Kauai car rental

[KevinB]

Anyone traveling to Kauai around late June or July, heads up !
I had a jeep rented for the week of June 30-July 7. My previous best price for a 4DR was $359.99 as a base price. As of yesterday it was $206. Big savings !!

 

[KevinB]

Sorry, I neglected to mention this was thru DiscountHawaiiCarRental.com

 

[DaveNV]

Heck of a deal! I see a 2-door Wrangler is $179 base price. Excellent deal!

My recommendation is if you're going to rent through Budget in Lihue, make sure you are a Fast Break member ahead of time, and that your Fast Break number is on the reservation. I'm on Kauai right now, and two days ago at the Budget counter I beat out about 50 people waiting in line to get their cars because I was a Fast Break member. It will save you a LOT of time.

The regular line was out the door and into the parking lot. I got in the Fast Break line, and I was third to pick up my car. It was very, very fast.

Dave

 

[LAX Mom]

Good suggestion on Fast Break. I have a number, but I always forget to use it when I make a reservation. Thanks, Dave!

Kevin, that's a great savings. Always pays to check as you are closer to your travel dates. Thanks!

 

[KevinB]

Thank You ! I appreciate the suggestion, I'm Going to do that.

I'm very curious to see how the roads up near Hanalei are. Haven't been to Kauai since March 2015.

 

[canesfan]

Thanks! It’s a huge savings for me, I was previously $442.


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[DaveNV]

Thank You ! I appreciate the suggestion, I'm Going to do that.

I'm very curious to see how the roads up near Hanalei are. Haven't been to Kauai since March 2015.

I’m in Hanalei town right now. Roads are fine up to this far. Haven’t gone further yet. The one-lane bridge is fine.

Dave

 

[DavidnRobin]

I’m in Hanalei town right now. Roads are fine up to this far. Haven’t gone further yet. The one-lane bridge is fine.

Dave

Google maps has the road north of Hanalei as closed. Running convoys only for locals.
There is a number you can call that has recorded info - daily.
‭(808) 241-1725‬

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[DaveNV]

So as of today, Monday the 28th, the status is that the road past Hanalei is closed to all except Local Traffic at the school just past the green church. Everything up to that point is normal. If you didn't know there had been a problem, you wouldn't know there had been a problem. (I did not try going down to any of the beaches on the way. If those roads are closed, there is no indication of that along the main highway.) It appears all businesses in Hanalei are open and working normally.

Exception is the access to the Hanalei Pier. The road leading to the Pier parking area is blocked to all except Local Traffic. Parking is at the Pavilion, and you have to walk, if you want to access the Pier itself. You have to walk along the beach to get there. It was pouring torrential rain, so I didn't get out of the car to test that out. But there were a lot of cars parked at the Pavilion.

Dave

 

[geist1223]

Through same company I got a car on Maui for 2 weeks in August for $538 for the 2 the weeks.I keep checking to see if it goes lower.

 

[lizap]

Heck of a deal! I see a 2-door Wrangler is $179 base price. Excellent deal!

My recommendation is if you're going to rent through Budget in Lihue, make sure you are a Fast Break member ahead of time, and that your Fast break number is on the reservation. I'm on Kauai right now, and two days ago at the Budget counter I beat out about 50 people waiting in line to get their cars because I was a Fast Break member. It will save you a LOT of time.

The regular line was out the door and into the parking lot. I got in the Fast Break line, and I was third to pick up my car. It was very, very fast.

Dave

Second this. We rented in Maui and being a Fastbreak member saved us gobs of time.

 

[DaveNV]

If your reservation doesn't include your Fast Break number, send a message to Discount Hawaii Car Rental, and ask if they can ask Budget to add your Fast Break number to the existing reservation. They did that for me, and it was easy. Only took a few minutes.

Dave

 

[KevinB]

I got my Fastbreak # yesterday. Thanks again Dave ! I'm planning on adding my # to my reservation for Maui and Kauai later today.

I haven't gotten a jeep for that low a price in 18 years of traveling to Hawaii

 

[DaveNV]

I got my Fastbreak # yesterday. Thanks again Dave ! I'm planning on adding my # to my reservation for Maui and Kauai later today.

I haven't gotten a jeep for that low a price in 18 years of traveling to Hawaii

Happy to help. And I know you'll enjoy yourself here. Kauai is a great place to play. Keep checking your reservation to see if the rate goes even lower. You may be surprised what you'll get. Between DHCR and Costco, you can usually always find a great deal.

I didn't use Budget last week on Maui (I used Thrifty, whose Blue Chip program works the same way. Join that one, too.) When you get to the Budget counter on Kauai, on the left end is an overhead sign that says Fast Break. Go there, or get in the line going there. On the counter will be a plexiglass page holder with a list of Fast Break reservations for that day. Make sure your name is on that list. If it is, just mention to the agent you're on their list, and they can pull things for you right away. They'll hand you your keys, and tell you which stall number to find your Jeep. It's just that simple.

Good luck, and have fun!

Dave

 

[KevinB]

Interesting, DiscountHawaiiCarRental.com told me if they added the Fastbreak # it would change the price, so I declined. Called Budget customer service and was told the same thing, again declined. Went to Budget.com, signed in using my Fastbreak #, made a new reservation and got the same $206 rate that I had, only this time my Fastbreak # is attached ! Cancelled my original reservation. Wacky !!

 

[DaveNV]

Interesting, DiscountHawaiiCarRental.com told me if they added the Fastbreak # it would change the price, so I declined. Called Budget customer service and was told the same thing, again declined. Went to Budget.com, signed in using my Fastbreak #, made a new reservation and got the same $206 rate that I had, only this time my Fastbreak # is attached ! Cancelled my original reservation. Wacky !!

