needsun

Hello Fodorites,
I will be heading to Maui in the first week of January and am planning on renting a car. Can anyone tell me what the driving is like there? I hope nothing like driving LA highways. Is it easy to navigate without GPS, just using local road map? What about parking, especially by the beaches?
Thank you

sharon62

We found it very easy to navigate without GPS. It's been mamy, many years since I was there, but had no problems driving anywhere we felt like going.I don't recall having any parking problems either.

nomadic09

It's pretty easy to drive around Maui and it's nothing like LA. We went last year and are heading there next week. We just used the rental car map. If you decide to drive to Hana, then that's a different matter.

montereybob

You don't need GPS---just the map that you get at the rental car counter. It's not like driving in LA. It's like driving through small rural towns sparsely spread out in the open countryside. Parking is easy in the towns, resorts and beaches. The drive to Hana is comparable in difficulty to driving HWY I to Big Sur.
Have fun!

needsun

Thank you for your responses. I am not planing to drive to Hana. I've read that the drive there is pretty intense with numerous turns and curves. I was just wondering about main highways/roads throughout the island. I do not do good in unfamiliar areas with multiple lane roads.

mari808

Quick facts:

Area of L.A.: 469 sq miles
Area of Maui: 720-something sq miles

Population of L.A.: Nearing 10 million
Population of Maui: Less than 150,000

Sheralyn

We found the main highways to pretty easy driving. Yes, there are some curvy parts, but as long as you follow the speed limit, it's just fine! We live on the prairies, so are used to lots of flat, straight highways... so if WE could drive Maui highways, then anyone can!

Your car rental contract will likely ban you from driving in a couple of places though: 1) driving to Hana via the southern route and 2) driving around the northwest part of the island (past Kapalua, heading towards Kahului).

Those roads can get a bit hairy in parts, so I'd definitely abide by those restrictions.

To help you plan your drives around Maui, I've got a list of travel times in between the major destinations on the island here:

http://www.paradise-found-in-maui.co...ental-car.html

Have a great trip!

needsun

Sheralyn,
Thanks for the info and a great link. That's exactly what I wanted to know....The info on beaches is also very useful....

mumpsimus

Needsun, I've driven around both north and south ends in years past, and even 40 years ago, in a more benign time, going around the northern end I felt enough hostility from the locals to keep me from doing it again. The road to Hana is curvy, narrow, and long, but not particularly dangerous, because it's slow. I've driven it a number of times, partly to see the old church at Keanae. When you get to Hana, your big reward is that you get to go back. But it's beautiful, lush, and jungly, and the contrast with the dry west side is startling. One minute you're in rain forest, and a mile later you're in cactus country. The only other road worth mentioning is the road up Haleakala, and it's a typical mountain road. It would be really hard to get lost in a major way, because with the West Maui Mountains on one side and Haleakala on the other, you always know approximately where you are. Having said all that, I hasten to add that my experience is by no means recent--i stopped going to Maui 15 years ago.

needsun

Mumpsimus,
"Dry west side" is exactly where I will be staying, in Kihei. You do not sound very excited when you talk about it. Now I am wondering it is good or bad????

As for the driving, I am mostly concerned with the main highways. Fast multi-lane traffic freaks me out. That's why I compared it to LA... I do not want to be stressed out on vacation.

mumpsimus

Kehei or Wailea is exactly where I would be staying if I were going to Maui. They get little rain, and the weather is better in general than that even up around Kapalua. You'll be fine and you'll enjoy it. I stopped going to Maui because I love Kona Village. I don't even drive around the Big Island any more--I just take a cab to KVR and stay there. So relax, anticipate, have a wonderful time.

sunbabe

Needsun--first of all, have a fantastic time in Maui. My husband and I were there in June and had a wonderful trip. Driving is easy--don't let the road to Hana scare you. It's a beautiful trip and 9/10 drivers are driving slowly.

