Renting a Car in Cancun/RM--**UPDATE-more Q's!**

[ACDCDCAC]

i searched and read a few threads but they were older and didnt really have the info i needed- SO- here goes!

 

we reserved a car thru alamo, its only $150.00 after tax/fees for the 8 days we will be there. we LOVE alamo so we usually just book with them on any trip before checking anything else.

 

we have rented cars in cabo san lucas before and it was super easy to navigate the highways, etc, so i'm wondering:

 

if you have rented a car in the cancun/RM area:

 

~how easy was it to get from the airport area to PDC and further south?

 

~did you get the insurance? we're you told you HAD to? how much was it on top of the regular rental fees?(we didnt in cabo but you never know!)

 

~did you pay ahead of time? (we think we will so we have proof and there will be no argument about cost.)

 

~any trouble finding parking in PDC, tulum, etc?

 

~is the ferry to cozumel intended for cars, or is it foot traffic only?

 

thanks for any help!!!!!

[MarieSam]

Hey Abbie, ok so FI and I rented a car in June for our site visit ~ it was our first time renting in Cancun so we we're a little skeptical too and didn't know what to expect.

 

First off we got a rental for a week and it was only $85 -- I can't remember what site we used, I will have to look for it -- but we used a company that was local to the area. Happily when we got our car it wasnt a piece of crap, so we were good.

 

The rental car shops usually will pick you up at the airport and take you to their office, it's literally about a minute drive. From there they should give you a map of the area that really explains places to go, and how to get there.

 

Also if you check out my wedsite in my siggy (password: akumal), there is a portion in the "Transportation Ideas" page that breaks down info on driving in Cancun/RM. I got this info from a magazine my WC gave me, and it has lots of helpful info on driving rules, things to know when driving, etc.

 

~how easy was it to get from the airport area to PDC and further south?

Going to PDC, Tulum, pretty much everything, is SUPER easy, it's all south of Cancun on Highway 307. There's no other way to get to these places from Cancun as 307 is the main highway. Be careful though of speed traps, you'll notice that the speed limits change drastically just within yards of each other and the local police will not hesitate to pull you over and try to bribe you outta a ticket! There's info on my site about that too

 

~did you get the insurance? we're you told you HAD to? how much was it on top of the regular rental fees?(we didnt in cabo but you never know!)

We were told that the mandatory insurance was $10/day so we went with just that. FI was the only one drove and his car insurance is such that he's covered no matter what car he drives. So we just stuck to the "mandatory"

 

~did you pay ahead of time? (we think we will so we have proof and there will be no argument about cost.)

no we didn't, we literally booked our rental car at the airport. If you book ahead of time and are worried about rates, I would say just print out the quote you received online or confirmation email so your guaranteed that price. We didn't have any problems though!

 

~any trouble finding parking in PDC, tulum, etc?

PDC can be a biotch to find parking , especially if you're trying to go where all the action is and visit Avenue 5, which is what most people do. Luckily when we were there, we always managed to find parking but I think that's cuz we went during the off-season and also visited during the odd hours -- mid afternoon, or super late at night. Our lucky spots always happened to be on Constituyentes in the lots right after 5th avenue between the Grand Porto Real and the Royal Porto Real. Not so sure about parking in Tulum as we've always been dropped off by driver when we've visited.

 

~is the ferry to cozumel intended for cars, or is it foot traffic only?

not sure about this one as I've never been to Cozumel, but I believe it is foot traffic only.

 

Hope that helps! When are you going?? I'm jealous

[ACDCDCAC]

mariesam you are now my personal cancun car rental agent

 

thanks so much that about answers everything, altho of course i'd love input from anyone who has some, the more experiences the better!!

 

we are going april 11-18!!!!! and it cant get here fast enough!!!!!!!!!

[idomexico09]

Hi - we just got back from the area and rented a car. Do not go through Carribean Rental Cars - they promised us a certain type of car or something similar and did not come through. Then they act like they don't know what your talking about. You should be good if you're going with Alamo because they are a reputable company. It is very easy to get around - one hwy to worry about. I have been told it is extremely important to drive the speed limit - they will pull you over for even a little over. You have to pay close attention to the speed limit signs as they can change every couple miles or more. It was recommended to me to buy the extra insurance. Parking in PDC can be tough - but we found it without too much problem.

[poohshek]

We rented a FIAT through Hertz for one day and the total was 800 pesos including all the insurance/fees/tax etc. Make sure "Theft Insurance" is included because we got conflicting information from several staff at Hertz. In the end, we accidentally initialed the clause saying we denied "Theft Insurance" which wasn't intended. Luckily nothing happened to the rental and we parked on the streets outside the hotel in Playa Del Carmen.

[ACDCDCAC]

good advice ladies, thanks!

[hanna]

We rented a jeep just for a day excursion from Cancun to Xel Ha. Everything went fine, except be very careful about speeding and traffic laws. My FI got pulled over for "speeding" which was only a few miles over the limit. We were supposed to go to the police station with him to pay the fine, but we opted just to pay the officer off with about $80 to avoid the hassle. Risky...but worked out. But, the lesson learned is be extra careful about following all traffic laws as there are dishonest officers who pull you over to make some $$

[ACDCDCAC]

BUMPING in case anyone else has any good Cancun/RM car rental advice.

 

we are kind of waivering on whether or not to actually follow thru with the rental. since we "decided" to do it, i have been reading more and more how super easy it is to get from the airport to our hotel (GBP-T) just using the bus/shuttle things.

 

i will go read thru more threads while i wait for replies, but i need some convincing-EITHER WAY- if we should actually rent the car or stick with public transportation.

 

~give me your argument either way!

~how much is it per person to take the public shuttle from the airport-south?

~how do you find the right bus/shuttle? like is there a specific company/color of shirts/sign that we should look for?

~etc! add any helpful rental/bus info in this thread so others can use it as a good resource!