My family and I are going to Oahu in July. We will be staying in Waikiki for seven nights. The place we are staying, self parking is $43 per night, valet is $50 per night. If I rent a car at the airport (HNL), a mid size SUV is going to cost about $700 for the week. That puts my vehicle expense for one week at or over $1,000.

I know we want to see the Arizona / Pearl Harbor Memorial, hopefully it is re-opened by then. I know we will just hang out at the beach a couple of days. Probably do the luau at the hotel.

I checked Uber and the ride from the airport to the hotel is about $40. If I rent a car, my total expense will be $150 per day. I am having a hard time envisioning spending $150 per day on Uber and think I may come out better paying for a ride as needed.

Also note, there is a National Rental Car counter at the hotel. I can always rent a car for the day if the need truly arises.

It just feels weird as the only trips I have taken where I have not rented a car were to New York City and Las Vegas.

Do I need a car on Oahu?

There’s a bus but not sure if it goes everywhere you want to go.

Traffic is a bear, from my girlfriend's recent experiences, but you'll need transportation at some point. Rent from the National outlet in the hotel as you need it. I believe there's bus service for you to use, and the concierge should have maps and schedules.

I don't know how reliable Uber is in Hawaii, but I wouldn't count on it for the Arizona Memorial, since I believe they start the tours very early in the morning. Keep in mind that the Memorial itself is closed, but you may be able to approach it on a tour boat.

I have always had a car during my 7 trips to Hawaii. I've stayed in Waikiki 2 of them and a friend's place east of Waikiki. You're correct that there are a ton of things to do in walking distance, but I don't find downtown on the beach all that relaxing so I like to get out of the city.

Besides going to Pearl Harbor (strongly suggest the small group "Battle Stations" tour of the Missouri as you see much more of the ship than the self-guided tour with headsets), here are other reasons:

Waikiki Beach is only about 50' wide at low tide and narrower than that at high tide which means it's extremely crowded so there are much better beaches to the east with a lot more beach and a lot less people.

You really should visit North Shore where the big wave surfing is and more importantly Giovanni's Shrimp Truck (delicious and super fresh as the shrimp farms are out back)

If you're a golfer, the good golf is outside the city (Ko Olina and Turtle Bay)

I strongly suggest buying the blue book, Oahu Revealed, as the authors live undercover (unlike most reviewers) so they get treated like every day travelers. Additionally, they sell a georeferenced app for like $10 so if you're out enjoying one of their recommended snorkeling spots (they mark them Ona) you can click the map and it'll pull up nearby Ona restaurants, shopping, etc.

One thing I've learned during my 7 trips to Hawaii is to not book the whale watching lunch or dinner cruises. For the exact same money, you can book a snorkeling boat trip and see just as many whales and dolphins then have the added fun of snorkeling.

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Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

Check the trunk for lava

I'd tax/uber/shuttle to the hotel and rent the car there on the day you need it thats what we do when we go to SFO, there are a couple of rental agencies right in down town, no parking fees or other expenses.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Check the trunk for lava

You can’t bring that home. It’s bad luck. Don’t you remember the Brady Bunch (tv show)

If you don't think there's going to be much demand for the cars at the hotel, it sounds like renting per day at the hotel sounds like a better deal if you can carve out days when you won't need a car. Otherwise, I think the price per day would be more than the whole week rental and you might be out of luck on the day you want a car.

Last time I went, a lot of years ago, I rented a car for our week. Turned it back in after 2 or 3 days. Every event has a shuttle that will pick you up at the hotel and drop you back off.

The only questionable part would be getting to North Shore if you are so inclined. Maybe rent a car for one day to travel to the far parts of the island.

I would not plan on renting a car, go and then figure out if you need one or not. I don't think you will.

Yes

I was there last year and uber'd everywhere. was much easier than paying for, and parking a car.

The hotel you stay at may have bus or shuttle service to places like pearl harbor.

I recommend this outfit for a surfing lesson in Waikiki. http://tygurneysurfschool.com/

With a counter at the hotel, then I definitely wouldn't rent one for the week. You might decide to do it for a day or 2 to check out the N. shore etc.

Yeah. I was there when a major hurricane hit and it got me to the airport just in time. I like to be in control of what I see and do on my timetable. I do not care to be with a group of tourists. Granted it is not as exciting as renting a car in Jamaica, where you are pretty much a target for any petty thief. It was fun driving on the wrong side of the road.

I liked the island of Hawaii the best, the people are friendly and it has more to see and do. We saw the black sand beach before it was destroyed. I absolutely hated Honolulu.

I have always rented a car on my trips to Hawaii.

If you just stay in downtown Honolulu you are missing seeing a lot on the island.

With a car you have access to quiet beaches, you can easily stop at the Pali Lookout, go to the north shore, stop at the shrimp truck, stop at the buddist temple near Kanohe, drive the road up the mountain and look down over Honolulu.

Google "Stairway to Heaven" for something off beat and strenuous.

I'd say no. Looking over your itinerary, you'll be wondering why you rented a car by about the second day. Unless you're visiting relatives like I do, a car tends to be an expensive burden if you're just going to be a Waikiki rat. There's shuttles or Da Bus to all major attractions, and like you said you can always do a one-day rental if need be.

I would rent a car, but I grew up there, so Honolulu and Waikiki would be somewhere I’d stay long enough to show my kids and then I’d be gone



The bus is actuslly called Da Bus


(That was also my mom’s license plate on her 1984 caprice classic station wagon when we moved to Virginia)

quote:

Also note, there is a National Rental Car counter at the hotel. I can always rent a car for the day if the need truly arises.

That's what I would do. I was there once back about `96 and spent a total of two days on Oahu. I wish I'd scheduled at least another day there. I visited Pearl Harbor the first day, and started to drive around the island the second. With all the things to stop and look at (including a fair sized shooting range), I only made it about 1/3 of the way around and had to turn back in order to make my flight home.