REQUEST: Car Rental, Maui/OGG, Dec 21-27

I used them few time and had no problem. I always book class lower and they always give me class higher as they don't have cheaper car. Or they can give you upgrade on the spot.

Brand X it's not noname, it can be any of well known brands who agrees for this rate I think.

FE, I've rented "Wild Pick" ones for $15 a day and got luxary car that usually cost about $100 per day.

we drove what enterprise called a full size sedan on the road to hana and had NO problems whatsoever. The car is what Edmunds or KBB would call a midsize car though. Yes, the road is narrow and one lane only in spots but our midsize car was fine. I appreciated having a slightly upgraded car for its better handling and brakes. A smaller car would have been fine as well. Note gas is about $1 more per galloon than mainland USA.

We got a good deal via costco. We also found discounted car rentals, booking via Island Air and via Aston Hotels. These sites negotiated some decent corporate rates. Our VRBO
landlord suggested mauicruisers.net. They are really cheap but only rent older cars.

Hope you have a nice trip!

scottsd said:   Ended up booking directly thru Enterprise, using a discount code I got off Zayln.com (FREE Upgrade). The big savings was by renting from their off-airport office, in Kahului. I did this since I will be flying in late the previous nite, after office closes. They'll come pick me up the next day. FYI -- the Kahului office is approx 3 mi from the OGG Airport.
And yes, this involves a nite at a hotel, but we were going to do that anyway.
BTW Discount Hawaii Car Rental finally replied (took about a day, they seemed overwhelmed), price $416 thru Alamo. Not bad I guess, but I like my off-airport deal better.

Where are you going to stay - I don't recall any hotels near the airport, taxi can become expensive quite quickly, eat up most of the savings, become more hassle than it was worth.

The price difference between intermediate/standard and full size is usually not much, I would go for it. I would continue to check for deals, particularly after Labor day. It may be possible to find a deal on a small SUV, which may be a better option. You may also find something better on one of the opaque sites 14 - 45 days out.

The road to Hana is not that bad; reputation is from the days before it was paved.

shank said:   Where are you going to stay - I don't recall any hotels near the airport, taxi can become expensive quite quickly...
Found a couple of hotels within a few mi of the Aiport, in Kahului -- Maui Beach Hotel; Maui Seaside Hotel. Both around $125. Neither has an a/p shuttle that late, nor a place to eat (my main concerns). A hot tub would be nice.
Part of the savings comes from the difference between this airport hotel and the resort we're booking at Kapalua.
Since our time in Maui was fixed, spending a nite after late arrival would not subtract much from the Hawaii experience*. So we'll collapse at the H. late nite, the start up our visit first thing in the morning.
Thanks
Scott

* well, it seems like a good idea right now

scottsd said:   shank said:   Where are you going to stay - I don't recall any hotels near the airport, taxi can become expensive quite quickly...
Found a couple of hotels within a few mi of the Aiport, in Kahului -- Maui Beach Hotel; Maui Seaside Hotel. Both around $125. Neither has an a/p shuttle that late, nor a place to eat (my main concerns). A hot tub would be nice.
Part of the savings comes from the difference between this airport hotel and the resort we're booking at Kapalua.
Since our time in Maui was fixed, spending a nite after late arrival would not subtract much from the Hawaii experience*. So we'll collapse at the H. late nite, the start up our visit first thing in the morning.
Thanks
Scott


* well, it seems like a good idea right now

OGG Airport area is commercial / light industrial - strip malls, fast food, big box retailers, a couple of psudeo diners.

Kapalua is one of the bet areas to stay on Maui, has become quite pricey as a result. We are partial to South Maui - Wailea, Makena, Kihei - argueably as nice/better, but with fewer crowds, more centrally located - unless you have a reason to deal with the West Maui tourist crowds.

Road to Hana has one lane roads wrapping around a mountain side with the ocean 100ft below and no guard rail (some orange cones). I opted for the tour bus, it's a very long trip too

Yeah -- COSTCO, Maui !
Was just reading a thread about that over at Fodors. Some people see a disconnect between the idyllic Hawaiian experience and a down-and-dirty visit to Costco. I like Costco, but only so far. being that it's the only one on Maui, and so close to the Airport, we'll just have to make a stop for supplies (and wine!).