We will be in Oahu for 10 days in April and will be staying in Waikiki. I know they have an excellent bus system there but are we going to get frustrated by the amount of time it will take to get somewhere on the bus or is this the best way to travel? I have read that it is really hard to getting parking and you have to pay for parking at hotels. We are travelling on a budget and would like to save money by not renting a car. Appreciate any comments. Thanks in advance.

You can rent a car for a day or two when you want to get out on the island. It makes more sense to do that then keeping a car the entire 10 days (that is a lot of time in Waikiki but I'm assuming you have a reason for not going to another island too). We've stayed there for a few days a couple of times and each time just rented a car for 2 days to get out and away. Check with your hotel on parking rates too. If they are too high just return the car in the evening and rent another a day or two later when you feel like getting out on the island again.

Marie,

I was in Waikiki for 8 days in October; I had a car the full time and hardly used it. The Sheraton Waikiki charged $9/day for self-parking.

Rent one for a couple of days when you want to get around the island; otherwise, walk/taxi to your destination.

have a great time

marie-
the type of trip you are interested in will probably determine how much you'll need a car. i'm a big supporter of public transportation but its a very long bus ride once you leave the metro-honolulu area, and busses don't run that frequently. you can catch a tour bus to some popular destinations like pearl harbor and hanauma bay, and there are circle tours of the island that give you an opportunity to see what's outside honolulu. of course, there are lots of really interesting things in honolulu too which you can easily see on foot or by bus. the previous post had a good suggestion about renting a car intermitently. hotel parking ranges from $8 to $10 per day in my experience. if you want to explore the less obvious places, or less "touristy" sites, i strongly recommend a car. you may want to consider staying on the north shore of oahu for part of your trip. its a long ride to the north shore, but once you are there, the trip between places like halaiwa and waimaia aren't so long. there are so many things to do on oahu. it would be great to try out a neighbor island, but you'll have much to enjoy if you stay put, have fun.
phyllis

Hi Marie:
Our bus and trolley system is, indeed, one of the nation's best. Here's the link, click on "popular attractions" for touring options.
http://www.thebus.org/
As suggested above, you could always do a one-day car rental for a round the island drive on your own schedule.

This has been debated many times on this line. However, having lived in Hawaii, I concur w/ Lore and suggest getting a car for a couple 2-3 days and probably take the public transportation afterwards. My biggest suggestion would be to spend at least 5 days on another Island (if possible)