We are planning a trip to Oahu in April and a friend who has been there has informed me that he found cockroaches to be very abundant and even found them in the fold down roof of his rental car. This has me mortified since I detest beetles of any kind especially roaches. Is there any truth to this and where can I expect to find them?!
Any info would be helpful

We were in Maui twice in recent years and saw one cockroach in our room and two geckos. We left a piece of coconut in the car and came back to a small army of teeny ants. But other than that no problems with bugs at all. We were there one year in March and once in May. Have a great time!

Bugs are a way of life in the tropics. You probably won't have too much of a problem in your room because most hotels spray every other month or so to keep them under control. However, don't leave any open food containers in your car or you may come back to find it crawling with bugs.

In Hawai'i they come in all sizes! I like the big ones that can also fly. At first view they're pretty repugnant, but I do have to admit that they can be cute. Cockroaches (aka mogamoga, cucaracha, etc.) are the real survivors of this earth and they will probably still be around when the last homo sapien bites the dust! Best way to avoid them is not to get up in the middle of the night to visit either the toilet or the kitchen!

LOL insectophile! (from a Floridian who knows what you mean! hahaha

Yes, it's a jungle out there! Most hotels won't have them in record numbers, but the cleanest of them won't be able to keep out the occasional roach or a few ants.The trick is to relax - be one with nature!

Alert - Alert, there's salt in ocean water! I hear there might even be mosquitos in N. America!! What is a traveler to do? If this isn't a troll post, I truly feel sorry for her travel companions.

I've been to Hawaii four times, all in June and never seen a cockroach. This includes Oahu, Big Island, Kauai, and Maui. Our hotels are in the moderate range and we've always rented a car.

I lived in San Diego for 10 years and never once had I seen either a rattler or king snake! That doesn't mean they didn't exist. We just did a good job in avoiding each other. The same goes for cockroaches....

Thanks for all of your replies.I truly hope I do not run into any roaches. Snakes,spiders,mosquitos I can handle and do as they are abundant in Canada where I am from but it is just something about large beetles that I have a phobia with. So thanks to all of you for your feedback and by the way Bubba I love saltwater and can't wait to jump right into the ocean-I'll be thinking of you when I do.

Ok, this reminds me of the old Loggins & Messina song... "in Lahaina, where the mangoes are sweet, and the centipede he crawls all over your feet..."

We stayed at the Ritz Carlton there and found a huge roach on the bed when we checked in.
Yes, they are ubiquitous in the tropics.

Hey, we get cockroach races around here. Wen you see one you grab your slippah. But buggah some as big as slippahs.

One more tip - keep your toothbrush wrapped up at night. Some of our kama'aina friends keep their toothbrushes in the refrigerator.

I hate to burst your bubble but the ocean is chock full of bugs. Anyway, it's awfully nice of you to think of me. Enjoy your stay!

Thanks for those kind wishes Bubba.I'll watch for those ocean bugs!!

I've been going to Hawaii each year for 12 years and the only place I have seen cock roaches is in rental cars. Unfortunately, it is not that unusual for rental cars to harbor the little fellows. Also you will not know if you have roaches in your car when you pick it up because they tend to hid out during the daylight hours and only appear in the dark. Often if you have car roaches you will see them scramble when you get into your car at night and the interior light goes on. It's creepy, I know. Sorry to tell all of you with you bug phoebia, but them's the facts.

Roaches are pretty standard in the tropics. We had them in our rental car on the Big Island. I complained when I got back home and got a $35 voucher for my next rental.

I detest roaches too, Lisa. I lived in Hawaii for 4 1/2 years and periodically encountered them out in the street (big, flying ones, usually at night) and in my home (big and little ones). I no longer live there, but frequently visit and stay in hotels. I rarely see or think about roaches during those visits. Don't worry about them, and don't worry about your toothbrush in hotel rooms. Hotels do spray frequently and I can't think of any time that I've seen a roach in a hotel room (but I sometimes see tiny ants). But an aside -- back when I was living in Hawaii, I walked into the bathroom one morning to find a humongous cockroach (at least 1 1/2 inches long) perched on the head of my roommate's toothbrush, gnawing away at the bristles (they LOVE toothpaste). One suggestion with your rental car (I've also heard that rental cars could be infested with them), you could buy those Combat roach bait traps and scatter them throughout the interior of your car and the trunk. I've found them to be extremely effective.

the good news is that there are NO snakes in hawaii