Learn about all the things you can rent in Kyiv
Nowadays, you can get practically anything for your money – and what you don’t feel like buying, you can rent. Even in Kyiv, which is still quite undeveloped in comparison with other world capitals in terms of services available, you can rent many things – from the most common to the most extraordinary. Here’s an overview of things you can do in Ukraine’s capital, living a “life for rent.”
Pick your car
After housing, the most widespread type of rental service is car rental. At Limon – Cars for Rent and ARO – All Rent Offers every rental car is equipped with an alarm system, radio/stereo or CD player. Also, in the car’s trunk you will find useful things like a first aid kit, fire extinguisher, breakdown triangle, car jack, wheel box, spare wheel, and other necessary tools. ARO offers you Daewoo Sens and Lanos, Chevrolet Aveo, Hyundai Matrix and Skoda Superb. At Limon you can rent a Dacia Logan, Ford Focus, Hyundai Accent, Toyota Corolla, Renault Megane, Ford Mondeo, or a Subaru Forester. The rental price includes a full tank of gas, grease consumption, tech inspection, and insurance (third party liability, damage to third party property, theft, collision and personal accident insurance.) But above all the price depends on the cost of the car. At Limon prices range from $50 to $200 per day and from $45 to $150 per day at ARO. In order to rent a car you must have at least three years of driving experience (hold a license that has been valid for this period of time), a valid passport and Identity code (for Ukrainian citizens). You need to be at least 21 years old to rent a car. The deposit, as well as the hire cost, depends on the price of the car. Both at Limon and ARO the deposit can run you from $600 up to $2000. At Limon free delivery and collection of a rented vehicle is provided only within the central part of Kyiv or near their central office. Upon request they can deliver the rented car to you or collect it at any address outside the city center but within city limits for an additional servicecharge of $5, or at airports for $25. At ARO you’re allowed to leave the car somewhere nearby the metro station and they will pick it up from 9 a.m. till 6 p.m. free of charge. Car delivery/collection from Boryspil Airport will cost you 20 euros in the afternoon and 30 euros during evening and night time.
If you’re interested in renting a more high-class car, Navigator offers Mercedes-Benz cars with a driver. At VIP Mercedes – Service they can offer you such automobiles as Mercedes-Benz W221, W220, WHO, G500, etc. At VIP Car you could get a Chrysler 300C, Bentley Continental Flying Spur or a Hummer H2. Driver services, fuel payment and car washing are included in the rental costs. The price for using a car in the city will be calculated per one hour of driving and per one kilometer for driving in the countryside. At VIP Car you will be requested to deposit 50 percent of the rental cost, and at VIP Mercedes there is a 100 percent deposit. Note that it is prohibited to drink alcohol or smoke inside their rental cars.
If traveling in style means nothing less than a big white limo, you should try Limousine-Prokat. Three hour rental for a Cadillac De Ville will cost you Hr 1000, and every next hour will cost you an additional Hr 335 to Hr 435. At night (from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m.) prices go up 20 to 50 percent. Upon placing an order you’ll need to pay Hr 500 at once. This money will be included in your rental payment, but won’t be returned in case the order is cancelled. Payment for parking and tour guide services are included in the cost. A limousine will be given to you with a full bar, which if used will cost an additional Hr 150 to Hr 200.
Limon – Cars for Rent (4 Mykhaylivskiy Provulok, office 18, 278-8854, 332-9797, www.limonauto.com.ua)
ARO – All Rent Offers (43/2 Predslavinska, 240-8222, www.aro.kiev.ua)
Navigator (16B Bohdana Khmelnytskoho, 592-6977, 592-6966, www.navigator-avto.com.ua)
VIPCAR (4 Orositelna, 223-2318, www.vipcar.com.ua)
VIP Mercedes Service (14B Gorkogo, office 51, 202-2565, www.avtomers.com.ua)
Limousine-Prokat (530-0092, 459-3192, www.li.kiev.ua)
Music and movies
If you’re looking for DJ gear or sound and light equipment for a party, concert, or corporate evening, you can rent it all at Soundmaster. You can get a complex of one dual or two separate players, mixing console, and also the complete set of sound and light equipment, which consists of a laptop, microphone, two column loudspeakers and light devices. You will also most likely need a specialist to operate it all – you can hire him at Soundmaster as well. DJ gear rental costs $40 to $120 per day, and their technical services, which include mounting and dismounting, are available upon request and range from $30 to $50. For the set of sound and light equipment complete with the operator work you will have to pay $200 to $250. Deposit is 50 percent of the estimated cost of the rental.
For renting a white, black or brown grand piano, guitar, violin or contrabass you should go to Studio Ditkoff. The one-time use of a grand piano will cost you $1000, including transportation of the instrument there and back. Other musical instruments are smaller and cheaper: a guitar is $50, a contrabass is $150. To rent one you will need to have your passport with you and Kyiv registration papers. No deposits are required. At late hours (11 p.m. – 7 a.m.) the price for loading/unloading and transportation increases to $150. It’s forbidden to toss, spill champagne on, or use the instruments on the street. But if you strongly desire to dance on the lid of a grand piano, you should rent a sham grand piano, which will also be three times cheaper.
