Bus/Car/Shuttle?!
 

Hi there! My husband and I are taking our first trip to Oahu the first 2 weeks in Dec. I have read several comments in the posted forums, but I am still debating as to whether or not we would be ok for 10 days with just a visitors pass for The Bus to do most of our touring? The prices for the car rentals themselves aren't worry-some, but the expense of parking and possibility of theft makes me wonder whether it would be worth it?

I don't think early Dec. is peak tourism period in Oahu, so I'm wondering if The Bus would be sufficient as wait times at prime tourism spots would be less hectic?

As well, what is the shuttle like to/from the airport to Waikiki? We're staying at the Pacific Beach hotel...prices for taxi are substantially more....

Many thanks, everyone keep smilin' ;O)

It depends on where you're going, but with a 2 week vacation, you're going to want to see a lot, and there are place not accessible by The Bus. We had a car, and wouldn't have had it any other way. You should get a nice discount with a 2 week rental. We stayed in the North Shore when we were there so parking wasn't really an issue. If you're in Waikiki, park in the hotel garage, and use the car when you want to explore. You'll be glad you have it!!!

We were in Oahu for a week in May and we rented a car through our hotel for only 2 of the days we were there. The rest of the time we used public transportation. When we go back we will do the same thing, but we prefer using local transportation wherever we travel to get the feel of local life....Oahu's buses were filled with locals and tourists alike.

The only time we wanted a car was to get to other parts of the island and another day to go to Hanauma Bay. We could have used it to go to Pearl Harbor and the Aloha Stadium swap meet, but chose to use public transportation instead....I might want a car for that next time.

We also used the airport shuttle to Waikiki. It dropped us off at the front of our hotel. I'm not really sure how much it cost but I believe it was $8.00 one way. If you bought a round trip ticket on arrival it was cheaper each way. We'd do that again too.

I would suggest renting a car for a day or two. We did this during our week stay in Oahu and would do it again next time we go. Having a car gives you the freedom to explore at your convinience and pace.

We used an airport shuttle to get to our hotel. Not sure what the company's name was right now but we used one of the convinience phones at the Honolulu airport. The cost was $10 roundtrip for each person. We called and within 15 minutes they were at the airport. They picked up two more groups at Pearl Harbor and at the swap meet at Aloha Stadium. Total trip I think was about 45 minutes. If you aren't in a hurry you might want to consider using the shuttle.

I agree with MrPep - the last time we went to Oahu, we used the Roberts Hawaii shuttle (no reservations needed). Since Pacific Beach is at the far end of Waikiki, it could take you an hour to get there depending on how many other passengers are on the shuttle - but it's much less expensive than a taxi, and it gives you a little time to relax. The driver we had on the last trip had a wonderful sense of humor, and kept us entertained the entire trip. We bought a 4 consecutive day pass for The Bus at ABC (we were only there for 8 days). There are at least 3 car rental companies right in Waikiki, and we rented a car about 3 days - we turned it in every night, so we wouldn't have to pay the parking fee at our condo property, and then rented again the next day. The Bus is great, but it takes a lot of time, and may not go to all of the places you'd like to see.

Thanks for the informative replies everyone - I really appreciate it, and KEEP 'EM COMING! Still got a ways to go and would really take any advice and what to do/where to go/how to travel in & around Oahu!

mauigirl50 - just wondering (if it's not too intrusive a question!) where you got your car rental from and how much it cost you per day?
;o)

Out of all the major car rental companies, Enterprise was by far the cheapest one during our visit. I believe we paid $18.95 a day as the base rate with an Entertainment book coupon. We chose the economy class, which ended up being a 2003 or 2004 Toyota Corolla that ran pretty nice. Good thing about Enterprise, which I do not know if our companies do, is they pick you up and drop you off at your hotel if needed. Check out their website for more info,

http://www.enterprise.com

I think they have a special now where if you rent a car from Friday to Monday you get it for $9.99 a day.

Also if you haven't reserved your hotel room, see if they have any package deals that include a car rental. They can sometimes come out pretty cheap and usually include free parking.