Car Rental Deals in the Hawaiian Islands

Recently, our friends were invited to a family wedding on Maui.  They, as we all are these days, are unsettled by the expense of the trip, so they called us to ask for any advice we might be able to offer in the way of cheap rental cars on Maui.  They are flying into Kahului, so we suggested they reserve their car there. They’ll be able to attend the celebrations in style, while saving enough money to do some sightseeing during their free time.

This conversation with our friends got us to thinking that this advice fits all Hawaii car rentals, on all the islands.  We’ve learned we can save money by staying away from the traditional rental agencies such as Dollar, Thrifty, Budget, Avis or Hertz. The online discount car rental agencies are much more affordable.  Yet, we get the same car as if we’d rented from one of the big companies.

When we are looking for a discount vehicle rental in Kona or Hilo on the Big Island, money-saving transportation on Molokai, or a Kauai car rental, we look into the discount agencies when we hire a rental car.  The same goes for finding cheap Honolulu rental cars for a crazy vacation on Waikiki Beach. We always decide we want to make a trip to the north shore, and we find the best deals for our money are found online for a rental car on Oahu.

As well, the cheap airline websites offer great deals. We have found great deals for flights and lodging together on one site. So, as we suggested to our Lahaina-bound friends, we like to save all the money we can on getting there, so we can take full advantage of the “aloha” the Hawaiian Islands have to offer.

Discount Rental Cars in Kauai

I was recently called to Kauai on business regarding a condo I own in the Poipu area. Of course, one always needs a vehicle in Kauai unless you are staying in Lihue near the airport. I typically just rent a car from Enterprise. Not this time, a friend told me about a new service which offers discounted rental cars in Kauai. I visited their website and submitted a rental request. Wow! I was surprised to learn that their price was much less than renting direct. I saved over 25% and was thrilled. I chose a mid-size car because I had decided to bring my new folding bike along. It was a perfect fit for the trunk of the Sebring I received.

Discount Hawaii Car Rental in Honolulu

Our pick, you guessed it, AlohaRents.com is the hands-down winner. We requested rate quotes from the 3 big cheap car rental companies in Hawaii. We chose Honolulu to be specific. Only because the largest fleets on the islands are housed there. The three companies we selected were: Car Rental Hawaii, Discount Hawaii Car Rental and the winner, Aloha Rents. The car we selected was an economy model. AlohaRents.com also offered bonus benefits, such as extra drivers at no charge and young drivers for free.

Waikiki Jeep Rental

We just returned from a photo shoot at Waikiki on the Island of Oahu. The vehicle rental personnel were very helpful and kind.  They sent us to a cool place on Oahu’s North Shore for our day off. The majority of work we completed was shot at Diamond Head near Waikiki. We spent a total of three days and actually brought back over 800 photos.

Some of the Jeeps we rented were used in the images this time. So, our thanks go out to Hawaii Jeeps. If you need a ATV, stop by one of their 3 locales in Waikiki Beach.

Friday Harbor Property for Sale

I would love to move to the San Juan Islands in Western Washington State. The Northwest is beautiful and this island actually receives about half of the rain as Seattle, Washington. This particular piece of property is only about two miles from town. The owners claim that the house is a fixer-upper. I will continue my dream of owning over 25 acres of land near Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. Maybe someday we will move to FH.

Rental Cars in Florida

A different assignment this time. Off to Florida! We have been invited to take part in a new car advertisement being filmed in the Florida Keys. We’ll arrive in Miami Florida and the girls will drive us down to the southern most tip, Kew West, Florida. The car was comped to us by our friends at Florida Car Rental which is operated by Florida Sun Car Rentals. It’s not like we could not afford their typical discounted rates! We are using a large E-150 van for our large group of travelers. I’ll let you know in the next customer review how the auto rental works-out. We are not to worried. We have used Sunshine Rent a Car for years. Long before they were acquired by the parent company of Florida Car Rentals.

Home for Eugene Oregon Real Estate

Eugene Oregon has many Realtors, but only a small amount are in the top 5% of the areas real estate agents. Over the years we have had the joy of working with a local firm whom many consider to be Eugene’s only real estate office. I am referring to Eugene’s Alternative – Realtors of Eugene, Oregon. The office specializes in a wide range of new construction, existing Eugene homes for sale and Greater Lane County real estate. The business maintains four brokers on a full-time basis, two men and two women. They operate like a team, all with their specific strengths shining bright. I am not discussing typical realtors or an average real estate office. You will be amazed with the thoughtfulness and efficiency of this group of individuals.

Police Bike Patrol

I am a police officer in Hana and ride a bike during work and for commuting to work. The weather can be an issue to me and other bike patrol officers. As you may be aware police bicycles do not have rain protection, nor do any bikes I have seen. If there was one available I’m sure it would be found in Hana. We are usually up to our eyeballs in rain during the winter months.

Destination Kona

Kona bound again. Sherry and I are headed to Kona to scout for locations for an upcoming shoot this Fall. We have some leads and are bringing our library of books, just in case we need to do more research. We will also be doing some surfing while here. Our trip and stay in Kailua (Kona), Hawaii will only be four days before heading back to the mainland. It’s never long enough. Maybe we will get to come back for the holidays, stay in a condo and book a rental car in Hawaii to tour the island.

Resources for Rental Cars

I am going to let everyone in on a secret. This is a bookmark I have shared with friends of mine for years. Every site within this helpful hint is based in Hawaii. The web-site is known as Hawaii-Search and it is so much more. The Car Rental page is just spectacular. I have used it on many occasions. One of my favorites on the page is Hawaiian Riders, which rents vehicles, Jeeps mainly, in Kauai. Tell them Dave sent you and you can add extra drivers with no additional charges or fees.

As I mentioned in my previous post, we are actually using Jeep Rentals in Hawaii, also known as Hawaii Jeeps for our upcoming shoot on the Garden Isle. If you decide to go with them you should ask to speak to Robert who is the reservations manager and a good friend.

If you are going to be in Kauai during July 14-19, you should come watch our photo shoot. This one is for Elle Magazine and is an outdoor waterfall location on the East side of Kauai. For directions to Kipu Falls you can visit one of our favorite condo rental websites. Of course it’s in Poipu Beach at Kiahuna, the condominium that is.
Mahalo,
Dave