First Trip to Hawaii (Honolulu, Kailua: rental car, rental, how much)

[ltai0001]

Hello
I am planning my first trip to Hawaii in early September. I will spend a week and will be by myself.
I think I made up my mind as far as which island I will go to, it will be Oahu this time around.
I like to enjoy nice sandy beaches, swim, snorkel, lay in the sun but would like to try different beaches during my stay. Waikiki - North Shore - Waimanalo - Makapu'u
I also would like to do other activities (horse riding - visiting historic sites- etc...)

My questions are:

1) Do I need a rental car to move around since I want to visit different places.
2) Where should I stay? a hotel by Waikiki beach? are there cheaper options?
3) If I don't stay in a resort type hotel, do I still have access to the beaches?
4) Should I plan a visit to the big island? I read it has the best cleanest water and sand

Any suggestions are appreciated.
Thanks!

[McFrostyJ]

1) Do I need a rental car to move around since I want to visit different places.

No, not if you don't want one. There is a good bus system and lots of tours available.

2) Where should I stay? a hotel by Waikiki beach? are there cheaper options?

I would suggest staying in Waikiki and then going from there.

3) If I don't stay in a resort type hotel, do I still have access to the beaches?

Yes.

4) Should I plan a visit to the big island? I read it has the best cleanest water and sand

Yes! I'd suggest you eventually visit all the Hawaiian islands that you can!

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by ltai0001

My questions are:

1) Do I need a rental car to move around since I want to visit different places.
2) Where should I stay? a hotel by Waikiki beach? are there cheaper options?
3) If I don't stay in a resort type hotel, do I still have access to the beaches?
4) Should I plan a visit to the big island? I read it has the best cleanest water and sand

The first thing you should do is go to a dedicated travel site, like Fodor's or something similar to get a general overview of travel to Hawaii.

You should get a car if your goal is to visit different places. While you can take a bus, it will agonizingly slow and waste time.

Your options for a hotel is Waikiki, Kahala (expensive), and North Shore (Turtle Bay, expensive). If you are on a budget, Waikiki is your only option.

You will have access to any beach regardless of where you stay.

If your motivation for the Big Island is beaches, that wouldn't be advisable. Beaches are a bit off the beaten path and fewer and far between than the other islands - Maui or Kauai would be better beach alternatives.

[Koale]

Originally Posted by ltai0001

Hello
I am planning my first trip to Hawaii in early September. I will spend a week and will be by myself.
I think I made up my mind as far as which island I will go to, it will be Oahu this time around.
I like to enjoy nice sandy beaches, swim, snorkel, lay in the sun but would like to try different beaches during my stay. Waikiki - North Shore - Waimanalo - Makapu'u
I also would like to do other activities (horse riding - visiting historic sites- etc...)

My questions are:

1) Do I need a rental car to move around since I want to visit different places.
2) Where should I stay? a hotel by Waikiki beach? are there cheaper options?
3) If I don't stay in a resort type hotel, do I still have access to the beaches?
4) Should I plan a visit to the big island? I read it has the best cleanest water and sand

Any suggestions are appreciated.
Thanks!

Well, yes, you should have a rental car. Their are many areas of the Island you will want to explore. As far as a hotel...I would suggest looking for a private Ohana to rent for the week. I suggest this because I was lucky to find one for $35.00 a day that allowed me access to their beautiful salt water pool. It was in the Waimea area, but w/a car...no problem. You have access to the resort but don't expect to use their pools or their beach lounges...The Big Island is, OK. it is really spread out and, truly, not much to do other than the beautiful beaches on the 'Golden Coast'. Yes, the BI water is beautiful but, unless Pele has lightened up since 20013, the VOG can be daunting, especially if you suffer from asthma.
Koale

[hawaiian by heart]

Aloha,

1) No need of rental car if your staying at waikiki unless you want to experience waikiki and northshore beaches in the same day then yes rent a car.

2) Like what whtviper said, it would be very helpful if you had your schedule made or knew what you wantted to see or do etc. There are other options besides resorts.

3) Depends where you stay, Most resort hotels in Waikiki are on the beach, but other hotels etc are a walking distance to the beach. No matter where you stay in Oahu, the beach and water is only a few hrs away at the most.

4) Each island is unique in its own way. The Big Island is the youngest of the major islands, in fact she is still growing from lava being pumped out of her active volcanos Mauna Loa and Kilauea.

Yes it would be helpful to you to do some research on what it is you want to see, be it culture events or locations, hiking, historical, shopping, dinning and entertainment etc etc. Then get back to us when you have a plan.

Good luck and have fun, planning can b fun

[Dthraco]

Another opinion...

1) Do I need a rental car to move around since I want to visit different places.

Yes, a rental car will get you where you want to go, when you want to go there. Just follow the standard rule of not leaving anything in plain sight in the vehicle, and don't load up the trunk after you park. If you need stuff out of the trunk or want to put stuff in there, pull over a few miles before your destination and get it all sorted so you can just grab and go once you park.

