Transportation from the airport to Kailua (rental car, rentals, taxis)

[gelalila]

Aloha! My husband and I are going to be visiting Oahu in August. We have a place set up in Kailua to stay and we were hoping to avoid renting a car. It seems like it will be smooth sailing with the Bus and all, but the initial getting there is what I'm wondering about.

I've read the Bus doesn't exactly like people with suitcases, which is fine. But pretty much EVERY shuttle service I've seen, including taxi, and rental car services seem to be standard about $50.
Is there ANY cheaper way for a quick one way trip to Kailua for our initial arrival?
We've even considered a craigslist posting for a possible carpooling, but aren't entirely sure how reliable and/or safe people from who knows where would be.

Any advice is welcome. We visited Maui last year, and are incredibly excited to gain a new experience on a different island of Hawaii.
Mahalo.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by gelalila

Aloha! My husband and I are going to be visiting Oahu in August. We have a place set up in Kailua to stay and we were hoping to avoid renting a car. It seems like it will be smooth sailing with the Bus and all, but the initial getting there is what I'm wondering about.

I've read the Bus doesn't exactly like people with suitcases, which is fine. But pretty much EVERY shuttle service I've seen, including taxi, and rental car services seem to be standard about $50.
Is there ANY cheaper way for a quick one way trip to Kailua for our initial arrival?
We've even considered a craigslist posting for a possible carpooling, but aren't entirely sure how reliable and/or safe people from who knows where would be.

Any advice is welcome. We visited Maui last year, and are incredibly excited to gain a new experience on a different island of Hawaii.
Mahalo.

The $48 Speedi Shuttle price from HNL for 2 people to Kailua is a great price. Craigslist is to risky.

By the way - Kailua isn't an easy place to go once you get there without a car.

[PaliPatty]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

The $48 Speedi Shuttle price from HNL for 2 people to Kailua is a great price. Craigslist is to risky.

By the way - Kailua isn't an easy place to go once you get there without a car.

No, it really isn't. The odds are that you'll be staying somewhat near the beach and pretty much all the shopping is in Kailua Town, not near the beach. Kailua is just a suburban town that somehow morphed into a tourist mecca---no resort center, mostly illegal vacation rentals (boo hiss), and totally residential in nature. So think your basic grocery stores, drug stores, and now tons of tourists twirling around, reading maps as they walk and try to figure out where the heck they are. I've seen Kailua described in tour guide books as a "quaint beach town." If your idea of quaint is strip malls, Pier One Imports, Whole Foods and a soon-to-be Target site than I applaud your sense of imagination.
Plenty of places to eat but not many near the beach. Kalapawai Market, Buzz's, Island Snow Shave Ice (Obama's favorite), Bob's Pizza, and a few others would be walkable from the beach. That's it. From Buzz's to Safeway is about two miles, I would think. Maybe you'd be okay walking?
Okay, so we have a very pretty beach---very pretty.
Once you get to Kailua there is an Enterprise Rental office if you want to rent a car. They'll deliver the car to wherever you're staying and drop you back off there when you return the car. We've used them a few times and they're okay. I would really advise renting a car right at the airport. The arrival and departure costs of a shuttle will cover two days of rental right there.
The bus is highly overrated, especially now with the changes they've made in the schedules. And it's okay for getting around to the local sites in town and Waikiki but I would hate to spend my precious vacation time waiting for buses here in Kailua. I see those sweaty folks all the time and actually feel sorry for them.

[Thailand2Island]

FWIW, I've got a week-long rental from Enterprise for a convertible at $220 next month. There are cheaper cars available. By the time you add up what you would pay for taxis, shuttles & buses plus the convenience of getting around easily on your vacation, it's not such a bad deal. There are cheap car rental prices in Hawaii. As long as you don't have to pay for downtown parking, it works out pretty good.

[CyberCity]

I'd pop for an inexpensive rental car, and not spend my precious vacation hours standing on the road waiting for a bus to come by. If you don't want to rent a car for the entire length of your trip, perhaps organize your shopping (groceries, etc) and sight seeing into clumps, and get a car for just a few days.

[gelalila]

Thanks for the speedy responses! I guess we'll go ahead and the get the rental car.
I appreciate all your advice!