7 nights in Kauai....should we rent a car?

Yes, for at least a few nights to see the rest of the island. Where will you be staying? Most hotels have a car rental desk on site.

Yes, you will need a car for your entire stay on Kauai. I cannot fathom attempting to use the sporadic service of the Kauai Bus on a vacation.

we are staying at the Kauai Marriott Resort & Beach Club. Our first visit. Want to do the 1 1/2 hr. helicopter tour. But want to see the rest of the island close up and personal. So I guess a car rental is in store for us.

I stayed at the Kauai Marriott three years ago. My husband and I didn't think that we would need a car but we decided that we did once we arrived. We rented from the Hertz desk at the hotel but all they had left was a champagne colored Lincoln towncar! It was hysterical to drive around in. Anyways, I guess the lesson learned is to rent in advance. I used Priceline for the other islands that we stayed at and got a rate of around $20 - $22 per day.

By all means you need a car. There is so much to see on this island and IMO doing it yourself is so much more fun than tours although there are some tours you might want to take. We just returned rom out 10 trip to Kauai and it is just as wonderful as ever. Pick up brochures at the airport for many many things to do. We wanted to do "Tubbing" which is a new thing on Kauai but they were sold out for the week we were there. YOu tube down the old sugar plantation canals. SOunded like a blast but we'll save that for next time. Aloha