Unlike Lanai where we could ride a shuttle to every necessary part of the island, in Moloka’i if you want to explore the island you need to rent a car. 38 miles long and 10 miles wide, there is a lot to see on the island as my husband covered in the post, Molokai, Hawaii Through Our Eyes: Day Trippin’ Around the Island. We worked with Molokai Outdoors to secure our car rental and it was a great experience from start to finish.
From the airport, our driver Elisa from Molokai Outdoors picked us up in a van and explained that the car wasn’t ready quite yet. She drove us to the town of Kaunakakai and was happy to take us to a place to eat, a scenic point, or to our hotel until the car was ready for us. Elisa not only picks up and drops off visitors from the airport, she’s also a guide, a Molokai native, and can tell us many stories of the island!
Quite hungry from our flights from Lanai to Oahu, then Oahu to Molokai, we decided to be dropped off at Molokai Pizza Cafe in Kaunakakai. A little dine-in/take-out family-style restaurant, we were ready to have a staple that reminded us of home! The pizza was really delicious! With the driver on call, we walked through the quaint town of Kaunakakai and explored the shops and purchased some items for our room at the local grocery store. We decided to have Elisa take us a few miles down the road to our hotel, and within an hour our car was delivered to us. 
A white Nissan Xterra was our ride for the 4 days on the island. It was plenty roomy for the two of us, had 4 wheel drive if needed (we didn’t use it), and had proper air conditioning when we needed it. On the last evening of our trip we discovered a screw in our tire. The car came with a pump and patch kit, so we decided to pump air into the flat tire and wait until morning to see what we needed to do. Luckily by morning, the tire was still holding air, we didn’t drive much that day and returned it as we left to get it fixed.
We were able to have Elisa’s cell number throughout our stay and aside from the tire, the car was perfect for our needs!
Not only does Molokai Outdoors deal with car rentals and van service from the airport, but you can look them as they specialize in the following…
-Saint Damien Pilgrimage
-Kaluapapa and Moloka’ Mule Ride
-Scenic Flights and Guided Hikes to Kaluapapa
-Private Charters and Island Tours
-Halawa Valley Waterfall Hike
-Water Activities:
-Kayaking, Snorkeling, Fishing, Kayak Fishing, and Whale Watching
-Equipment Rentals
-Air Travel, Accommodations, and Molokai/Maui Ferry
…much more!
If you get the opportunity to visit Molokai, make Molokai Outdoors your go-to vacation specialists! To find out more, visit their site and social media pages below!
Thanks to the Molokai Visitors Bureau and Molokai Outdoors for our 4 day car rental. Gas was paid by us and all opinions are own.
Thanks for the great advice. I’ve always wanted to go to one of the more remote hawaiian islands
Thanks for the insight on the different Hawiian Islands which islands need a car for proper exploration and which ones are fine to explore without a car.