jgriffin

We will be visiting in June and staying near Waikiki beach. Should we rent a car or can we get around by bus, tours, etc. We would like to see Pearl Harbor and Diamond Head for sure.

parrotfish

Probably not - there is an excellent public bus system called "The Bus" which goes virtually everywhere for $1 [www.thebus.org]. Every hotel has a travel desk where you can book escorted tours. Waikiki is only about a mile long, so lots of restaurants and shopping are within walking distance. Plus there is very little parking near Waikiki, and you will pay dearly to park your rental car in a hotel lot and the traffic along Waikiki is murder.

A piece of advice for Pearl Harbor - go early. The doors open at 8 AM but the line starts forming around 7. If you go about 7:30 and get in the line, you will likely get a ticket for one of the first 2 or 3 ferries out to the Arizona memorial, then take your leisure around the park once you return from the memorial. If you wait and go later in the day, folks report 4-5 hours waits for their turn on the ferry. Come too late, and you won't get to the Arizona at all, even though the park is still open. Do that first, then you can tour the Bowfin submarine parked right next door.

jgriffin

thanks so much for the information. Any other helpful hints?

Cheryl Z.

While The Bus is great on Oahu, we prefer to rent a car when we stay in Waikiki because we like to be able to go whenever we want everywhere around the island. The other side is especially great. Oahu is much more than Waikiki/Honolulu. But as mentioned above, traffic in Waikiki itself can be wretched just like any other touristy place. I don't recall what we've paid for parking, usually at one of the Edgewaters. And there's always good deals on cars too - see about getting a convertible. Visit the Turtle Bay area on the other side, and visit the village of Haleiwa. Enjoy a catamaran ride for hour or so from right out in front of the hotels on the beach. Visit the Palace. Get a hot malasada from Leonards Bakery on Kapahulu. Play tennis at Kapiolani Park. Drive out to the Ihilani and enjoy the lagoons or drive out to the Kahala Mandarin and enjoy the Dolphin pool or take a Navitek cruise if it's whale watching time. And when you arrive, pick up all the free booklets and brochures with coupons and discounts down at baggage claim (and on stands all over Kalakaua Blvd). Have a great time.

Paul

Absolutely you should rent a car. At least for part of your trip. Thebus is a great deat too though. The freedom that comes with having a car can't be replaced.

Lani

Hi "j",

I would rent a car on Oahu, despite the cost of parking - like any big city, because it takes so much longer to use the bus, and time is so precious on a vacation!

But I would book a tour for Pearl Harbor, and not worry about driving there. The tour will pick you up at your hotel & return you - book the earliest one of the day (your concierge can book you). It's about $12 pp, and so convenient!

Have a great trip!

Gary

We have friends who live in Honolulu, so haven't rented a car, but can tell you that the time we went before our friends were there, and had no car, and the time with them driving us all around the island were very different trips. After the first trip, I would have said I'm not going back to Honolulu, just the other islands. However, getting out of Honolulu made all the difference. Oahu is beautiful, with as many fascinating day trips as any of the other islands. Rent a car and get out of Waikiki.