Hawaii - Maui & Big Isl - Advice/Tips?

[saluki9]

Thanks for the tip -

but I have no intention of pretending to be a "local" and I don't take "valuable possessions" on vacation with me.

I think tourists are pretty easy to pick out anyway, no matter how much they might try to blend in.

Be nice, but be who you are, is my motto.



Thre's plenty of "sunny places" here in Texas too & I've still considered getting a convertible just for the fun of it.

We always rent a convertible when we go to Hawaii, I wouldn't have it any other way. Nords, I know not many locals have them (I do know 2 on Maui to do however) That being said, please realize that many of us come to Hawaii at a time when we have not seen the sun in 3 months, and our home is covered in two feet of Ice. Even sitting and baking in traffic burning $5 gas is a pleasure. Also, does a brand new ford taurus scream tourist any less?

The only valuable thing I carry in Hawaii is my camera, and that never leaves me. If we're going in the water we leave it in the condo. I just leave the doors of the car unlocked. In addition, my credit card offers free rental insurance so I don't worry too much about it.

 

[Rustic23]

Obviously posting on a forum to get advice from the locals, or say computer expert, car guy or what ever, is popular. It also seem just as popular to ignore the advice you seek.

Having lived in Hawaii, you should heed Nords advice on a convertible.

 

[ProspectiveBum]

I know this isn't the same place, but I'll share the following: my wife and I spent 10 days in So. Florida and Key West years back, and I splurged and rented a nice convertible (I think it cost us $900 for the 10 days). It was in early September. We spent *maybe* 2 or 3 hours of those days with the top down. It was just too hot and sticky to be riding around like that. There were lots of other things that we could have spent that money on. YMMV.

That said, if you get a good rate on a 'vert, and you're hell-bent to throw the top down, I say go for it. A jeep seems like a good idea, since there are some dirt-road places that'd be fun to see where you might not want to take that Taurus.

EDIT: Just to clarify, that was 2 or 3 hours TOTAL in 10 days, not 2 or 3 hours per day.

 

[A854321]

Convertibles are just such a pain in the a$$. Watch out for the real heavy sunburn potential. Just because you are wearing a hat doesn't mean the other part of you won't get badly fried. Such as neck, arms, and upper thighs.

And yes, convertibles are meth addict magnets for theft. Sitting at a popular sight waiting for my ride, I watched several really shady characters approach convertibles first as they scouted out stuff to boost from cars.

 

[Texarkandy]

Interestingly, I find that a convertible on Maui is about $300 over the price of a full-size for a week.

On Big Island it's only $50 extra - what gives with that I wonder?

 

[Nords]

We always rent a convertible when we go to Hawaii, I wouldn't have it any other way. Nords, I know not many locals have them (I do know 2 on Maui to do however) That being said, please realize that many of us come to Hawaii at a time when we have not seen the sun in 3 months, and our home is covered in two feet of Ice. Even sitting and baking in traffic burning $5 gas is a pleasure. Also, does a brand new ford taurus scream tourist any less?
The only valuable thing I carry in Hawaii is my camera, and that never leaves me. If we're going in the water we leave it in the condo. I just leave the doors of the car unlocked. In addition, my credit card offers free rental insurance so I don't worry too much about it.

No problem, guys, just full disclosure.

If a convertible is important to you then it's what you should do. Good luck with that.

 

[Texarkandy]

So we're leaning now towards getting the convert on the Big Island & a full size on Maui. Money saved on the Maui convert will go a long ways toward taking one of those expensive volcano helo flights.

Any tips on good dive shops in both places anybody? (I'm finding on the net that dive prices are nearly double what they are FL & Mexico) We are hoping to do at least the Manta Ray dive on Big Isle & Molokini on Maui. Possibly some shore diving on Maui too.

 

[saluki9]

Interestingly, I find that a convertible on Maui is about $300 over the price of a full-size for a week.

On Big Island it's only $50 extra - what gives with that I wonder?

I have NO connection to them, but I have used Discount Hawaii Car Rental Maui Car Rentals Honolulu Kona Kauai Hilo Waikiki every time I go. Difference between a vert and sedan is about $110 a week.

 

[JB]

Any tips on good dive shops in both places anybody? (I'm finding on the net that dive prices are nearly double what they are FL & Mexico) We are hoping to do at least the Manta Ray dive on Big Isle & Molokini on Maui. Possibly some shore diving on Maui too.

Are you bringing gear? Shore dives are inexpensive if all you need is a tank of air or two. I rented tanks and BC at Maui Dreams . Trips to Molokini originate from either Maalaea Harbor, Lahaina Harbor, or the Kihei Boat Ramp. Lahaina Harbor is the furthest away so I'd avoid it. The boats out of Maalaea will be much larger and may accomodate tourists who are snorkeling. When I did the back wall dive I went with Mike Severns out of the Kihei boat ramp. If your primary mission is diving stick with the smaller boats out of Kihei, it's half the distance to Molokini, and focused on scuba as opposed to snorklers. If you're with people who want to snorkel, then you'll more likely be on one of the bigger boats out of Maalaea (breakfast snacks and lunch will probably be included).

Another thing, if you have a wetsuit, bring it.