Question - Myself and 6 friends are traveling to Oahu for a college spring break.

What is a typical fare for a cab from HNL to Waikiki Beach? I have heard they can get rather expensive.

We were thinking about renting a car to do some sightseeing, (Arizona Memorial, North Shores, etc) But since all of us are only 21-22, it will cost us an arm and a leg to rent a car for the week.

However, if we had a car for the entire week, we would not have to rent a cab to go to and from HNL, and to all the places we want to go.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

Chaus - I'm estimating the cab fare (based on what I've paid HNL to my house) to be somewhere in the range of 40-50 dollars - depending on traffic, the part of Waikiki you are staying in, etc. There are often limos at the airport that charge the same rate as the taxis and can easily hold 6 or 7 people and luggage. Split 6 or 7 ways a taxi would still be cheaper than a city shuttle or whatever.

Instead of renting a car it is possible to get around pretty easily by using either The Bus or the tourist trolley (sorry - don't know the offical name). The tourist trollies cricle around between various tourist desitnations and let you get on and off an unlimited number of times.

Otherwise you might consider a local car rental agency - which might have better rates/options for the under 25 crowd. Split 6 ways a van might still be cheaper than a trolley. Remember that most hotels do not include parking - so there is an additional charge if you need to park the car.

A few possibilites (from the local phone book):

Paradise Rent-A-Car 946-7777 (says '18 and older welcome')

JN Car and Truck rentals - 831-2724

VIP car rentals - 488-6187

Hope this helps.

My friend and I are also 21 and just got back from Hawaii.

We ended up not renting a car and taking the bus everywhere. But taking the bus isn't a much cheaper option since there are six of you (a monthly bus pass is $27,) and it's very time consuming (2 hours to get to North Shore from Waikiki.)

Enterprise Rent-a-car has a center not far from the airport and does not charge an extra "under 25" fee. You can get rates and make reservations at their site:
http://www.enterprise.com
Extra costs to think of when renting a car though: parking at your hotel will be $7+ a night, gas is approx. anywhere between $1.50 and $1.80 a gallon and if none of you have insurance Enterprise will gladly provide you with some, for a fee (also, there's an extra charge per day for each driver, so if all of you have D.L.s it might not be the best to volunteer that info b/c Enterprise might tack on those charges anyway if you do, even if you aren't all planning on driving.)

Have fun!

Hey thanks for the info! Anyone who has additional suggestions is greatly appreciated.

As far as where in Waikiki we will be staying, we are staying at the Sheraton Moana Surfrider. (I am not sure if that is closer to or further away from HNL)

I did look into Enterprise, b/c I know they don't charge extra for "under 25's", however they do not have any minivans left (what we would need to transport everyone) for the time we will be there (3/7-3/14).

I will definitely look into the local rental places that were suggested.

BTW, does anyone know of any good spots for 'nightlife' around Waikiki Beach?

Thanks!
Craig

I may be senile, but last year we had a reservation at the Moana Surfrider but had to cancel our trip. I do remember calling and asking if they provide airport pickup and they said yes. You have nothing to lose by asking.