Budget Car Rental

I have rented from Budget Car Rentals three times over the past two years. I have also had one rental from Budget Truck Rentals. All of these experiences have been good, with a minor glitch on my first car rental at LAX two years ago.

I flew into LAX in 2007, expecting a friend to pick me up at the airport. He was tied up which meant I was stuck trying to find a ride. There are shuttle buses that come by the airport to take travelers to the nearby car rental businesses. Budget showed up first, so away I went.

When I arrived at the Budget rental location I was greeted by a line that serpentined around the lobby all the way to the front doors. Intimidating to say the least. I did not have a reservation and worried that I was wasting my time in the tediously long line. The line moved quickly for the length...there were several terminal operators processing customers. It took me nearly an hour to get to one of the operators, who was cordial and knowledgeable. She quickly assessed my needs and got me into a rental car with very little trouble. I provided the necessary documents and was told to wait out front for my car to be brought around. A few minutes later I was dumped into LA traffic...at four in the afternoon on a Friday. At least the car was comfortable and the brakes worked good. The brakes got more use than the gas pedal as I trudged through traffic.

Returning the car during my first rental was a breeze. I filled up the gas tank at a nearby gas station, having left ample time for the pit stop, rental car return, shuttle ride and airport check in. I was still concerned about the turn-in process considering the extensive time I spent waiting to get into the car. I pulled into the lot where several lanes were marked for turn in. I was quickly approached by a man holding a handheld processing device. He examined the car for damage, entered the mileage and printed a receipt by the time I had unloaded my sparse luggage. I was puzzled. Is that it? That's it. Just as quickly as I could get out of the car, it was processed back in and I had my receipt.

My next experience with Budget was last Spring when my sister received her Master's Degree. My children and I flew to her graduation, picking up my brother on the second leg of our flight. My brother handled the rental car arrangements with Budget before our flight. We arrived at the pick up desk located inside the airport and were quickly processed (there was no line). The attendant asked if we wanted to pay for a full tank of gas in advance, which we agreed to do. The price per gallon for the full tank was a few cents cheaper than the going rate outside the airport at that time. In exchange for paying for a tank of gas (which at that time was around fifty dollars), we were permitted to return the car with an empty tank. Returning a car to the rental company with an empty tank used to be a sure recipe for sticker shock. So fifty dollars was a great deal.


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Casino Rama (Ontario, Canada)

I spent last week at Casino Rama in Rama, Ontario. Rama is located about an hour and a half driving distance North of Toronto, just outside Orillia, Ontario. The location makes this desination a bit secluded, which can be a good thing or bad depending on your reasons for visiting. I do not gamble (although I have been known to drop a few dollars in the casino). Casino Rama is located in an area with no attractions in the immediate vicinity. Orillia is a short ten minute drive away, and has several attractions that provide distraction without necessarily being a destination type vacation. In other words, if you are looking for a place to hide out and relax for a few days, Casino Rama is a great destination, if you are looking for things to do, Toronto might be a better choice.

There is no public transportation from the Toronto Pearson Airport to Casino Rama. A cab would be prohibitively expensive, so the only reasonable way to get to Casino Rama is to rent a car. I rented from Budget at a rate of Fifty Dollars a day Canadian. Finding the hotel and casino from the airport was relatively easy. There was heavy traffic due to my arrival during the evening rush hour. For that reason, it took me nearly twenty minutes to travel down 409 to 400 North. It took another twenty minutes to clear the heavy traffic on Highway 400. After the traffic thinned a bit, the 100 KPH speed limit was actually attainable. Around Barrie, Ontario, Highway 11 broke off taking me into Orillia. In Orillia, I exited on Highway 12 and followed the signs for approximately ten minutes until I got to the hotel. I traveled approximately five roads from the time I left the airport until I pulled in to the hotel…so my concern about getting lost ended up being unfounded. However, the instructions provided on the casino rama website would have gotten me lost.

I parked in front of the hotel during check in, which was quick and painless. After checking in, I parked for free in the ample casino parking lot. Because the weather was starting to turn cold (it was in the 50s all week), it appeared that the hotel and casino might have been a bit off-season. Judging on the size of the parking lot, it might be a trickier deal during peak season. I was able to park very close to the entrance to the hotel, but the massive parking lot stretched a great distance from the hotel but was mostly empty. I returned to the large hotel entrance and soaked in my surroundings. The check in desk and concierge are located on the left, while two restaurants cover the right side. The glass elevators are visible behind a large waterfall directly ahead. A small seating area finishes the picture, located in front of the waterfall. The three elevators rise quickly, providing a brief view of the hotel exterior as it rises above the lobby area.

Checking into my hotel room, I find that it resembles many Marriott’s that I have stayed at in the past. If I didn’t know any better, I would have guessed that it was a Marriott right off the top. The room was divided by an imaginary line created by a couch facing toward the entertainment center. Behind the couch on the far wall is a plush bed with steel blue-gray silk pillow cases and orange and brown accents. There is a fireplace on the wall on the far side of the couch. The fireplace is operated by a switch on the wall which activates a timer which automatically shuts the fireplace off after about an hour. The large television was the old-fashioned tube type, but provided an excellent picture. The large screen was easily viewable from the bed which was a good distance from the television. The mattress was plush but firm, providing the exact level of comfort that I look for in a mattress. The room was neat and clean.

A quick survey of the room revealed that there was not a coffee pot available. I have noticed the same at the casino hotels in Las Vegas…they must not want you to spend much time in your room. The newspaper is not delivered to the room in the morning, but is available at the concierge station. There was a safe located in the closet for valuables. The bathroom runs the length of the room, making it one of the largest bathrooms I have ever had in a hotel room. The spacious bathroom has a sink followed by a large glass shower stall followed by the commode. On the opposing wall is a bathtub. The shower stall was wider than your average bathtub shower, providing plenty of space to maneuver while you are showering. The glass door did not appear to shut all the way and there was no clasping mechanism to keep it closed. The water did not appear to escape from the shower, but I thought it odd that the door didn’t shut securely. I was impressed with the impeccable condition of the glass shower enclosure. As an owner of a glass shower, I can attest to the difficulty in keeping this type of shower clean…the cleaning staff did an exceptional job.

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