can anyone reccomend car hire for me where i do not need to leave credit card details.

i had a bad experience in portugal with europcar last year when i did not have a credit card and i was left at the airport having to pay for damage waiver insurance with my debit card. they retained 400 pounds of my funds from my account up to two days after i returned to uk. this left skint on holiday.

i want to hire a car for a few days to a week and pay in cash all in

can you help

thanks

hi

i have managed to get flights from thomsonf for 25 pounds each way from newcastle on 16/08/07

i have two children aged 15 and 8 and another on the way

baby will be coming too. the owners of apartment have been great and have arranged buggy travel cot steriliser etc to save on baggage

has anyone had a baby in torre or took a baby there?

what are your experiences and what should i watch out for ?

i am egistered at the babycentre so obvious things regarding safety etc has been addressed but i wanted to know the practical things like

can i take buggy to amusement parks
go karting

can anyone offer any help as it will be very much appreciated

thankyou

If they are the appartments that I am thinking of they are about a 10 minute walk from the beach.

They are situated in the town centre, close to the main Guardia Civil building.

Can't help with a car (or where you might park near that location!), as every car hire company that I know would want a credit card.

has anyone had a baby in torre or took a baby there?

To my knowledge nobody has ever had a baby in Torrevieja. Children are grown in laboratories until they are 7 years old, before being sold by auction to wealthy parents.
As such there are no facilities whatsoever for babies.

What's a buggy?

LOL Oly Daze (good Nom de plume):rofl

Relax metcalfe679, you'll have no bother with your baby in Torrevieja. Everything is child friendly and you and your buggy will be welcome everywhere. Have fun and enjoy the holiday.

Oly Daze...sorry but on this occasion I think there is no need to be facetious.
The poster already has 2 children, but it sounds like she will be taking a relative new-born to Torrevieja and would IMO like some reassurance instead of wit.

I would have thought you of all people by living in Torrevieja, would be able to help and qualm any doubts that she might have.

She is a NEW member..with a first time post .!

Yes, the Spanish have children and yes the Spanish are a very family orientated race, who adore their children, but that is not much use to the poster.

C'mon Oly, you can do better than that
sanji

Well, that really told me!

I have been well and truly 'moderated' and I hang my head in shame.

Hi

Since my 2 were babies (going back approx 16 years now !!) we took them to Torre (la Zenia). We used to take travel cot and a double buggy !!

Had no problems at all throughout the years - used the Pizzeria restaurant in town (the one opposite the craft market) and they were so friendly they would move tables for the buggy to fit !!. - The same brothers still own the place now..

We even used the local buses to get to town with no problems - the only bugbear was dragging the buggy on the beach.

Have a good time

P.S Hi Sanji !! hope you are OK

thanks to those people who offered genuine useful help and advice.

greatly appreciated

thanks

kerry

p.s

a buggy is a pram / pushchair/travel system

hi i have managed to get booked with carjet and they dont require extra insurances to be paid by debit card.

i did not need to book for full 2 weeks either because there was an office in torr
3 days hire from airport for a people carrier 103 euro all costs included with the exception of fuel charge
same charge for the last 3 days

thanks to everyone who has helped me with this

i sent the last post but it hasnt appeared ???

family of 5 conists of 2 adults 15 yrs old 8 yrs old boys and 6 week old baby

staying at Calle de la Loma, 03182 Urbanizacion Dona Ines, Torrevieja, Spain
for 12 nights from 16th august
we need to have a few plans- although baby might dictate everything. i am breastfeeding him too.
hubby likes footy
we need to economise loads-

in short here are my questions if anyone can help
where do i go for mud bath at salt lake?
what concerts/entertainment are on
my friend is staying villa martin and i would like to meet up with her when there. where is the best place to meet near villa martin- would like kids to be entertained so i can relax aand have a drink/ bite to eat in a nice taverna.
will i be able to visit the waterfalls in allgar with baby in a sling or is the walkways un steady and dangerous
aparently i have to move our hire car on a thurday from red and yellow bays because of market day friday. where is best to park near our apartment.
we have to return car to sol mar at 9.30 in morning- what is the best way to get back to apartment will a taxi or bus or walk ( hubby will do this alone)
where is the closest cash machine for halifax debit card withdrawls- i need to go shopping for baby on 1st day.
does anyone have location of carrefore so i can do main shop.
we are wanting to do Menu del dias ( i think thats how to spell it) we want to eat out cheaply as a family afternoon or early evening and get back
is it safe for our 15 year old to venture out to bowling/ funfair etc alone- are they closeby? he hates being around us and gets bored.

In the order you have asked your questions:-

Head south on the N332 towards Cartagena. Just before San Pedro you will see the sign for Lo Pagan. Take this road to the sea and the mud baths.

There are loads of concerts and entertainments on at this time of year. I have no idea on what you might like. Get hold of a copy of the Costa Blanca News to see what would suit you.

Meet you friend at the Asturias restaurant just past the new Carrefour on the N332 (Punta Prima). Cheap food, easy to find and some entertainment. If your 15 year old gets bored, the Go-Karts are right next-door.

Walkways at El Algar waterfalls are a little steep, but safe. No problem if you are reasonably fit. DO NOT EAT AT THE WATERFALL RESTAURANT"¦"¦unless somebody else is paying!

Can't help with your parking, except to say park as close as you can the night before market day.

Sol y Mar have many depots Which one are you using?

See above for the nearest Carrefour.

Chinese restaurants are probably the cheapest for menu del dias"¦"¦some from as little as 3:50 Euro. When you get fed up of noodles, head into Guardamar (N332 Alicante), for more cheap restaurants and variety.

It really depends on how sensible and 'street wise' your 15 year old is. My 14 year old is out late most nights on his moped. Usual precautions .no fancy jewelry, bulging wallet, etc.

this forum is great

thanks for the reply, i have arranged to meet my friend as suggested and noted all the tips

cheers

kerry

i have left torrevieja and staying in villamartin i hated it. i researched all i could before i left uk. i have to say it is the most horrible place ever. its dirty and i was staying in calle loma. it felt like i was in the middle of a war zone and city centre. We were not warned about the friday market that covers every street. we lost one days car hire coz we couldnt move our car- a local told us to move it as police would simply tow it away if on red or yellow lines.
we were eating lunch in taverna on beach front and beggers approached our table- we ignored and he left.

we felt un safe the entire 2 days. so much so that i felt i couldnt stay. i arranged to re rent at villa martin and i have to say this is the holiday we had hoped for.

will write more on return home but for now i just wanted to let people know to be prepared.
when its hot its very hot - but we have had just 2 nice days
the beach at la zenia is lush
for some reason lots of shops etc appear to be closed??

HI Metcalfe679

Sorry you didn't enjoy Torrevieja. I have lived here over 4 1/2 years and love it. But then it does depend on where you stay.I Live near the Friday market but thankfully not close enough where we are disturbed by that. There is a lot of building work going on where you stopped, Have to admit would not come here in August as it is very busy as everyone from all over Spain come for the month. Only one more week and they start disappearing again. There are nicer parts of Torrevieja such as Aguas Nuevas also The other side of Torrevieja by Playa Aquecion and Playa los Naufragos. Lot of Looky Looky men but say no and they go away. Shops do close for siesta here 2pm and re-open around 4 - 5pm.

As for your car hire you stated in another post that you knew it had to be moved on a Thurday night due to the market. Also i thought Dona Ines was nearer to Carrefour than the friday Market. I prefer Torrevieja to Villamartin.

Weather will brighten up tomorrow.
I feel much safer here than in the UK.