This may be a new wrinkle to things. Good that you were able to get the same rate, plus have your Fast Break number in the reservation. The other day when I was in line to pick up my car in Lihue, the woman behind me in line was on her cell phone to Budget, trying to confirm whether her Fast Break number was on her reservation. She was told it wasn't, and if they added it, the rate would change to that day's rates. She was livid, since she says she KNEW she had put her number in the initial reservation. (I personally doubt that, since it'd be on the Confirmation they send out.) One of the Lihue Budget staff took her aside to try and work it out. Not sure how it all ended. But further evidence to make sure your Fast Break number gets on the original reservation!

Dave

 

[Lydlady]

Interesting, DiscountHawaiiCarRental.com told me if they added the Fastbreak # it would change the price, so I declined. Called Budget customer service and was told the same thing, again declined. Went to Budget.com, signed in using my Fastbreak #, made a new reservation and got the same $206 rate that I had, only this time my Fastbreak # is attached ! Cancelled my original reservation. Wacky !!

Good to know. I was told the same by DiscountHawaiiCarRental but hadn't gotten through to Budget yet. Guess I'll do the same and try making a new reservation with my Fastbreak number.

 

[Blues]

Anyone traveling to Kauai around late June or July, heads up !
I had a jeep rented for the week of June 30-July 7. My previous best price for a 4DR was $359.99 as a base price. As of yesterday it was $206. Big savings !!

I'll be on Kauai the same week. Had reservations through discounthawaiicarrental. But in the last couple of days, costcotravel has beaten their prices. I now have an intermediate SUV rented for 6 days for $288, which is miles better than it was just a week ago. Discounthawaii is considerably more.

Google maps has the road north of Hanalei as closed. Running convoys only for locals.
There is a number you can call that has recorded info - daily.
‭(808) 241-1725‬
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Google maps is showing the area of 560 just past Hanalei Beach will reopen June 23, and the part further west, towards Tunnel Beach, to reopen June 1. I hope they're right!

 

[brianfox]

I have a 3 week stay in Kauai coming up in early July.
In October of last year I made two reservations:
Standard SUV for $1225
Premium class car for $1161

Just checked and Costco is > $2000 for each today, as is DiscountHawaiiCarRental.

Although I used to swear by places like DiscountHawaiiCarRental, Costco has a huge leg up in that they include a second driver free of charge. Hawaii is one of those states where most rental companies charge you upwards of $10-20 per day for a spouse driver.

 

[DavidnRobin]

I'll be on Kauai the same week. Had reservations through discounthawaiicarrental. But in the last couple of days, costcotravel has beaten their prices. I now have an intermediate SUV rented for 6 days for $288, which is miles better than it was just a week ago. Discounthawaii is considerably more.



Google maps is showing the area of 560 just past Hanalei Beach will reopen June 23, and the part further west, towards Tunnel Beach, to reopen June 1. I hope they're right!

The road beyond Waipa bridge opening (June 23) negates ability to get to Tunnels (June 1) since you have to get across the Waipa bridge to get to Tunnels area - not sure if I trust Google Maps here.
Regardless, looks like we are out of luck - we leave WPORV June 22


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[Lydlady]

Wow, just tried adding my Fast Break # and booking through Budget. My rate is quite a bit higher for the same vehicle that I booked through DiscountHawaii CR. Sheesh, that Fast Break # doesn't appear to be a good thing. I can rent a Jeep Wrangler for about $50 more than an Intermediate vehicle through DiscountHawaii. I'm not a Costco member so can't use that. Might consider it for future trips.

 

[DaveNV]

Wow, just tried adding my Fast Break # and booking through Budget. My rate is quite a bit higher for the same vehicle that I booked through DiscountHawaii CR. Sheesh, that Fast Break # doesn't appear to be a good thing. I can rent a Jeep Wrangler for about $50 more than an Intermediate vehicle through DiscountHawaii. I'm not a Costco member so can't use that. Might consider it for future trips.

Not sure what changed. Kevin said he was able to rebook his time and added his Fast Break number for the same rates he'd gotten before. But as others have said, when trying to add a FB number to an existing reservation tripped the rates to whatever they are for today. Can you try making a new booking through DHCR, and including the FB number with that? There should be a way to do it.

The main thing Fast Break does for you is saves you a lot of time in line at the pickup counter. It may not work for this current reservation you're planning, but don't forget to add it for future bookings. It doesn't hurt anything to have it there, and it could save you a lot of hassle.

Dave

 

[Blues]

The road beyond Waipa bridge opening (June 23) negates ability to get to Tunnels (June 1) since you have to get across the Waipa bridge to get to Tunnels area - not sure if I trust Google Maps here.
Regardless, looks like we are out of luck - we leave WPORV June 22

Not sure I understand this comment? We'll be there June 30, so it all should be open. Right?

 

[LisaH]

The road beyond Waipa bridge opening (June 23) negates ability to get to Tunnels (June 1) since you have to get across the Waipa bridge to get to Tunnels area - not sure if I trust Google Maps here.
Regardless, looks like we are out of luck - we leave WPORV June 22.

Not sure I understand this comment? We'll be there June 30, so it all should be open. Right?

I noticed the same closure/opening dates on Google Map and ask the locals on TripAdvisor. The general consensus is no way in hell the road will open on Jun 23. Still hoping that Google knows better than the locals as we arrive on Jun 24.

 

[LisaH]

I now have both an Intermiate SUV and a 4 door Jeep reserved, thanks to the above posts! Not sure which one I will get eventually though. Does the Jeep consume significant more gas than a mid size SUV?