Originally Posted by
UsernameChuck
The main principle is true - but the application doesn't necessarily follow, not for us. Beyond the per day cash cost of renting a car ($48 parking + $65 rental cost + gas), there are other costs. If we just hang out at the hotel one day, that's $115 "wasted" per day - having the car would push us to get out and do stuff, but would cause us stress if we just hung out. It's not that we couldn't afford it, but it's above some imaginary threshold and would seem wasteful. The parking almost doubles the cost of a car rental.
Probably most of the people at GW would just shake their heads and pay the money. But we'll be there on FNCs and points (since we were already going to Hawaii, the marginal cost of including Maui was 15K Southwest points + some FNCs and 95K for one night). In our situation, including a rental car almost double the base cost / pre-food+fun cost of the trip to Maui (out-of-pocket $20 + acquisition costs for points $510) (car cost: $570 + gas - cost of car to and from OGG would be ~$100). I don't want to be a cheapskate when we're there, but I also don't want to spend unwisely - that would impact our enjoyment of the trip, and might cause us to not spend on some other item (snorkeling trip? deep sea fishing? kayaking? helicopter?) that we'd enjoy and remember for a long time.
As I see it, I agree that a person shouldn't nickel and dime on that kind of vacation, but you still want to spend wisely. An unwise expense can make couples start to bicker, and then to be cheap in other areas. By contrast, if you get the main stuff right, you'll feel like you have more discretionary cash to spend on things worth the expense.
[Edit: sorry, $65 / day valet, $45 self-parking. So having a car would cost $600 for 5 days]
There's being frugal and then there's being cheap. Having erred on the latter side too many times while points chasing, I think that at some point you have to put aside the calculations and live the vacation. I believe what some of the other posters have mentioned are the "living" part.
The GW is a wonderful property that lives up to the "grand" in the grand Hawaiian style resort. It has imo, the best pool and beach combo for children on the island. Rooms are a decent size (though dated), and grounds are expansive, clean, and safe. It can be pretty lively when packed (as you can tell from the issues with scaling back up). You could absolutely stay on property (if you can bear the expense, everything is expensive) and have a wonderful time. But if you're solely running the numbers, you could also do so in a lot other cheaper destinations that aren't Maui.
There are many other unique Maui activities that can help give you a memorable vacation (e.g. road to Hana, sunrise/sunset on Haleakala, plate lunches and local beaches, waterfalls and hikes). Those require a car.