Just did a 1-day rental at HNLC01. There is no Emerald Counter, but the service was excellent and friendly. As an Emerald Exec on a Standard reservation (double upgrade from Compact), I was offered:

Chevy HHR
Honda Accord (looking online, I wonder if I should have taken this one?)
Hyundai Sonata (the agent actually eliminated that one herself, saying it wasn't in good condition ^)
Chevy Malibu (which I took - 15K miles, good condition)

Additional Info
The office entrance is on Ala Moana Blvd on the ground level (downstairs), and the garage entrance is around back on Kaioo Dr (one-way loop accessed from Hobron Ln).

Hours are 7am-7pm and there is no night-drop, so be sure to leave plenty of extra time to make it thru Waikiki rush hour traffic when returning your car before the 7pm cutoff (took us over an hour to make it the 10 mi back from Hanauma Bay). Overnight parking is $24-30 at the nearby hotels, and the Marina no longer offers cheap overnight parking, so don't miss the cutoff!

If you plan to get gas near the office when returning, be sure to look it up in advance and to leave plenty of extra time - we could not find the Magic Island Petroleum that Google Maps shows just down Ala Moana and ended up just eating the 4 gallons at the $5 National rate (stations showing $3.49).

When you pickup your car, the attendant in the garage will check you out and you'll be asked to note any damage larger than the holes in a template they have. When you return the car, the checker will give you a handwritten slip to take to the attendant in the garage, who will print out your receipt.

Isn't that parking garage a TRIP? Confusing to say the least!

One of the Managers at that location is a good friend of mine. Glad to hear they treated you well.

Fun traffic there eh? Not sure if you remember I worked there two years ago in Dec/Jan. Yup Gas is tough to find...especially around there. You would have had to go past Ala Moana Mall and a couple of blocks inland to find gas, or several blocks inland the other direction across Ala Wai canal toward the Mnts. Better to do what you did...less time and brain damage.

Did you have fun at Hanauma Bay? Fish nibble your nose/toes? LOL

Yup you pretty much need to triple the travel time you Think you need to go anywhere in Honolulu with the traffic. Especially on Fridays! Everyone gets off at noon...Aloha Friday...they call it. Took me a half hour to travel 1/2 mile one day from the Wal-Mart to corner of Ala Wai and McCully. Yea I said THE Wal-Mart. Only one on the island.

Yes, I do remember that! Thanks for the advice - I'm sure others will find it useful in the future.

We were only there briefly near closing time as we had already visited Pearl Harbor and hiked Diamond Head that day. We got in two days of diving, though, so we saw lots of fish down there!

Heh, has it been 2 years already? I also remember you used to work in hawaii.

FYI, the Ala Moana location does pickups and dropoffs to Waikiki hotels if you call ahead. Makes it convenient if you only need a car for a day or two and you don't want to pay parking the whole time you are here.

Not everyone, unfortunately...I usually leave the office at 5 or 6, even on Aloha Fridays.

I do agree, though -- the "pau hana" (means "after work" in Hawaiian) traffic into and out of Waikiki and Ala Moana (e.g. Ala Moana Boulevard, Nimitz Highway, and Kalakaua Avenue) are to be avoided, especially Friday afternoons.

Even under optimal conditions (i.e. no water main break or road construction), traffic can be horrendous. This is especially important to note when heading from your hotel to the airport.

There are three of them now -- but the one near Ala Moana is the only one on that side of the island. The other two are on the west side (Pearl City and Mililani). Most of the big-box chains (Costco, Target, etc.) have a store in the Honolulu area and multiple stores on the west side.

Hi Everyone!

I'll be renting from this location twice in early June (1 day with a convertible for touring the island, 1 day with a free day for a full size).

What can I expect for the convertible?
Hoping for a Mustang, will settle for a Sebring, hopefully not a PT cruiser or VW bug.

And what about full sizes? Pretty much the standard selection? How likely are they to give me upgraded cars if I ask nicely?

I'm excited; it'll be my first time in Waikiki!

Thanks!

