do i need to rent a car in oahu?
September 27th, 2009 | 
Author: I’m going to oahu for a week with my husband and 2 y/o son next month for a family vacation and I’m having trouble deciding whether i need rent a car or not. And if i do need to rent a car, should I bring his car seat or just rent it over there?
With only a week, I can’t tell you what a time-save having a car will be. Plus, there are certain destinations you can’t get to, even with the great metro bus system "The Bus". And don’t you want to be able to stop at that deserted tropical beach or run down to that romantic or glamorous restaurant on the spur of a moment? And finally, you probably won’t be able to walk very far for restaurants and so forth with a toddler!!
When you reserve a hotel, make sure to take into consideration whether or not they include car parking in the price of the hotel. Some hotels require valet parking rather than self-parking. $25/night is common, particularly in Waikiki. The cheaper and mid-priced hotels almost all charge parking fees.
So with rental, parking fees and gas, a week with a car could cost an additional $400 including gas for an intermediate or compact, but totally worth it if you can swing it. I usually try to go through CostCo online or AAA to get a discount, so shop around on line. If you rent in Hawaii, harder to get a deal, although some people are good at negotiating in person (I’m not). Alamo frequently has cheap rates, as does Enterprise (I don’t like Enterprise, the sales people are too aggressive for me and cars are hit-and-miss).
Perhaps if the cost is high for you, you can rent a car for the first 3-4 days. Here are things you can’t do easily with The Bus:
* Nuuanu Pali Point, is considered the most beautiful lookout in all of Hawaii
http://www.soaringmuseum.org/landmark/nls09/palilookou_std.jpg
* On the Pali Highway, you can turn off the highway to the right on the Nuuanu Pali Drive, which goes through a rain forest/jungle and eventually connects back up to the highway before the Point turnoff.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://lh3.ggpht.com/_1zmG8BxR5io/R-dIAE0jLYI/AAAAAAAAASM/7I_l5IpLHEk/IMG_0089.JPG&imgrefurl=http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/FRyo6VEEgXFmZ8K4Eu7TqQ&usg=__-oHbtcPwnS00txdGzSATNf-K9KY=&h=1200&w=1600&sz=25&hl=en&start=96&um=1&tbnid=5v7EoaEdWzzZbM:&tbnh=113&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dnuuanu%2Bpali%2Bdrive%26ndsp%3D18%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7GCNV_en%26sa%3DN%26start%3D90%26um%3D1
* Valley of the Temples and the Byodo-in Temple
http://reviews.ebay.com/Oahu-Hawaii-Valley-of-the-Temples-Memorial-Park_W0QQugidZ10000000005279427
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3 Responses to “do i need to rent a car in oahu?”
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Public transportation, as well as taxi & car services are readily available on Oahu. If you’re going to be staying at a Hotel, these services, as well as bus tours and walking tours are also available. Problem is, after 2 weeks in a hotel, you’ve pretty much ran the gamit. And public transportation is always a time waster. Taxi’s, although convenient, are also costly. Renting a car (with a child car seat) can be easily accomplished at your hotel. I would make those arrangements after I settle into the hotel, after a few days. And sometimes you can meet others like yourselves who would be glad to share a rental car. Happens all the time. Either way, your family is going to have a great vacation. Aloha!
References :
With only a week, I can’t tell you what a time-save having a car will be. Plus, there are certain destinations you can’t get to, even with the great metro bus system "The Bus". And don’t you want to be able to stop at that deserted tropical beach or run down to that romantic or glamorous restaurant on the spur of a moment? And finally, you probably won’t be able to walk very far for restaurants and so forth with a toddler!!
When you reserve a hotel, make sure to take into consideration whether or not they include car parking in the price of the hotel. Some hotels require valet parking rather than self-parking. $25/night is common, particularly in Waikiki. The cheaper and mid-priced hotels almost all charge parking fees.
So with rental, parking fees and gas, a week with a car could cost an additional $400 including gas for an intermediate or compact, but totally worth it if you can swing it. I usually try to go through CostCo online or AAA to get a discount, so shop around on line. If you rent in Hawaii, harder to get a deal, although some people are good at negotiating in person (I’m not). Alamo frequently has cheap rates, as does Enterprise (I don’t like Enterprise, the sales people are too aggressive for me and cars are hit-and-miss).
Perhaps if the cost is high for you, you can rent a car for the first 3-4 days. Here are things you can’t do easily with The Bus:
* Nuuanu Pali Point, is considered the most beautiful lookout in all of Hawaii
http://www.soaringmuseum.org/landmark/nls09/palilookou_std.jpg
* On the Pali Highway, you can turn off the highway to the right on the Nuuanu Pali Drive, which goes through a rain forest/jungle and eventually connects back up to the highway before the Point turnoff.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://lh3.ggpht.com/_1zmG8BxR5io/R-dIAE0jLYI/AAAAAAAAASM/7I_l5IpLHEk/IMG_0089.JPG&imgrefurl=http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/FRyo6VEEgXFmZ8K4Eu7TqQ&usg=__-oHbtcPwnS00txdGzSATNf-K9KY=&h=1200&w=1600&sz=25&hl=en&start=96&um=1&tbnid=5v7EoaEdWzzZbM:&tbnh=113&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dnuuanu%2Bpali%2Bdrive%26ndsp%3D18%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7GCNV_en%26sa%3DN%26start%3D90%26um%3D1
* Valley of the Temples and the Byodo-in Temple
http://reviews.ebay.com/Oahu-Hawaii-Valley-of-the-Temples-Memorial-Park_W0QQugidZ10000000005279427
References :
2nd home in Honolulu.
I think with a little one, you will be better off renting a car, at least for a portion of your visit. The city bus will take you a long time to get places. A toddler won’t do well with a tour bus, which could take you to some of the more popular destinations. And taxis really are a fortune. You can enjoy Waikiki & the Kapiolani Park area with your child for a couple of days, but then you will want to see some of the rest of the island. and a rental car will make it so much easier. Rent the car seat here, unless you are paying for a seat on the plane for your son, in which case you will want the car seat on the plane.
References :
Honolulu resident