Where's the best place to rent Jeeps in Kauai & Oahu

[imajeepnut]

Aloha fellow Hawaii Jeepers!

1. Our family will be visiting Kauai and Oahu in 2 weeks. We would love to rent a 4dr. JK while we are there, but the Big Rental car places can't guarantee a Jeep...much less a 4Dr. Could any of you suggest a reputable place that might rent 4dr. JKs???

2. We will have 6 days on Kauai, and hop over to Oahu for another 6 days. We have 2 girls...ages 9 & 11. Could some of you suggest some outings for us? I would love to see some of the beauty of each island. We want to snorkel...and would like to get off the beaten path for some sight seeing.

Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks for your help!!!

Jeff in GA

[Munky]

Not totally sure about a good place to rent a jeep. I know when we were first coming out to the island a Jeep rental is very expensive. I would say look on kayak if you haven't already. I have heard that you should be sure to wash it really good before turning it back over of they will "fine" you very heavily. As for sites if you do get a jeep go up to Kaena Point (north shore westside). If you like to hike check out oahuhiking. Not sure about the other island we haven't hoped over there yet.

[aldaman]

Most of the popular car rental companies here in Kauai have the sport JKUs. Alamo, Hertz, Dollar, Budget & Thrifty to name a few....Try reserving one now before you head over here.....I always see a lot of JKU rentals driving all over the road...

[aldaman]

Polihale, the Napali coast (west side) and the Northshore beach by Princeville/Haena have beautiful beaches....

[TXROCK]

Not to worry on the Jeeps for Oahu....there are Plenty of them all over here with all the car rental places right outside the airport lining up Nimitz highway (which is the lower highway with H1 above it running right in front of the airport). What I would do is get the local number to the rental company to make sure they hold a JKU for you.

As for places to go for snorkeling and outings:

1. Turtle bay
2. Sandy Beach
3. Halawia (north shore surf town)
4. Dole Pineapple plantation
5. Ko O'lina lagoons (Disney hotel and Marriot are right there with lagoon 3 being the best one!)
6. For off-roading, there are some trails at the far northeast of the island (Kaena Point north shore access past Dillingham airfield).

[imajeepnut]

Thanks for the replies! I do have a car rented, but I can't seem to get any car rental to "hold" a JKUnlimited for me. I'll see who we rented our car from on Kauai and post that...and when i post the company, would someone happen to have a local number that I could call so I could actually speak to someone at that location? I keep getting a "regional" rep and that is frustrating.

We are planning to go snorkeling and tour the Dole plantation. We are also staying at the Disney resort on Oahu...so I hope that will be fun. I'll research the other locations you mentioned and hopefully we can visit those too.

If you have any other suggestions, I'm all ears .

It would be great to meet some of you when we're visiting. You'll have to give me some good, family oriented places to eat that my girls would enjoy. I'll keep up with this thread while I'm on the island. At least we could have a glass of sweet tea and talk Jeeps for a min or two!!

Since its a Jeep site...I'll try to post some pics of my Jeeps just to keep it fun!!


Thanks again guys...

Jeff

[Munky]

Sounds like a plan, just hit us up when you get here. Im willing to bet we can get a few JKUs to take y'all up there even if you don't have one yourself. My wife said she would be more than happy to be your Guest at Aulani for the day.

[imajeepnut]

We may have to trade you a days Jeep rental for a guest pass at Aulani!!!! .

What is your take on visiting the Pearl Harbor memorial with 2 young Girls? We want to see it, but wondered what time of day would be best with young children...not so young now...8-10.

I'll certainly keep a check here until we leave and also while we're there. I'll try to post those pics tomorrow nite...time to call it a night here...

[TXROCK]

Originally Posted by imajeepnut

We may have to trade you a days Jeep rental for a guest pass at Aulani!!!! .

What is your take on visiting the Pearl Harbor memorial with 2 young Girls? We want to see it, but wondered what time of day would be best with young children...not so young now...8-10.

I'll certainly keep a check here until we leave and also while we're there. I'll try to post those pics tomorrow nite...time to call it a night here...

You will be fine taking them to the memorial and is a must for every red-blooded American to learn about our history!

[Munky]

Originally Posted by imajeepnut

We may have to trade you a days Jeep rental for a guest pass at Aulani!!!! .

What is your take on visiting the Pearl Harbor memorial with 2 young Girls? We want to see it, but wondered what time of day would be best with young children...not so young now...8-10.

I'll certainly keep a check here until we leave and also while we're there. I'll try to post those pics tomorrow nite...time to call it a night here...

They don't actually do guest passes we asked

[Richie Rich]

Aloha Jeff...not sure if I'm responding a little late but if you are going to be staying at Aulani you are going to be really close to some of the uncrowded beaches on the Island. Tracks is a great place to snorkel granted that the south swells are not rolling. If you take Farrington Hwy to the west side you will pass Makaha Beach and wind up at Yokahama Beach (great uncrowded beach).

When you take a drive to the North Shore and grab some shave ice take your girls to Lanikea Beach...they always have Honu's (turtles) on the beach. Don't forget to try the Huli Huli Chicken while you are up there also.

I know that you are probably wanting to check out all the beaches while you are here but while in Kauai I would suggest the drive to Waimea Canyon....amazing scenery and something you would not expect to see in ;-)

Hope you enjoy you vacation!

