We're headed to Kauai for 2 weeks at the end of September and could use some advice on booking activities, etc. We've had our plane tickets for some time and we also have a condo reserved on the north shore, but we haven't done anything yet in terms of reserving a car and aren't sure if any of the activites we're interested in need to be booked in advance.

Should I go ahead and make the car rental reservation now and, if so, any recommendations on how to find the best rate? What would be a good deal for 2 weeks in an ordinary mid-size car?

Also, we're hoping to do a helicopter tour, NaPali trip, luau, maybe a snorkeling excurion or two, etc. Should any of these things be booked in advance of our trip, and if so, how far out?

Thanks so much for your help!

Aloha Julie304..
We will be there the same time you are but will be at the Grand Hyatt in Poipu but we have already booked our car, an economy car and I am looking at a couple of Zipline tours in North Shore and thinking about booking but I still have 2 months out but I would definately get the car..
If you are golfers, I would also book your tee times..
Besides that I am just going to hang loose and have fun and hope that the Costco is open so we can stock up on our Happy hour goodies!
Have a fun time!

With regards as to where to find low rates on car rentals, I usually find links to the lowest rates using sidstep.com. We usually are able to find two week rates for a convertible for around $350 - $450 for summer travel to Kaua'i. I usually book one or two months out. My guess it would be cheaper for your category of car and for that time frame. I would start checking now and plan to book about in a month or two. If getting a good deal is important, I would not rush it.

-Bill

Thanks--does anyone have advice about the luau and other tours? Not sure how quickly these fill up.

Hi Julie,

We are also going to Kauai but mid-September for a week at the Lihue Marriott. I just checked Orbitz for car rental rates for my date and while Dollar is cheapest for mid-size, Alamo is not that much more $253 including taxes for a week. However I keep checking at least once a week and do not book car rental until 1-1.5 months away from departure.

I would not book the Na Pali tour ahead of time unless you are wanting to go with someone out of the North Shore (only 2 companies are allowed to do this) because they keep number of people very limited. Weather can be changable or oceans rough. I would wait until you get there and check the Coast Guard outer coastal waters report via phone - the number is in the Ultimate Kauau Guide. Doing this enabled us to have a very successful trip with Holo Holo on the Na Pali coast and over to Niihau several years ago. The first part of the week was too rough.

Sorry cannot help about luaus - once was enough for me.

I booked our car as soon as I booked the airfare, which was 330 days out. I check with rentalcodes.com and plug the codes and discounts in. We will be in Hawaii, between three islands for 18 days. There are six of us so we need a mini van or a Ford Explorer. I was able to get either one with a rate of about $837, including all applicable taxes for the full length of time. If you reserve early and the rate goes down, you can easily call and modify the rate but if the rate goes up, which it definately did in our case, you have locked in that lower rate. Once we know when and where and how long we need a car, there is no reason to wait.

So far, I've found the lowest car rental rates at www.carrentalinhawaii.com. Three-and-a half more weeks until I leave for Kauai and the Big Island.

HI Julie304..
I just spoke with a friend of mine who just got back from Kauai and he rented a car from Dollar and he was talking to the one of the counter guys and he said that they are pretty much sold out until the end of October.. He said that it seems that everyone wants a compact or an economy car and all that is left are the big SUV'S which eat up alot of expensive gas in HI and they are alot more to rent..
Just thought I would pass this along to you.. I booked the whole flight/hotel/car package through Expedia and it worked out to $15 a day unlimited miles and it was an economy car..(seems cheap but maybe with the package deal)
I would hate to see you have everything in place and then you got shut out to save a buck or two..
Best to you and hope you have a wonderful time!

OK--I found a rate at National that gives me a compact w/ unlimited miles for 2 weeks at $334 (including all taxes, etc.). Is this a good deal for Kauai?

thx

That is less than $24 per day ... I think that sounds like a great deal. For rental cars, I usually check Travelocity, but I don't book there. I just see who might be having a special in that location. Then I check the websites or call and check on rates using: AAA, Entertainment club coupons and rates that I find at rentalcodes.com. Then I go for the best deal that I can find with a major car company. On Kauai, I usually have the best luck with National and Alamo.

Hi there Julie:

We spent two weeks on the north shore and returned June 18th. We also were in Maui last fall. Both times I found the lowest car rental rate from the American Express website. Click on "travel" and check to see if you get a better rate. They give you the best price quote from 5 or 6 different rental companies.

We paid $279, INCLUDING taxes for 14 days. We got an "intermediate" car. That was quite a deal. Be aware that if you want to add another driver it'll cost you extra. It was 8 dollars a day. We were going to add me but decided to save the 100 bucks instead. Once we got to the north shore we didn't drive much anyhow.

Book now. One time when we were going to Vegas, we were two weeks away from departing and the car rental was really cheap. I didn't book it. One week later (also one week from arrival) it had gone up about 35%.

I don't think that you need to book the other activities ahead of time. I think you're into the slower season in late September. The first time we were in Kauai, we just called the helicopter people in Princeville and we were able to schedule something right away.....but that was November.

I'm happy for you. It'll be great! Aloha

We spent 7 days up on the North Shore in June.Check price line for car rental to get an idea of which companies have specials deals ( for instance we rented a convertible for 135.00 txs and all).then go to their website and make reservation.Keep checking for better rate and you can always cancel the other one.
We attended the Coconut Beach Luau and it was full but nice, we had made reservations only a couple days in advance for a Sat show.

Took Island Helicopter 1 hr tour,had to cancel the first day due to weather but rescheduled and it was one of the highlights of the trip.(tips are accepted).

If you get up to the North shore ,stop by The Tahiti Nui in Hanalei (we were there on a Tues. and Daryll and Koko were performing. They were great.Got home and ordered Daryll Gonzales CD.

You'll have a wonderful time.

We spent a lot of time traveling to all the different activities, so next year we are just going lay on the beach.

Re: Car Rental...I've gotten such fantastic deals at Priceline. You just can't beat them when you submit your own bids. I recently got a compact for one week for $13. a day.

As for car rental advice: Book early and often. Book a rate and then keep checking it as the rates can change daily. If the rate goes down then rebook the car.

On Kauai I've found that Alamo using the Costco discount code and coupons (online or in the travel booklet at the stores) yields the best price. But then again you are renting from Alamo so don't expect much more than a car and a hard sell over the insurance.

Alan

I booked a convertible through National at the end of September from the Lihue Airport and got a fantastic rate. Make sure to use one of their online coupons too. Convertible ended up being about $31/day plus taxes. Expedia always pads the prices -- go to the individual car rental websites.

I believe http://www.hawaiidrive-o.com has very competitive rates too. I used them on my last trip in Mar. They have an online tool where you can compare rates from 5 or 6 different companies right away, which is a very nice feature I think. Service is great as well.

Thanks to all those who advised to reserve early and often. I noticed today that prices had dropped significantly so I just rebooked our 2-week rental car reservation--originally locked in at $334 w/ National--for $268 w/ Alamo (that's for a mid-size, including all taxes and surcharges). Will be continuing to check back as our September 24th departure date draws closer.

FYI, we got our rate using the Wal-Mart code (428448) which adds a free additional driver, and a coupon from Alamo's website for $20 off a weekly rental.

ttt

Wow, the walmart code mentioned drastically reduces the rental cost..does anyone know if any type of coupon or identification is needed to use this?

Nope--no coupon or ID required for the Wal-Mart discount. We just used it last week and there were no issues at all. I found the code on another web site but FYI, I think someone said it originally came from an ad in the Rand McNally road atlas. Good luck!