eileen

Wondering if a car will be too much of a hassle or an unnecessary expense. Staying at Marriott Waikiki for three nights, parking is $12 a day. Arriving late Weds, departing Sat noon for Maui. Husband needs to go to Hilton and Convention Center a few times for a conference, Diamondhead and Pearl Harbor are definite excursions for us. Should we get the car just to take a drive along the North Shore (hear it's beautiful)? Wondering if it is possible to get family of four and all our luggage in a cab or one car anyway and if shuttle might be better choice from airport? Will driving/parking/traffic just be a pain in the neck? Going end of July. Advice appreciated!

bonniebroad

Eileen, I would use an airport shuttle to get back and forth to my hotel in Waikiki. I would use the the Arizona Memorial Shuttle Service to pick me up and drop me off at my hotel for Pearl Harbor, and you will probably be able to walk to Diamond Head from your hotel (if you can walk up it, you can walk TO it from the Marriott, if I'm remembering correctly it's location). OR you can catch public trans. for a few blocks. For the time that you have left after those things, I would not rent a car! If I were going on to Maui, I would enjoy the things in/around Waikiki, and save the North Shore of Oahu for your NEXT trip!;-)

bashfulLV

I agree that taking the shuttle to & from the airport is a wiser choice than renting a car for the whole time. The Bus runs everywhere, there are shuttles and trolleys and taxi cabs. Not to mention nothing beast walking around Waikiki! If you want to drive up to the North Shore or around the island, rent one for the day and then you don't have to worry about parking at the hotel. If you do take the shuttle from the airport, buy round trip tickets - it'll cost you less that way. Also, if you ride The Bus be sure to ask for a transfer - if you get on again within 2 hours you don't have to pay again.

vivi

I personally would not want to drag my kids on The Bus for sightseeing or take a shuttle. A lot of precious time can be wasted taking the bus. We have been to Honolulu 30+ times and have always rented a car for the whole time. I like the convenience. In the overall scheme of things, $12 to park shouldn't make too big a dent in the vacation budget.

dgruzew

I have been to Honolulu several times, I think you rent a car. not beacause you need it, but beacasue it will make getting yo your excurions and from/to the air port faster. If your want to see as much as you can in 3-4 days then it will make your life easier. You have no need (nor would I use it) to get around wakikki/Honolulu but for pearl harbor, Hananuba bay(don't miss), dimond head, dole pinapple, polynesian sultural center , etc it will make your life easier. I you rent a car at the airport for 4 days it will run about 150 plus parking so about 200 bucks total. minus tranfers 30-50 bucks so it would cost you about 160 bucks more but save you quite a bit of time waiting for shuttles(also makes it easier explore the island and hit beaches elsewhere)

bonniebroad

If Eileen were going to be on Oahu for a few more days than she is, I'd agree that she should rent a car. But if they get in late Wednesday evening, and leave on a flight for Maui at noon Saturday, she's left with two days... Thursday and Friday to do things. You only wait a few minutes for the Pearl Harbor Shuttle, and they can walk to Diamond Head. With her husband needing to be at a conference at times during those two days, how much use would they really get out of a car? I still say, *no rental car*, Eileen. JMHO....

Gellers

I vote "yes" for a car. There is a lot to see in Oahu. And it's a smaller island so you can definitely see many wonderful things in two full days. The convenience of having a car is great, and I think it's worth the money. Get an economy car, the cheapest one they have, and enjoy exploring.

fiasco

i've been to honolulu twice, the first time with no car, the second time with a car.

i vote NO CAR. here's why. as the above poster mentioned, you only have 2 full days. you should be able to do pearl harbor and diamond head the first day. do PH very early to avoid waiting around all day. then come back to your hotel and relax for lunch. hit the beach, then hike diamond head in the afternoon.

the second day, you can do hanauma bay. most of these destinations are places you can reach via a group tour- check out the guide books when you arrive. my dh and i did hanauma bay with a tour and found it easier because they provided the snorkel equipment for us, and we didnt have to worry about parking. i think it was $12 per person for the equip and the ride there.

honestly, unless you are a family that can't sit still, you might want to limit your trip to those activities. renting a car for the north shore, dole plantation, etc might make your relaxing vacation very hectic.

the second time we went, we rented a car because my friend was getting married and i was in the wedding. we did the driveable activities on that trip, when we had more time.

i hope this helps!
~fiasco