Unfortunately DVD rental outfits are still hard to find in the city, but there are a couple of websites offering you movies for rent. At Yakaboo you can choose from 7000 licensed DVDs and at ProkatDVD from more than 2000. All you need to do to rent DVDs at one of those shops is to fill out the application form on the website and become a club member. Then, browse through the catalogue and choose the movies you want to rent. Choose the day, the time and the address for delivery and then just wait for your movies to arrive. The cost and deposit amount will depend on the chosen service package. You can also simply call Yakaboo and place an order – all their operators speak English, and their website also has an English version. The simplest kind of package, called “Easy” (Hr 55), allows you to take three disks simultaneously and within 30 days exchange them for another three DVD’s. At ProkatDVD you can rent three DVD’s for seven days for only Hr 19.99, but you’ll be required to leave a deposit of Hr 90. Yakaboo also provides free delivery of their DVD’s, while ProkatDVD offers free delivery only within Kharkivskiy district. The delivery cost for others districts is Hr 5.
Soundmaster (13 Krasylivska, 227-9122, 228-3013, www.saounmaster.kiev.ua)
Salon Ditkoff (8/32 Nahirna, suite 21 or 53, 223-7261, 483-7940, www.music-ditkoff.com.ua)
Yakaboo (87A Mezhyhirska, 503-7069, www.yakaboo.com)
ProkatDVD (331-4829, www.prokatdvd.kiev.ua)
Balloons, bicycles and horses
Your desire to fly on a real hot-air balloon can be satisfied by Amers and Mary companies. The possibility for balloon flying all depends on the weather – it must be a calm and not a bit stormy. A one-hour ride on a hot-air balloon will cost you $500 to $600 at Amers agency, and Mary agency provides balloon rides for a minimum of two-hours at a price of $600 to $700 per hour. Amers agency also provides plane rental. The price of a flight depends on the number of people, distance (within the country or abroad) and model of the plane. For example, flying in a sports plane for one hour will cost you $1000. You will also have to deposit 100 percent of this sum.
New mountain, excursion and cross-country bikes made by Bergamont and Author brands can be rented at Partizan. 24-hour rental costs Hr 60, or you can pay Hr 13 per hour. The rental cost includes a flag-holder, pump, reserve wheel, helmet, gloves, bike luggage rack and bike cover in case you need to transport it. For a deposit you will have to provide your passport or other document identifying your person, or deposit a sum of Hr 800 to Hr 1500. But you’ll be required to show your passport all the same. When you return the bike, make sure it’s clean and not broken, otherwise you will be required to pay for washing and repairs. The best of all is to book a bicycle in advance, because by the end of the season all bicycles are sold out.
The horse riding sport club Konniy Dvir offers horses and wagons for rent. You can also get ponies for children. As the terms of possible rental are different, prices may differ as well. The simplest option for rental is a horse riding lesson on training grounds or forest walk on the territory of Pirohovo museum, which will cost you Hr 60 to Hr 80 per hour during the week and Hr 80 to Hr 100 (depending on the place and if you do, or don’t, need an instructor) on weekends and holidays. If you want to rent horses with their delivery to your place, be ready to pay Hr 150 to Hr 250 per hour, plus delivery costs. In such cases it’s better to negotiate the price individually.
If you feel like doing some hiking, but don’t want to purchase loads of equipment, you can rent it all at Pik. There you’ll find tents, backpacks, sleeping bags, flashlights and headlamps, gas burners, pots and more. Tent rental will cost you Hr 18 to Hr 20 per day and backpacks Hr 6 to Hr 7 per day. For a deposit you can choose whether to leave money, your passport, or driver’s licenses. Deposit sum of backpacks and tents is about Hr 400 to 500. Pik charges different fines for items that are returned broken or unclean. If the stipulated term of rental is exceeded, for every overdue day you must pay double the rental price.
Bags and bodyguards
Changing a fancy bag every month – that’s something almost any woman dreams about, especially if we’re talking about famous brands like Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu, Prada, Chanel, etc. Not everyone can afford buying such an expensive, brand name bag, but luckily you can now rent them. Exclusive, luxurious bags priced from $1500-3000 can be rented for $350 per month at Gucci, Christian Dior, Chanel and Fendi. You can rent bags in the couture collection that would normally cost from $900-1500 for $175 per month. Bags normally costing from $200-500 will cost you $70 per month if you decide to rent them. The deposit in this case will be the bag’s retail price. Bags can be ordered for rent by phone, website or directly at the boutique. You will need to sign an agreement which involves the terms of lease and the obligations of the two sides. When the rental term expires, a courier will arrive to retrieve the bag. But if you want you can exchange your rental bag for another for the additional charge.
Walking around with a fancy bag, all you need to look like a real celebrity is a bodyguard, which you can hire at Topguard or Standart Bezopasnosti. The first one offers only male bodyguards who are most often former military men. The second agency also has women in their working staff. Woman bodyguards are often hired by anxious husbands to accompany their wives and children. At Standard Bezopasnosti, a bodyguard will be selected for you based on your demands. A price for bodyguard services depends on the level of risk and danger involved. At Topguard a regular bodyguard rental will cost you from $1000 per month. But if you need security for only one day, there is a 24-hour payment from $200 with shift work no more than eight hours. At Standard Bezopasnosti bodyguard services will cost you $800 per month and from $5 to $10 per hour.
Exclusive Bags (4 Rohnedynska, office 13, 390-7677, www.ebags.com.ua)
Topguard (14/1 Mechinkova, 246-4565, 246-4647, www.topguard.com.ua)
Standart Bezopasnosti (531-5326, 454-2162, www.bodyguerd.com.ua)
Amers (332-2456, www.amers.com.ua)
Mary (21 Tereshchenkivska, 230-9249, 233-3435)
Partizan (23A Protasiv Yar, 231-6963)
Konniy Dvir (8-067-447-5159, www.kondvor.kiev.ua)
Pik (2 Kopylivska, 599-6698, www.pik.kiev.ua)