2) Where should I stay? a hotel by Waikiki beach? are there cheaper options?

Best bang for the buck, lots to see and do, beach super close by, tons of people watching and shopping, fireworks every friday night on the west side of Waikiki.

3) If I don't stay in a resort type hotel, do I still have access to the beaches?

Depends on what you mean by access. All beaches are public.

4) Should I plan a visit to the big island? I read it has the best cleanest water and sand

I would say it depends on your budget and how much time you have. If you have both time and budget, another island visit could be fun. There are tons of things to do here on Oahu though. I always like to tell people to plan in time to not have plans.

[UKWildcat1981]

I need a trip to back to Hawaii. I love Hawaii and the spirit of the people of Hawaii. If you have the money Hawaii is def the best place to live. -RL

[hotzcatz]

Originally Posted by ltai0001

Hello
I am planning my first trip to Hawaii in early September. I will spend a week and will be by myself.
I think I made up my mind as far as which island I will go to, it will be Oahu this time around.
I like to enjoy nice sandy beaches, swim, snorkel, lay in the sun but would like to try different beaches during my stay. Waikiki - North Shore - Waimanalo - Makapu'u
I also would like to do other activities (horse riding - visiting historic sites- etc...)

My questions are:

1) Do I need a rental car to move around since I want to visit different places.

There are pros and cons to a rental car on Oahu. One, the cost of renting one in the first place. You'd be able to take a tour to the areas you want to see for about the same daily price. Not to mention the cost of parking, hotels charge extra for parking, rather a lot extra in some cases and there's no free parking in Waikiki anymore. There is also having to drive in a strange place and driving in traffic. It's hard to see the scenery while you're driving and the traffic is ferocious.

Since you'll only be there a week, you'll have plenty to do in and around the Waikiki area with several scenic location or event tours added in. Also, as part of a tour, you have other folks to see the sights with.

There is also "The Bus" if you wanted public transportation to somewhere. It's easy to catch them in Waikiki and then transfer at Ala Moana shopping center right outside of Waikiki which is a major bus hub.

Originally Posted by ltai0001

2) Where should I stay? a hotel by Waikiki beach? are there cheaper options?

Any hotel in Waikiki is within easy walking distance to the beach, so if you get a less expensive one a half block off the beach, it's still easy to get in beach time.

Originally Posted by ltai0001

3) If I don't stay in a resort type hotel, do I still have access to the beaches?

Yup, all beaches in Hawaii are public beaches. You can eat at any hotel restaurant or drink at any hotel bar on the beach, too, without staying at the hotel.

Originally Posted by ltai0001

4) Should I plan a visit to the big island? I read it has the best cleanest water and sand

In one week's time, you don't really have enough time for a two island trip. It's a worthwhile vacation and entirely different than Oahu, but in one week you'd take up too much time flying between islands.

If you wanted to see Volcano National Park or Hawaii island circle island tour, you could look into a Roberts tour, I think they have day tours where they fly you over, visit the scenic spot and then bring you back to Oahu. A personal day tour to another island would require a bus/taxi to the airport in Honolulu ($20-$40), inter-island air fare ($150 - $200), a day's rental car ($20 - $40), gas ($40 - $60), food/lunch ($15 - $30), return inter-island air fare (part of the previous round trip) and a bus/taxi ($20 - $40) back to your hotel. I think Robert's tours are around $400 or so. There's loads of other tour operators, too.

If you did decide on two islands, see if you can do a fly into one airport and out the other sort of thing. Big Island you'd want to rent a car, too. The bus here isn't very extensive.

Originally Posted by ltai0001

Any suggestions are appreciated.
Thanks!

[ltai0001]

thank you all for this great feedback. Below is my initial plan, let me know what you thing and if I missed a must see place

Saturday 8/30
Check in at
Waikiki Beach Time
Sunday 8/31
Waikiki Beach – Bodyboard Surf lesson
Monday 9/1 (Bus)
Waialai/Kahala Beach
Hanauma bay – Snorkling
Sandy Beach
Eat at Roy’s Restaurant
Tuesday 9/2 (Bus)
Kailua/Lanikai/Kalama Beach
To do: Swim + Kayak
Wednesday 9/3 (Rent a car)
Polynesian Cultural Center
Afternoon - North Shore – Waimea Beach + Sunset Beach + Kahuku
Three tables + Shark Cove (snorkeling)
Thursday 9/4 (Rent a car)
Kaetna point Hiking
Kaena Point State Park - Snorkling
Afternoon - Haleiwa
Friday 9/5
Morning - Pearl Harbor
Afternoon - Kapiolani Park - Diamond Head Monument
Acquarium
Shangri La
Saturday 9/6
Waikiki Area
Sunday 9/7
Breakfast
Check Out
To Airport – Flight at 12 pm

[Kayekaye]

That's a pretty heavy schedule. I hope it works for you. Would you like to check back in after your trip and compare what you did with your schedule? That would be interesting. The first trip to Hawaii is always the best!