with my phone on a mount, offline map downloaded and a local SIM card. Worked nicely even in the mountains.

My white goods appliance on the way up to Jebel Shams which was stunning.

[philcray]

cb31 said:

JSP440 said:

Just watch out for speed bumps on duel carriage ways leading to a roundabout approach!

Actually good point, I went over countless small speed bumps at speed due to not seeing them early enough. A lot aren't signposted and blend in with the dirt/tarmac, in the end any time I was near entering or leaving a town/village I was on high alert.

I used google maps with my phone on a mount, offline map downloaded and a local SIM card. Worked nicely even in the mountains.

My white goods appliance on the way up to Jebel Shams which was stunning.

Gone for a similar hire car with Europcars.

Did you walk to the top of Jebel Shams, what was the weather like up there?

[Snow and Rocks]

We drove up and camped overnight up on the plateau at Christmas - the temperature was pretty comfortable (maybe 15c?) and still hot in the sun but down to about freezing overnight if that helps.

We were in our friend's Pajero but I reckon you'd be fine in a carefully driven 2wd - most of the climb is well surfaced, there are a few steep gravel bits further up but nothing anymore challenging than our farm track and I get a Boxster up there! We certainly didn't bother engaging 4x4.