Is a rental car necessary for our short stay?

We are only going to be in Oahu for a few days. We arrive late on a Wed. and fly to Maui on Friday AM. We are staying at the Waikiki Marriott near Diamond Head. Do we need to rent a car for the short amount of time we are there? Is there buses/taxis to accomodate us during our stay?

When we get to Maui, we will rent a car but are trying to save a little cash. It may not be worth it!

Can%26#39;t wait for the trip! Coming up in late May.

Is a rental car necessary for our short stay?

Peter, whether or not you need a car is dependent upon how you want to spend the 1 full day that you will be on the island. If you are just going to hang out in waikiki or maybe take in Pearl Harbor or Diamond Head then I would say that, no you could get away with not needing a car.

If, however, you want to see other parts of the island then for the little cost of an economy car it would be well worth it. There are places in Waikiki that you could rent a car for the day so you don%26#39;t have to struggle with the rental agencies from the airport.

Hope this helps!

Is a rental car necessary for our short stay?

Peter, the public bus system is excellent on Oahu and can take you virtually anywhere on the island.

Many, many visitors to Waikiki do not rent cars but use the bus to get around on a daily basis, and use taxis or shuttles to get to/from the airport.

However, once you get outside of Honolulu (say beyond Pearl Harbor or Hawaii Kai) The Bus can take seemingly forever to reach the more rural areas of the island.

See: http://thebus.org/

For more information, schedules and fares.

However, given the cost of transportation to and from the airport to your hotel (about $50 to $60+ total for two people round trip), and that rental cars on Oahu are darn cheap compared to most locations, you may find it is is less expensive (or only nominally more expensive) to rent a car for your entire stay; from airport pick-up to airport drop off. This includes parking costs, which you can cheapen by parking at the Waikiki Banyan, just behind your hotel, instead of the Marriott garage.

And, during one nice long day of renting a car, either from the airport or an in-Waikiki location, you can see some breathtaking sights on Oahu and pretty much drive around the whole island.

Thanks ya%26#39;ll for your help. It has helped us make our decision.

Rent a car while you are Oahu. You can see the island much better with a car.

By the time you pay for shuttles, cabs, buses %26amp; tours that you can do on your own, you will not have saved any $$ by not renting a car. Plus you will have spent hours on or waiting for public transportation.

Hello Peter....We were at the Marriott in October. Great hotel...Pay the extra if you can for an ocean view room on the Honolulu side of the hotel(Kealohilani Tower). The beds are as soft as I have ever felt in a hotel. If you rent a car.... A small or midsize would be recommended. The parking garage is very small and is 18 dollars a night. 3 blocks up the beach from the hotel is a big statue of Duke Kahanamoku, a famous surfer from many years ago. There is a web cam there where you can go and wave to folks back home...Big Fun.. http://www.honolulu.gov/multimed/waikiki.asp Have a great trip......Hang Loose - 3 middle fingers folded down and pinky and thumb up. Wiggle back and forth. Aloha

So you%26#39;re only there for 1 full day? Then I would cab it to your hotel and back to the airport on Friday. You can rent a car for the day at the Marriott if you want to see things on Thursday. By the time you pay for parking for 3 days you could pay for the cab and not have to return a car at the airport.