Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
roads snake through hairpin bends, up steep slopes and along sheer drops, surrounded all
the while by glorious scenery.
Be prepared for traffic jams near the main cities.
Petrol stations are very easy to come by. A litre of unleaded cost €1.66 at the time of writ-
ing. Most stations accept credit cards.
Hire
Good news:
location de voitures
(car hire) is extremely popular in Réunion, and rates are
very reasonable. Rates start at €35 per day (including third-party liability insurance and
unlimited mileage) and can drop as low as €25 per day or €20 if you rent for several
weeks. Most companies require a credit card, primarily so that you can leave a
caution
(deposit).
Most companies stipulate that the driver must be at least 21 (sometimes 23) years of age,
have held a driving licence for at least a year, and have a passport or some other form of
identification. EU citizens can drive on their national driving licence; from elsewhere,
you'll need an international driving licence.
Collision-damage waivers (CDW, or
assurance tous risques
) are not included and vary
greatly from company to company. The
franchise
(excess) for a small car is usually
around €800. You can reduce it to zero (or at least to a half) by paying a daily insurance
supplement of around €10.
Arranging your car rental before you leave home is usually cheaper than a walk-in rental.
Deals can be found on the internet through online hire companies like
DriveAway Holidays
(
www.driveaway.com.au
)
in Australia,
Holiday Autos
(
www.holidayautos.co.uk
)
in the UK,
Auto Europe
All major firms have a desk at the airports.
There are also plenty of independent operators around the island. They are cheaper than
international companies but their rental cars are usually older. Most offer delivery to the
airport for a surcharge. Reputable ones include the following:
Cool Location
(
0693 10 10 11, 0692 19 26 00; cool.location@orange.fr; St-Denis)
Degrif' Loc - Bonne Route
(
0262 26 29 44, 0692 05 18 32;
www.degrifloc.re
;
St-Louis)
ITC Tropicar
( 0262 24 01 01;
www.itctropicar.com
)
Has offices in St-Denis, St-Pierre, St-Gilles-
les-Bains and at the airport.
Location Saint-Leusienne
(
0262 34 77 12, 0692 86 44 90;
www.locationsaint-leusienne.com
;
St-Leu)
0262 35 30 63;
www.mik-location.re
)
Offices in St-Denis and St-Pierre.
Mik Location
(
0262 29 01 66, 0692 70 37 03;
www.multiauto.re
)
In Ste-Clotilde and St-André.
Multi Auto
(
Road Rules