Originally Posted by imajeepnut

Aloha fellow Hawaii Jeepers!

1. Our family will be visiting Kauai and Oahu in 2 weeks. We would love to rent a 4dr. JK while we are there, but the Big Rental car places can't guarantee a Jeep...much less a 4Dr. Could any of you suggest a reputable place that might rent 4dr. JKs???

2. We will have 6 days on Kauai, and hop over to Oahu for another 6 days. We have 2 girls...ages 9 & 11. Could some of you suggest some outings for us? I would love to see some of the beauty of each island. We want to snorkel...and would like to get off the beaten path for some sight seeing.

Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks for your help!!!

Jeff in GA

[imajeepnut]

We were able to rent a 4-dr JK on Kauai...through Enterprise. Service was pretty good, but the Jeep was filthy. Nonetheless...we were able to get the JK that we wanted so all was good! Kauai was beautiful!!! And...very laid back and slow...wonderful for our family. We took a Capt. Andy's Tour of the Napali coast. We headed up north but time wasn't on our side so we couldn't make it all the way. We stopped at a recommended snorkel site, but the water was dirty from the heavy surf I guess.

We just made it to Oahu today. A big difference between the two islands! Loads more people for sure! Honolulu reminds me of downtown Atlanta...I wasn't expecting that I don't guess. The resort is nice, but crowded and the buffet is $43 per person, ages 10 and up! We're looking for local places to eat now! lol

Hopefully, we can venture out while we're here...and see some of the beauty Oahu has to offer. I'll make it a point to try some of the sites you mentioned Rich. Thanks for offering those for us. Maybe we can post some pics when we get back home. We will have a few I know!

Thanks for all your help!

[TXROCK]

go check out:

1. Dixie Grill restaurant (this saturday is the Oahu Jeepers get together)
2. Ko O'lina lagoons
3. Haliewa (North Shore surf town)
4. Dole Pineapple Plantation
5. Turtle bay

[imajeepnut]

I'd love to make it to the meeting, but we are leaving Thursday. We may still try to visit the restaurant before we go. I'll look it up. I'll also look up those other places too.

I told you I would post some Pics of my Jeeps...so here is the flikr link. Wish I could get my XJ in checked luggage!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/20472512@N02/

[imajeepnut]

Dixie grill was Great! BBQ and turkey, corn, slaw, and Memphis sauce mixed with their Hawaiian BBQ sauce...mmmmmmmm. Thanks for the recommendation! I love what I call "hole-in-the-wall" places like that...because you remember those the best! Once I called and found out that they had sweet tea, it was just a matter of getting there without getting a ticket! lol. I have to admit though...we got a little lost down at that McDonald's with the funky parking lot and no left turns and no exits!! Drove me crazy!!! But once I got out of the parking lot, and shot across the road by Wendy's, GPS took us to the front door.

I didn't get the name of our waiter, but he was a good guy. Teacher by day, and works there part time. I told him that y'all made the recommendation, so maybe you'll get some popcorn when y'all have your meeting Saturday!

Thanks again for the referral...wish I could make Sat. But I'll be back in GA by then...trying to get back to a normal sleep routine!

[aldaman]

Glad you and the family had a great time in the Aloha state

[TXROCK]

Originally Posted by imajeepnut

Dixie grill was Great! BBQ and turkey, corn, slaw, and Memphis sauce mixed with their Hawaiian BBQ sauce...mmmmmmmm. Thanks for the recommendation! I love what I call "hole-in-the-wall" places like that...because you remember those the best! Once I called and found out that they had sweet tea, it was just a matter of getting there without getting a ticket! lol. I have to admit though...we got a little lost down at that McDonald's with the funky parking lot and no left turns and no exits!! Drove me crazy!!! But once I got out of the parking lot, and shot across the road by Wendy's, GPS took us to the front door.

I didn't get the name of our waiter, but he was a good guy. Teacher by day, and works there part time. I told him that y'all made the recommendation, so maybe you'll get some popcorn when y'all have your meeting Saturday!

Thanks again for the referral...wish I could make Sat. But I'll be back in GA by then...trying to get back to a normal sleep routine!

Told ya you would like it! Their sweet tea is ADDICTING! Glad yall had a good time and next trip out we will have to take you for a jeep run to see some of the places you couldnt get to with a rental!

[imajeepnut]

I would love to ride shotgun when we come back. There is so much to see and do, it's impossible to do it all in one trip. If some of you have pics or links to some threads highlighting some of your trail runs...I'd love to know what and where so I can at least read about them. I bet there is some beautiful scenery out on your trails...

How many are in your club?

[TXROCK]

LOTS! Sent you a PM!

[tehiv]

This is a cool thread. I'll be in Maui for 7 nights in January. I may hit you guys up for some local info as we get closer.

[TXROCK]

Originally Posted by tehiv

This is a cool thread. I'll be in Maui for 7 nights in January. I may hit you guys up for some local info as we get closer.

sure thing!

[imajeepnut]

Next trip...I think I'll try to plan a shotgun ride with someone in the club. I'd love for my whole family to be able to go on a mild trail...just to see the island like most "tourists" will never see. Heck...most residents won't see what y'all see when you go out.

I guess we will visit the Dole Plantation tomorrow...Wed., get some pineapples, ice cream, and head back to Aulani for one last swim. Then it's back to reality!