Rent a Car in Maui

Maui is an island built around distance, not density. Kahului, where nearly every flight lands, is a working town rather than a resort — the beaches, resorts and trailheads that people actually come for are spread across the coastline, and Maui Bus, the only public transit option, runs limited routes on a schedule that doesn't fit a vacation itinerary. A hire car is effectively required: it's the only way to string together the west-side resorts of Ka'anapali and Lahaina, the south-side beaches of Wailea and Kihei, and inland Upcountry in a single trip.

The island's two signature drives make the case on their own. The Road to Hana runs about 84 km along Maui's northeast coast, with roughly 600 curves and 59 one-lane bridges past waterfalls and black-sand beaches — it's a full-day trip that only works with your own car and your own schedule for stops. Haleakala National Park, home to the dormant volcano's 3,000-metre summit, is about an hour and a half from Kahului and is popular for sunrise, which means arriving well before dawn on roads with no other way to get there.