How to get to MOC? - rental car always?

[catharsis]

I'm arriving late(ish) in OGG airport after travelling all the way from Europe so will be quite tired, and we are staying at MOC that night.

Should I get a rental car at the airport or are there cheap transfer options?

I'm presuming I will need a rental during the stay in any case so should I get one straightaway or can I organise one fairly easily in the MOC area without paying way over the odds?

 

[TXTortoise]

I know Hertz, and I assume the others, are open to 11:30PM. Pretty painless transition, and even easier if Hertz Gold member. Need to book one or more reservations soon and track rates as your date gets nearer.

Looks like the shuttle is about the same as a rental day rate, so if you're most likely going to need a car, I'd get it that night and be done with it. About 45min from airport to MOC...late evening.

http://mauiairporttaxi--shuttle.com...niX5jsOsgQstmRrAzU8NpItYeqbIGLsbF1RoCRw_w_wcB

 

[Luanne]

I agree. Pick up your car the night you arrive.

Avis, Budget, Alamo and Enterprise are all open until 11:00 p.m.

 

[taffy19]

I agree. Pick up your car the night you arrive.

Avis, Budget, Alamo and Enterprise are all open until 11:00 p.m.

It depends if they are coming from Great Britain where they drive on the left side of the road. This couple may be extremely tired when they arrive so it may not be that safe to switch to right hand driving late at night when it is dark, IMO.

Shuttle transportation is really not that expensive because I just looked it up. I will try to attach the Shuttle companies here, if it works. I finally learned how to do this.

 

[taffy19]

I still didn't do this right. Can someone please explain how to upload a file. Thank you in advance.

PS. I got it resolved.

 

[TXTortoise]

Good point and that actually looks pretty good. ;-)

 

[taffy19]

Deleted.

 

[Fredward]

On our last visit to Maui, we left Pennsylvania early in the morning, had two plane changes and finally arrived in Hawaii around 10 PM Hawaii time. (Our first class FF flights were changed by the airline and that was our only available option- we certainly wouldn't have planned it that way.) That was 4 AM EST for us. We stayed near the airport that night, rather than waste a day's stay at MOC. We were so grateful to get picked up by the Courtyard's courtesy shuttle and be driven 2 minutes away before we collapsed. I would not have been patient enough to wait in line at any of the rental car counters at that point, or to drive out to MOC. Yes, its great to already have the rental car that next day but if when there is a shuttle service available- it definitely is a safer option.

 

[DeniseM]

The Courtyard gets my vote too. Please be aware that there are no other decent hotels in that area. There rest of them are old, locally owned, mom and pop motels.

 

[Luanne]

It depends if they are coming from Great Britain where they drive on the left side of the road. This couple may be extremely tired when they arrive so it may not be that safe to switch to right hand driving late at night when it is dark, IMO.

They said they were coming from Europe, not specifically Great Britain. It also wasn't clear to me if that is where they live, or just where they were traveling from.

 

[taffy19]

I don't know either, Luanne, when they are arriving.

The Courtyard may be a better idea as was recommended here rather than trying to go by shuttle and try to find a car the next morning. I know that you can rent a car at the MOC or even at the airport close to the resort too but I have no idea if the prices are much higher or not.

Didn't you use to rent through Discount Hawaii Car Rental in the past? Don't they come and pick you up anywhere? Do you still use them?

It is a pity that they will lose the first night at the MOC. We arrived late one year and nothing was open at the MOC or on the beach path either at the other hotels but our flight was much shorter than from Europe so we weren't that tired and wanted to do something still. It is safe to walk the beach path at night because it is well-lit and there is security too but it certainly isn't Honolulu that never sleeps.

There are times that there isn't a single car on the lot so we had to wait until one came in. This was during spring break so it really depends on when they are arriving.

 

[TXTortoise]

I love a good detective story..

From another thread it looks like they are arriving day prior to the start of his week, so the La Quinta solution and rental pick-up the next day would be perfect...

Catharsis/7 Aug >>>>I've an upcoming exchange into MOC via II, we'll be arriving late into OGG after 2 days travel so won't much care where we sleep at that point ! the exchange starts the following day, and is supposedly booked into an OV MMO.

 

[Luanne]

Emmy, no we never rented from Discount Hawaii. But they are just a middle man. The rental would be through one of the regular agencies. I doubt they would do a pick up.

