Phuket Thailand

shanghai · #1 13-05-2007, 01:34

I am going to Phuket soon and i have never been there before. I am considering hiring a car because i am staying quite a bit outside Patong / Phuket. Is it advisable? are the roads OK? Any particularly good or bad car hire companies? Thanks in advance for advice

dawsey · #2 13-05-2007, 01:45

Hi shanghai,

Have a look here for threads about hiring a car in Phuket. Some good info here.

The roads are not too bad, very very hilly around Patong in particular, and you will have to get used to the type of driving you have never experienced before

All I will say is, be prepared for the unexpected. The Thais are notoriously poor drivers, will use all the lanes turn without signalling, turn across or in front of you, so just be prepared.
Wherever you do hire, have a good look around the car for any obvious damage, scratches, dents etc, and point them out and even take a photo of them whilst at the hire firm. This should help you should they decide a previous dent was caused by you

Good luck and happy motoring

MrDK · #3 13-05-2007, 02:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by dawsey

Wherever you do hire, have a good look around the car for any obvious damage, scratches, dents etc, and point them out and even take a photo of them whilst at the hire firm. This should help you should they decide a previous dent was caused by you

Take it a step further ... get full insurance and make sure the company is reputable. Personally, I would only trust the "big ones", such as Herts, Avis, Budget, etc. When I rented a car in Khun Kaen, I got all kinds of offers and once I added the (questionable) insurance the best quote I received was 15% less than Avis. I took great comfort in paying the few extra percent.

Caerphilly · #4 13-05-2007, 03:09

2 points I'd add :-

1 get the right paperwork and carry it with you as quite a few Police check points seem to appear (or just follow me about) likely to also require an international driving permit (from the RAC in the UK at just under £6)

2 tyres and tyres need to be good or say no thabks check them as the grip on some tarmac roads is non existant and made considerably worse by heavy rain after dry periods which can get you into some nice non-sticky moments

I found driving around Patong on the not so busy coast roads less stressful then some european resorts and islands I've hired a car at. Happy driving!!!