Frommer's Kauai - Jeanette Foster [42]
Motorcycle Rentals
The best place to find a customized, cherried-out motorcycle is Kauai Harley Davidson, located near Nawiliwili Harbor, 3-1866 Kaumualii Hwy, Lihue ( 87 7/212-9253 or 80 8/241-7020; www.kauaimotorcycle.com), which has Harleys from $139/day.
Other Transportation Options
Kauai Taxi Company ( 80 8/246-9554;www.kauai.gov) offers taxi, limousine, and airport shuttle service. Kauai Bus ( 80 8/241-6417) operates a fleet of 15 buses that serve the entire island. Taking the bus may be practical for day trips if you know your way around the island, but you can’t take anything larger than a shopping bag aboard, and the buses don’t stop at any of the resort areas. However, they do serve more than a dozen coastal towns from Kekaha, on the southwest shore, all the way to Hanalei. Buses run more or less hourly from 5:30am to 6pm. The fare ranges from 50¢ for shuttle service to $1.50 for main line service.
4 Money & Costs
Frommer’s lists exact prices in the local currency (in Hawaii, it’s the U.S. dollar). The currency conversions quoted below were correct at press time. However, rates fluctuate, so before departing consult a currency exchange website such as www.oanda.com/convert/classic to check up-to-the-minute rates.
ATMS
Hawaii pioneered the use of ATMs more than 3 decades ago, and now they’re everywhere. You’ll find them at most banks, in supermarkets, at Long’s Drugs, and in most resorts and shopping centers. Cirrus ( 80 0/424-7787;www.mastercard.com) and PLUS ( 80 0/843-7587;www.visa.com) are the two most popular networks; check the back of your ATM card to see which network your bank belongs to (most banks belong to both these days).
Dear Visa: I’m Off to Kapaa, Koloa & Kilauea!
Some credit card companies recommend that you notify them of any impending trip so that they don’t become suspicious when the card is used numerous times in an exotic destination and your charges are blocked. Even if you don’t call your credit card company in advance, you can always call the card’s toll-free emergency number (see “Fast Facts: Kauai” in chapter 11) if a charge is refused—a good reason to carry the phone number with you. But perhaps the most important advice is to carry more than one card on your trip; if one card doesn’t work for any number of reasons, you’ll have a backup card just in case.
CREDIT CARDS & DEBIT CARDS
Credit cards are the most widely used form of payment in the United States: Visa (Barclaycard in Britain), MasterCard (EuroCard in Europe, Access in Britain, Chargex in Canada), American Express, Diners Club, and Discover. They also provide a convenient record of all your expenses, and offer relatively good exchange rates. You can withdraw cash advances from your credit cards at banks or ATMs, but high fees make credit-card cash advances a pricey way to get cash.
It’s highly recommended that you travel with at least one major credit card. You must have a credit card to rent a car, and hotels and airlines usually require a credit card imprint as a deposit against expenses.
Credit cards are accepted all over the island. They’re a safe way to carry money and they provide a convenient record of all your expenses. You can also withdraw cash advances from your credit cards at banks or ATMs, provided you know your PIN (personal identification number). If you’ve forgotten yours, or didn’t even know you had one, call the phone number on the back of your credit card and ask the bank to send it to you. It usually takes 5 to 7 business days, though some banks will provide the number over the phone if you tell them your mother’s maiden name or some other personal information. Still, be sure to keep some cash on hand for that rare occasion when a restaurant or small shop doesn’t take plastic.
ATM cards