Enjoy!

mumpsimus

<9/10 drivers are driving slowly>

And the tenth one won't be there long...

hpeabody

You can relax Needsun! I live southeast of LA and drive the freeways all the time. Not a big deal to me. I have been to Mau1 15 - 20 times (I stopped counting) Let me reassure you that there are no freeways or major multilane highways on Maui, maybe 2 lanes in some places. The speed limit is typically no more than 45 MPH. There are traffic jams at times, especially getting into Lahaina. I love love love the road to Hana and the best is past Hana, Oheo Gulch. I just would not want to drive it in the dark. I also enjoy the drive through the west Maui mountains. It's amazing out there! Do pay attention to the rules of your rental car to be safe. Driving on Maui is fun Relax and enjoy the trip.

needsun

Thank you everybody for all the information and great advice. Sounds like I will be fine driving there.I feel relieved). Now I just have to find good rental rates. Will start with Costco as usual....

mumpsimus

There's a current thread on TA by someone who's having difficulty with Alamo. You might want to check it...

mercy

Hi, We just returned from two weeks in Maui--rented our car through DiscountCarsHawaii-- ended up w/Avis.Car was a two door Cobalt which got excellent mileage and had a lg. trunk--almost as roomy as our LeSabre. We stayed at Papakea, drove to Lahaina almost every day, sometimes twice. Drove to Keihi, Paia, Haleakala, and one day to Kuhulai--a total of about 535 miles. Some drivers are a bit intense and sometimes tend to run a stop light, but no worse than I've seen in CA. You just need to be aware of what you are doing.

We had not been to Maui since 1985, so it was a real eye-opener. They are suffering from the down-turn in the ecconomy and we found some food prices high in the grocery stores. But also found bargains. Parking along Front Street is tight but you can be lucky--lots for pay are all over, but if you drive to the end of Front Street, near the grade school, there is a free parking lot and we were always able to get a spot anytime before noon and many evenings. Sidestree parking can be found, too. Ciao!!mhm

NeoPatrick

For clarification, according to the supervisor at National in Maui whom I talked with at length personally -- NO rental car contract BANS you from driving anywhere on the island, including the route around the north end of West Maui, nor the southern route to Hana. What your contract does is eliminate coverage with their insurance on those routes. If you have your own insurance, then the rental car contract means nothing -- except that if you do break down on one of those roads, they will NOT come help you. Isn't that what AAA is for -- if you have that, they will come tow you in if there is a problem.

He made it clear that it is a total miscommunication that somehow you are simply not allowed to drive on those roads. As he said, what do you think they would do if you did -- come arrest you or take your car away? Has anyone ever heard of returning a car and being told "you were spotted on a forbidden highway. We are going to charge you an extra $500 and never allow you to rent from us again"? Nonsense. You just have to be prepared to be on your own insurance wise (aren't most of us anyway?) and in the rare event you'd have a breakdown, be ready to be on your own for that as well.

needsun

Mercy and NeoPatrick,
Thank you for the clarification.
I have been having a hard time finding a rental car at a good rate on Maui. Came across some posts on bidding for travel boards where some folks were saying about low inventory on Maui.
I have booked a car with mauicarrentals, and 2 days later they emailed me saying that they had to cancel my reservation since they did not have a car that I booked. I went to check their site and that car was still showing as available. I called them. They said that they did not have a car that I booked so I booked the only one available that of course was more expensive. They could not explain why that car that I booked was still available for reservation on their site.
Then they told me to call them 2 days in advance to tell them exact time of my flight, otherwise they will not pick me up since they are not open 24/7 and need to get a car from some parking lot. Now I am thinking if I even should bother with this company, or book with a national one that has an airport location and work 24/7.

martym

You might try Discount Hawaii Car Rentals-I've had good luck with them in the past.
http://www.discounthawaiicarrental.com

or www.carrentals.com

Or if you're a Costco member, try their site.