 

[taffy19]

I love a good detective story..

From another thread it looks like they are arriving day prior to the start of his week, so the La Quinta solution and rental pick-up the next day would be perfect...

Catharsis/7 Aug >>>>I've an upcoming exchange into MOC via II, we'll be arriving late into OGG after 2 days travel so won't much care where we sleep at that point ! the exchange starts the following day, and is supposedly booked into an OV MMO.

I found the thread so they must be on their way.

 

[taffy19]

Emmy, no we never rented from Discount Hawaii. But they are just a middle man. The rental would be through one of the regular agencies. I doubt they would do a pick up.

You used to use a different rental company and other TUGgers too but I don't remember the name. We still use Costco or Alamo direct.

 

[Luanne]

You used to use a different rental company and other TUGgers too but I don't remember the name. We still use Costco or Alamo direct.

Not me. I used to book directly with the rental car company, usually Avis, until I started using Costco and now AutoSlash.

 

[drlee]

For us, we usually stay at Courtyard the day before our MOC reservation. Then their shuttle drops us off at the car rental location the following morning, and we pick up our car. Then a trip to Costco or Walmart before we head out to the resort, arriving about 2pm or so. If we're lucky our room will be ready, if not only a short wait for it, and we can get lunch or a cocktail while waiting. Then either that day or the next, we can drop the car off at the Kaanapali airport, who will shuttle us back to the resort. Depending on the length of our stay we may rent another vehicle for a day or two if we need to get into Kahalui, otherwise the bus gets us to Lahaina or Cannary Mall.

 

[NboroGirl]

On our recent trip earlier this month, our friends wanted to stay an extra day decided to rent a car for that day after we returned home (and returned the rental we'd been sharing). They thought it would be easier to rent at Kapalua airport, since it's so close, but it would have been much more expensive, so they rode to OGG with us where they picked up their car from Hertz. I know this doesn't really help the OP with their question, but I wanted to toss it out there that if they plan to rent a car for their stay, waiting to do it until after they check in might mean paying a lot more. It's best to get it from the OGG airport in Kahului, even if that means staying overnight at the Courtyard.

 

[catharsis]

Excellent detective work by all hands !

we haven't quite left yet but are coming from a place where we drive on the other side of the road but which isn't the UK, and is in Europe (I'll let the detectives keep going!) Driving on the other side is not an issue for me - but we will be seriously out of our time zone and jetlagged (which is the concern when driving at night on 2 lane highways in a rental car).

My initial plan was absolutely to stay in the courtyard but when an OV 1 bedroom became available through points I had to grab it, as that would secure the 'book the same view with points hoping that my II exchange will stay OV' strategy I was attempting.

I will update with views from the balcony on night 2 to let you all know if that approach succeeded but the signs are promising.

thanks taffy19 for your work in securing and uploading the quotes for a shuttle.

thanks nboroGirl - that is precisely the sort of real world experience I thought i would get on TUG, as I was considering the approach set out by driee.

It is worth noting that a little internet research is actually giving me cheaper prices ex-JHM than ex-OGG for the rental, but I'm flying into and out of OGG, so I think if we do drive as opposed to using a shuttle we'll just keep the car.

 

[Luanne]

It is worth noting that a little internet research is actually giving me cheaper prices ex-JHM than ex-OGG for the rental, but I'm flying into and out of OGG, so I think if we do drive as opposed to using a shuttle we'll just keep the car.

Kind regards

Colm

I would vote for keeping the car for your entire stay because it gives you so much more flexibility.

 

[DeniseM]

You absolutely need a car. There is so much to see on Maui - you don't want to just sit at the resort and tours are expensive.

To travel from the airport to Kaanapali, you drive across the island and much of it will be dark. If I were you, I would study a map and the topography online before you even leave home, so you are comfortable and familiar with the drive.

 

[StevenTing]

Get the car. It's about a 40 minute drive from the Airport to the resort but it's a beautiful drive. I just think of the shuttle cost for 2 people round trip and you're like $200-$300 just for that. Rental car prices tend to be higher on Maui than compared to Oahu or Kauai.

 

[DeniseM]

They will be driving in the dark - so there won't be much to see.

 

[BigMac]

Ireland with his name "Colm"

 

[catharsis]

... and we have a winner....