I had not been in Honolulu in nearly twenty years, usually flying directly to outer islands. So I figured I%26#39;d check up on the big city for a few days.
The traffic is horrendous. Waikiki was always congested but now it%26#39;s just gridlock. The only reason I rented a car was to get to the other parts of Oahu, which wasn%26#39;t worth the trouble. I was so ready for the relative peace of Kauai.
So why go to Honolulu at all? Got me.
Traffic mess
I would absolutely not rent a car in Honolulu. If I was there for a week, I would rent a car for a day or two, and head straight out of Honolulu. I would never drive within the city.
Everything in Honolulu is easily accessable on the bus or by taxi, and Waikiki is all pretty much walking distance.
I think it%26#39;s rather unfair of you to judge the whole city based on traffic. Honolulu traffic can be very frustrating, especially during rush hour, however the city has so many wonderful facets to it. The beaches, the history, the museums, the cuisine, the Hawaiian-Polynesian-Pacific cultures. The city is very clean, and overall quite safe, and very family friendly.
Traffic mess
I agree with rob, do not discount a location because of its traffic. If you did then another popular location has even more horrendous traffic, in my mind, Las Vegas.
Having said that Waikiki is very crowded traffic wise. There is no reason to rent a car in Waikiki if you were not going to areas outside of Honolulu. Local people avoid Waikiki because of the traffic and the parking situation.
Hawaii has many different islands, each have their own characteristics. Some people like Oahu because it has both beaches and city life, other people like other islands for their own reasons. If everyone liked Kauai, then there would be no relative peace there, talk about traffic gridlock if Kauai had half as many vistors as Oahu!
I am consistent in my responses to folks asking about renting cars in Waikiki: Rent one for the day/days you need them only. I commute into an area everyday that has lots and lots of tourists and business travelers. I try to remind myself that perhaps that crazy person in front of me is from out of town. One way streets drive me nuts! My point: I think its the same scenario in Waikiki - roads filled with people who don%26#39;t know their way around. It%26#39;s not an issue of being good or bad -- but we should try to minimize the number of cars in the highly impacted areas.
And traffic on Kauai -- the worst traffic I have ever encountered in Hawaii has been along the Coconut Coast. What a mess!
Yes, there was a lot of traffic in Honolulu.That being said, it was no different from any other city that I have been. I was glad I was warned here about the traffic.That is why TA is so useful. I wouldn%26#39;t have thought about it beforehand but it does make sense, it is a city. We rented a car the whole week per Dusty and others. It was defintely the right thing for us. We stayed at the HHV and it really wasn%26#39;t that bad. I drive in Phillie with a lot of one way streets. i have driven in New York, Miami,Vegas and Washinton DC. DC is the worst amd all these cities have pretty good bus systems, but sometimes it is nice to have a car. Driving to Pearl Harbor was so quick with a car. Everyone has different ideas about renting a car, but we saw so much more with the car. We got lost so many times and that really made ourt trip so much more fun. We did listen to the advice and went out from about 9 til 2. We walked down the beach every night to eat. I love Oahu traffic and all!!!
If you do the majority of your driving between 8am %26amp; 3pm you won%26#39;t have any problems driving on Oahu.
When I tour the islands with friends/relatives, I generally leave Waikiki around 8am. I try to get back around 3pm, but it doesn%26#39;t make a lot of difference if you are going toward Honolulu in the afternoon. Almost all the traffic is going out of Honolulu.
I have never seen Waikiki gridlocked except on days when they have parades or some other reason where they close off part of Kalakaua Ave.
Boy, I hope nobody out there planning trips would let themselves be talked out of visiting one of the most beautiful islands in the world because it%26#39;s largest city has rush-hour traffic! Honolulu/Waikiki traffic is pretty bad around the two rush-hours, but other than that, it is not all that bad. Coming from the Long Island / NYC area, the Oahu traffic was NOTHING! And as for the %26#39;relative peace of Kauai%26#39;, try driving through Lihue, (which you have to because there is only one road around the island), around 7:30am or 5:00pm if you want a taste of some good ole%26#39; gridlock.
Aloha,
Why go with the flow? There is more than one way to enter Waikiki: try using Kapahulu or McCully instead of Ala Moana or Kalakaua. If all else fails, pull over and check to view at the beach. If you want wide open roads, try staying outside of Waikiki: Kahala Mandrian, Ko%26#39;olina and the Turtle Bay hotels are good spots.
Okay, maybe I%26#39;m weird, but this topic brings back fond memories of driving in Honolulu. Once my wife reminded me we were on vacation and we got rid of our watches, we focused on the journey and not the destination. We didn%26#39;t have to be anywhere at any specific time, so what was the rush? If there is any place I can be content going 15 mph, it%26#39;s the H-1 :)
Open the windows, turn on some Hawaiian music and soak it all in. Looking out my office window at a frozen Lake Superior and all this snow, I truly miss that.
Lee
All islands are different and not for everyone.
I agree with everyone else. I was there with my sister about 3yrs ago and traffic was pretty messy BUT we rented a car and loved it! I never spoke of the traffic (until now :) :) What I couldn%26#39;t stop talking about was the beauty of the island AND when I was to return. Your on vacation and what you do have is time---if for some reason the traffic does get to you--then take a bus or taxi the next day just to take a break from driving. Other than that--no complaints!! and no negativity for US traveling to the beautiful island--I will be there in exactly 5wks! YIPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
I went to visit my sister when she was having her baby (last minute thing) and didn%26#39;t take no hubby or kids :( :( BUT I kept saying for the last 3yrs one day I will the whole family to see Hawaii--just you wait! and low and behold here we come!!!!!!
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