Do we need a rental car in Kona?
 

We are planning a trip to Kona in late november and early december, we are staying at Kona Village. We want to relax and aren't planning to spend a lot of time driving around the island, do we still need a car???

Probably not but there are so many things to see there you may want to reconsider this idea. I wonder if the accumulation of cab fares (I assume you will be going into town for shopping, dinner, etc.) will be about the same as renting a car? How long do you plan to stay there?

In a word, yes, if you plan to see anything else at all. It's a big island, and there are things that you would surely hate to miss, and you would need a car to see them. I think there is very little public transport there. Of course, I guess it depends on how long you stay and how serious you are about not going anywhere else. I knew a lady who told me that she'd been to the Hawaiian Islands twice. I asked her to tell me about her trips...... come to find out, she had gone to Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort in Waikiki for ten days twice, and never set foot out of the resort once!=-o To each his own way of doing things.......... but that just slayed me!:-d

P.S.: when I say "very little public transport", I mean convenient public busses or shuttles that run in the resort areas. Of course, you could just rent a car for a couple of days, and see the high points, like Volcanoes Park if you were interested, and spend the rest of your time at your resort.

You didn't say how long you'll be on the island, but I'd suggest you get a rental car for at least a portion of your stay. It's a Big Island, after all, and plenty to see. For example, the Kona area is dry with black lava rock, and you might want to see the northern area for more of a tropical setting.

Wow! You guys are fast responders! Thanks! We are staying 10 days. We were in Maui a couple years ago and all we did was drive! We were only the beach twice. I was totally bummed after we got home from our trip and really didn't enjoy it. We were in Cancun last year and all we did was sit on the beach for a week and it was great, of course it is AI there and you don't have to drive anywhere to eat either! Thank you for your opinions! I'm guessing we'll rent a car!

You are welcome, ccalhoon!;;)

I think it would be a real sin to go to the Big Island and miss out on sights like Volcanoes Park and Waipio Valley, that kind of thing. In ten days, maybe you could carve out a couple of days to do the MUSTS! There's definitely a few of them on Big Island...........:-)

Agree with Bonnie but also don't spend all your time in the car either. Just enjoy the beach, relax and go when you feel like it. :-)

If Kona Village is in Kailua-Kona, unless you have a high tolerance for repetition, you'll be mighty bored might fast. You'll want to get out and see the rest of the island. That particular town is not the best this island has to offer.

If you stay in Kona..close to "downtown area"..i.e. King Kamehameha, Royal Kona Resort, Uncle Billys, etc. you can walk around. There is a shuttle down Alii Drive that services the other hotels.

From the airport you can catch a shuttle bus or taxi.

You can always rent a car for a few days to travel to see the sites.

I usually get a fly/drive combo. from
www.RovertsOvernighters.com......which I usually get a room and car for the price of a regular room. But you would need to check the options[[last visit to Oahu; car and hotel $100 night...stayed at Ohana Waikiki Towers]]

Maybe I'm wrong but I think ccalhoon is speaking of staying at "Kona Village Resort" (exclusive, unique, expensive - maybe she wouldn't want to leave!:-)) rather than in Kailua-Kona, around town.........

Apologizing for that stupid, big-mouthed icon!!! I didn't mean to get HIM!

ccalhoon: If a white sand beach is your first priority, Kona Village is *not* the place to stay on the Big Island. Their beach like many others on the BI is rocky and narrow, and you may need water shoes to go in the ocean. Stepping on and dodging lava rocks may not be your idea of a relaxing swim.

A few resorts there do have fantastic beaches, e.g. the Mauna Kea and Hapuna Beach Prince are the two best on the island.

As for needing a rental car, there is a bus system on the island (see: http://www.hawaii-county.com/mass_tr...heleonbus.html), but for all practical purposes you *will* need a rental car. Almost all of the BI's attractions are well off the main highway.

One last point, just in case you weren't aware, "Kona" is often used erroneously to refer to the city of Kailua-Kona, when it actually refers to anywhere on the southwest part of the island. Kona Village is not in Kailua-Kona, it's about 15 minutes north, near the airport. The reason I bring this up is because I've known lots of first timers who've made reservations at Kona Village thinking it's in Kailua-Kona town, but it's not, and traffic between the resort Kailua can be a real bear -- there's actually a rush hour most weekday afternoons.

Sorry about the typo, that last sentence should be "traffic between the resort AND Kailua"

You are all so helpful! And I just figured out that we are staying at "KONA HAWAIIAN VILLAGE" not Kona Village, I just figured out there was a difference! So if anybody can help me now, that would be great! Sorry about the confusion!

THIS IS WHAT WE DID!! We have stayed at Kona Village which is paradise and we actually got married there. It is total relaxation. We rented a car for a few of the days we were there and the rest of the time we relaxed. Rent a car for 5 days in the middle of your stay and relax the rest. They will drive you right to the airport which is 15 mins away fronm the resort and you pick up your car. They will take you back as well. There is so much to see in the Big Island that you don't want to
miss it. Volcano National Park, Waipio Valley (absolutely beatiful. Other option - Don't stay at Kona Village the whole 10 days and take a few days to drive around the island and stay at B & B's.