I want to take this opportunity and give a massive Shout Out to Stephan Hattingh and his team at Kreol Services and Bliss Car Hire, Seychelles.
International travel, both business and leisure, can and often is a minefield. Business travelers for the most part have an easy life, they either contact their corporate travel office or travel agent and have them make all the arrangements. Not so with the leisure market.
Not so many years ago, leisure travelers would visit their local travel agent, sit with them, pick their brains and let them break their heads to find the best deal in flights, hotel, rent a car, and other related services.
Although there are no figures for 2020, in 2019 over 80% of all leisure travel requirements were booked on-line. And while savings can be made by booking online, it can be a time-consuming, nerve-wracking experience searching for and comparing prices of flights, which seem to change almost minute by minute, hotel deals and of course rent a car.
The latter is something of an obstacle course in its own right. Just when you think you have found the perfect deal, you read the small print and find that the base price doubles or more with the addition of a wide range of required extras.
When we find a service provider that meets their declared expectations and goes above and beyond your expectations, we have a mandatory obligation to share that news, to shout it from the rooftops.
Having invested considerable time in searching for car rental deals in Seychelles, including exchanging emails with various companies, reviewing quotes, reading reviews on TripAdvisor and other sites, and become ever more frustrated by the process, I settled with Kreol Services. From there on, the process managed by Stephan Hattingh was a sheer joy. Emails were answered promptly, the information provided was concise and to the point. Of course, price is important but it’s also vital to know that you are dealing with a reputable company that keeps its promises.
I booked through Kreol cars on the islands of Mahe and Praslin. The service I received was 10/10. I wish I could give 11/10, it was that good.
The cars were late models, clean inside and out, which given the issue with sand on the islands, is a challenge.
The car hand over on Praslin particularly impressed me. As blog readers are aware, I have spent close to 53 years working in and associated with the hospitality, travel, and related industries, including car rental across Europe, North America, and the Far East. The rental representative on Praslin had the right balance of professionalism and friendliness. The handover process included the customary physical check of the car exterior, which she filmed and later sent to my email address, as a record of the car’s condition. Although I have come across this process with several international car rental vendors in Western Europe and the US, it’s the first time I have experienced the process with a local supplier. I was truly impressed.
For first-time travelers to Seychelles, the majority of cars on offer include the Hyundai i10 and Kia Picanto, both automatic, which, with the hills of the islands, is a must. Although large cars are available, given the island’s roads, the i10 and Picanto are ideal. The cars do not include GPS, Waze, or Google Maps. Given the weakness of the internet in certain parts of Seychelles, I would recommend downloading Google Maps offline to a smartphone or tablet.
Bottom line, if you planning a trip to Seychelles, I would certainly recommend that you do visit these amazing islands, make your first call for your car rental requirements to Kreol Services. I promise you will not be disappointed.
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