Heraklion Airport Car Hire - Recommendations please

[Cashey]

Hiya everyone

Hope you are all enjoying the joys of Spring?
Been keeping an eye on the weather and am looking forward to coming over in September.

Car hire, has anyone any recommendations, have looked at a few and some do not even allow you to pick up after a certain time, I will be arriving at around 23.30.

Any info anyone can give would be appreciated as I am over for 10 days and would obviously like to get a good price.

Thanks in advance people.

[Tim]

Hi Cashey

I go over 3 times a year and the best I've come across is Elite. No charge for out of hours arrival/departure, very reasonable rates, and good English spoken.

http://www.elite-rentacar.gr

Hope this helps
Tim

[Cashey]

Tim

Thanks for the info, shall get onto them.

[Kimsie]

Hi Cashey

if you haven't already sorted your car hire, I would also recommend Europeo (this isn't a typo).

We've been using them now for probably 3-4 years, sometimes up to 5 trips a year and we've never had any problems (touch wood!).

They are also very reasonable, have always been waiting at the airport for us when we arrive (we only ever bring hand luggage so they obviously arrive in good time), have often upgraded us & generally offer a friendly & hassle-free service, even with late arrivals.

http://www.europeocars.com

Hope this helps. Enjoy your trip.

[Kimsie]

Hi Cashey

if you haven't already sorted your car hire, I would also recommend Europeo (this isn't a typo).

We've been using them now for probably 3-4 years, sometimes up to 5 trips a year and we've never had any problems (touch wood!).

They are also very reasonable, have always been waiting at the airport for us when we arrive (we only ever bring hand luggage so they obviously arrive in good time), have often upgraded us & generally offer a friendly & hassle-free service, even with late arrivals.

www.europeocars.com

Hope this helps. Enjoy your trip.

[Somerset Steve]

We used Athens cars last year ( www.athenscars.gr) and were very satisfied. This year their price was not so competitive so we have booked with Europeo (watch the spelling as their are several companies with similar spellings).

[Cashey]

Thank you very much people for your responses, I have the wife investigating all mentioned.
Bit disappointed with the weather in Crete at the mo, I have booked Thassos in a couple of weeks time and it has been knocking Crete’s temperatures into a cocked hat, hope that improves! LOL
Heres sitting in a constant raining UK, really fed up!

[Cashey]

Kimsie

Hi again, sorry to be a pain!
Getting down to the final paperwork for coming over to Crete, just a few questions on your car hire with Europeocars please, I presume it would be OK for picking up at such a late time (23.40)? If that pick up time is OK, then whereabouts do you go to pick up the car, is there somebody standing at arrivals with your name on? And one last question, I do require a full tank (to be on the safe side) to get me to Georgioupolis, I presume they would arrange this?

Sorry to be a pain, I am the one in the family that is pretty laid back with all these types of things, I just go with the flow, but my sons girlfriend is coming with us and she is a bit worried as it is her 1st time to Greece (Crete), me and my wife have been loads of times and have told her what it is like, but hey ho!

Thanks again for any info you can give.

[Tim]

Hi Cashey

The car hire reps wait outside or just inside the 'Arrivals' door holding up notices with your name on, although you need to note that there are two separate 'Arrivals' doors.

They will either take you across the road to the hire car compound or will have your car ready on the road outside the terminal. There is usually a 15 - 20 Euro charge for out of hours pick ups. Policy on fuel seems to vary from company to company - I've found it's usually 'bring it back with the same amount in the tank' - which is usually almost empty.

I've never known a hire company organise petrol, so that's probably down to you. I don't know where the nearest 24 hour petrol station is in the direction you're going - I always go the other way!
Maybe someone else can help you on that question.

You also need to make sure you know what to do with the keys when you bring the car back - this also varies greatly between companies.

Hope this helps
Tim

[Kilkis]

I'm not getting at you, Cashey, or trying to be clever but aren't these questions you should be asking the car hire company? No two companies in the UK seem to operate the same. Similarly in Greece.

Warwick

[Cashey]

Tim

Great, thank you very much for the info, shall pass onto the worried passenger!

Warwick

I understand what you are saying, I have asked the company, which I have had a reply from, but wanted to get the info from someone who has experienced this before, as all the times I have been to Crete I haven’t.

[Kimsie]

just a few questions on your car hire with Europeocars please, I presume it would be OK for picking up at such a late time (23.40)? If that pick up time is OK, then whereabouts do you go to pick up the car, is there somebody standing at arrivals with your name on? And one last question, I do require a full tank (to be on the safe side) to get me to Georgioupolis, I presume they would arrange this?

Hi Cashey - sorry for the slight delay in replying but we've just sold our UK home & moved into rental for a few months in preparation for our permanent move to Crete

We generally prefer to get the early flight out but on one ocassion we got the later one & arrived late at night ourselves. We were not charged anything extra by Europeo.

As Tim says, the rep will meet you at arrivals holding a sign with your name on. They're usually pretty prominant but you can always 'park' everyone else with suitcases etc & go for a quick stroll if you don't immediately see him.

The car will be parked over the road in the car park & you will be asked to leave it in the same place & drop the keys back to the guy in the kiosk on your return.

As for petrol - expect the tank to be anything from 1/2 full to almost empty. I'm afraid I don't know opening hours of petrol stations near the airport (as I say, we generally arrive earlier in the day so not an issue) but there are a couple of stations close by & the rep will be able to point you in the right direction.

This time next week we'll be on Cretan soil (barring flight delays of course!) so I'll try & find out a bit more for you.

Regards

[Cashey]

Kimsie

What can I say!

Firstly, I am very jealous of you for 1, getting out of England, and 2, moving to Crete, I wish you all the best luck in the world.
Whereabout in Kent DID you live?
I’m in Sittingbourne.
Where are you renting in Crete?
Is there a place on Crete that you really like?
Sorry for being nosey, but I am so excited for you!
I hope to do the same one day and have posted many times regarding areas of Crete.

Secondly, thanks for all the info on the car hire, that will certainly put the scared passenger we have coming with us at rest, I always knew in my mind that everything always has a way of working out.
I have recently had a reply from them saying they will fill the tank up for me, I will obviously have to pay for it, but as long as I can get to my destination I don’t care really.

Hope everything goes well for you.

[Kilkis]

...I have recently had a reply from them saying they will fill the tank up for me, I will obviously have to pay for it, but as long as I can get to my destination I don’t care really...

Very wise. I have driven the Heraklion - Chania route a few times late at night, although not recently, and have never seen any late night garages. There are not that many during the day. I think that when this issue was raised in the past somebody said there was a late night one in Heraklion but the last thing you want to do after a flight and facing a longish drive is wander round the back streets of Heraklion looking for fuel.

Enjoy your stay. Tell your nervous passenger to get into the Greek spirit. It will be all right on the night.

Warwick

[scooby]

Tell your nervous passenger to get into the Greek spirit.

Warwick

The Greek spirit being raki