Doing a weekend rental at HNLC01 (Honolulu Waikiki - 1778 Ala Moana Blvd) Fri am to Mon pm. I booked a Mid-sized and was wondering, as a Exec member what kind of car I could expect.

If you mean the Marina by the Hilton Hawaiian Village, I just spent a week in HNL in February, 2011 and found the Marina metered lots very reasonable. Depending on the day of the week, up to 24 hrs is as cheap as $12 on weekdays, and on Sunday it is as cheap as $4 for all day (from midnight) until 5:00pm. And the lot seems very safe in a well lit area. Had no issues all week. ^

As far as the Convertibles go they usually have the Mustangs and Sebrings. I don't think you have any worries about getting the others at all. As far as your Full Size...that will be up to availability at the time.

Enjoy. Now let's hope with the activities in the Pacific yesterday...let's hope you don't have to deal with any vertical evacuations while you are there. Perhaps you should plan on packing your own good flashlight and good comfy walking shoes!
Vertical Evacuation....they move you to Higher Floors in the hotel. Now if the power goes out...that means STAIRS in the hotel!! And that means Staying there for hours!
Kailua-Kona got beat up pretty good yesterday. Friends sent me video and photos of houses floating away. Honolulu-Waikiki was fine! I spoke with friends there yesterday and last night.
Enjoy your trip and take Lots of money. It's very expensive.

That's great news, thanks! I'm looking forward to trying a new model Mustang; I've heard of vast improvements over the previous model years. Plus, since I haven't told my girlfriend we're getting a convertible, it should be a good surprise

I'm going to Oahu with my girlfriend (first time in Hawaii for both of us). Pretty expensive for the flight and room alone, but we never take vacations together (I'm on the road accumulating air miles and car rentals!) so we figured it's a good time to splurge. We're reading up on guidebooks and websites, and gathering a rough outline for the trip of things we want to do. What's it like driving on the island? How is parking? How is traffic? How strict are cops with speed limits?

Traffic is heavy all the time, especially during rush hours. Lanes are tight. Lots of ppl riding scooters and bikes. Lots of ppl on foot. Parking spaces are tiny. I really recommend the CDW! Not for what you might do to the car but what might be done to you. DON'T leave anything in your car!! Theft can be a prob in some areas.
Don't cross a solid white line coming to a traffic light! Cops will cite you for that. Watch the signs for when you can turn on red...that can get complicated. Watch for when you can Meter park. They block lanes off during rush hour. Hanama Bay for snorkling is closed on Tuesdays. I like the Paradise Cove Lu'au. Be sure to do the Swap Meet at the Stadium. Wait to do your T-shirt buying til you get THERE! Wayyy cheap! Good buys! GO Early will eat a whole day or better part of one anyhow. You must eat at Dukes at Sunset but go before then to get a Table.
Don't be afraid to Haggle on the price of anything! The beach is best at Hilton Hawaiian Village...all beaches are Public...you don't have to be staying at a hotel to use their beach! Why is it the best? Their SAND is awesome! Most of the other sand in Waikiki is Rough as h*ll.
Take a drive to Kailua on the Pauli Hwy! 30 mins. Kailua Beach is wonderful and the sand is like Baby Powder. Free parking at the park.

How's that for a quick brain dump?

That's good news - sounds like they've come down a bit (although still much more expensive than in the past):

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hawai...l#post14546713 (Post #47)

Picked up my convertible rental this morning. Was offered a Silver or Black Mustang, and Red or White Sebring. Took the Silver Mustang, nice car! Fun to zip around the island in, but was definitely lost in the Mustang crowd of other renters with the same idea. 25k miles, so it was old, and no Sirius, but had a good time going to DiamondHead, Dole, and North Shore. Staff was nice too, for the rental and return.

Will be picking up a Full Size on Thursday. Hope to get something interesting as there is no ES.

Well, nothing interesting for my Full Size rental. Offered a fleet of new Jettas, Impala, Fusion, Charger, Altima. Took the Altima, 6k miles but no Sirius.