If i travel to Maui, is it necessary to have a car rental the entire time?? ?

Question

I will probably stay on the west side of the island... are the sites all spread out through the island?? Or, am i good with a car 3-4 days out of my 10 day stay??

Answer 1

Yes.

Answer 2

We have condos in Maui, and they are on the south and west side of the island (Kihei), but you may be talking about Lahaina or Kaanapali. You can get some pretty good deals on car rentals in Maui, and the cost of a transfer just to your hotel or condo can be expensive. It is pretty far from the airport. The sites you may want to visit are spread all over the island, and a car can be the best and cheapest way to travel.

I think there may be a local bus, there is one in Kihei, but I'm not sure in the more northern areas. But, they won't take you to all of the tourist areas- just maybe shopping or dining. If you want to drive to Hana, drive to the volcano, aquarium, take snorkeling or cruise trips in Maleaa, all of those will require a car. Or, visiting Wailea, snorkeling off different beaches, and using different golf courses there, you will need to get around. If you pay tours, it is much more expensive than doing it alone. But, if you just want to relax around the beach, then you don't need a car, really.

There is a place on our website that lists good car rental prices, along with things to do in Maui. Hopefully it should give you an idea of where you might want to visit, and maybe get a good deal on a car. Email me with questions [e-mail]    

Answer 3

The sites are all spread out: Maui is the second largest island in the archipelago, yet it has just 1/7 the population of the third largest island, Oahu (City and County of Honolulu). Unless you are extremely careful about how you structure your stay, you will want to rent a car most days to get the most out of your visit. But here are some strategies to keep that rental bill down.

1) Take the bus sometimes. Due to the high price of gas ($5.63 and up), ridership has increased and some bus routes now run every 90 minutes intead of every 3 hours. There are even a few free routes.

2) Spend a chunk of your time as a guest at Wailuku's Banana Bungalow. Besides the happenin' social scene going on right there at the Youth Hostel (a bunch of  Europeans in their twenties, in particular), there are free tours and shuttles to and from the airport and beach every day. Sure, bathroom's down the hall, but if it's just a few days, you can handle it. I lucked out and checked in on a night they spent a big tip on a keg and a cookout!

3) Stay in or near downtown Lahaina, walking to restaurants, shops, cinema, bars, art galleries, and the show 'ulalena. You'll be within walking distance or cheap cab fare of the wharf where sunset cruises, whale-watching cruises (December-March or so), and ferries to Lanai and Molokai launch.

4) Plan to spend a day where you just plain don't leave the hotel, except to acquire a sunburn on the beach in front of the hotel.

5) Rent from the Kahului airport (OGG), if you can swing it, instead of the Kapalua airport on the west side. There are more companies to choose from, rates tend to be cheaper at OGG, even for the same company, and the Kahului locations tend to be open more convenient hours. For instance, the last courtesy shuttle of the day for the Dollar RAC Kapalua location runs at 4:00 PM or so.

Dollar tends to have more efficient customer service, the guy at Thrifty always wants to put me in a van, and by the time you get off the shuttle at Enterprise, you're already between the shopping mall and the retail strip of Kahului.

I used to travel to Maui frequently for work and play when I lived on another island. Now, I just live on Maui.