Top 10 Reasons to rent a MINI instead of a Jeep in Honolulu

#1 - You'll Feel Like You're Driving A New Car

When deciding on a rental car for your Hawaiian vacation, there are plenty of vehicle choices. There are also quite a few both national and private rental car companies in Honolulu to choose from. So why rent a convertible MINI from Little Hawaii?

We want you to feel like you're driving a brand new car when you get into one of our MINIs. We spend over a hour washing, vacuuming and detailing your MINI before it is delivered to your hotel. We make sure the fluids are full, the windows are clean, the glove box is empty and the carpets smell like something you actually want to smell. We will 99.99% guarantee you won't get this kind of service with any other car rental company on the island.

The last thing you should have to think about is what the last driver did to make the car smell so bad. Or why our vacuum can't get ALL the previous customer's sand out. Or how you're going to remove those used napkins from the glove compartment with who-knows-what on them.

YOU'RE on vacation. Let us make you feel like it!

Top 10 Reasons to rent a MINI instead of a Jeep in Honolulu

#2 - They Stick To The Curves Like Spandex

There are quite a few drives here on the beautiful island of Oahu that were made to be driven in a MINI (there are a bunch that were made for Jeeps, too, but you're not allowed to drive rental Jeeps on them, so what's the point).

One of the best is located on the south shore of Oahu. When leaving Waikiki, head east on the H-1 and keep following the Kalanianaole Hwy (or K-Hwy) to a little city called Hawaii Kai. Just before you head up the hill to Hanauma Bay, have your co-pilot get the camera out, and check to make sure you're not following a tour bus. The road winds around between the lava rock cliffs and the crashing waves of the Pacific. There are quite a few scenic lookouts along the way, but if you've got no traffic, I recommend just cruising through until you get to Sandy Beach, then turn around and do it again.

But please be cautious. The urge may be overwhelming to throw both your arms into the air and scream like you're on a roller coaster. If you're the co-pilot, make sure the one behind the wheel keeps 'em at 10 and 2.

Top 10 Reasons to rent a MINI instead of a Jeep in Honolulu

#3 - MINIs Have Cool Toggle Switches Like Fighter Jets

Yeah, they looked weird to me at first, too. But now I think they're pretty sleek. They're one of the many interior features you'll find on our MINI rentals that sometimes make you forget you're driving a car.

The shiny, silver toggle switches in our MINI Cooper rentals control the driver and passenger windows and the door locks. On our Cooper S models, there's also one to turn the traction control system on or off. I've even seen pictures of some MINIs online that have switches for lots of other necessities, like rocket boosters, ejection seat and smokescreen. But no need for those things here in Honolulu.

Top 10 Reasons to rent a MINI instead of a Jeep in Honolulu

#4 - MINIs Are Easier To Park Than Jeeps

Parking spaces are an expensive, highly-valued commodity in Waikiki. They're also ridiculously small, just like our MINI Cooper rentals. If you're driving a large or wide vehicle, like an SUV or Jeep, you'll find parking in and around Waikiki and Honolulu to be very difficult. What may be even more difficult is having to deal with door scratches by not-so-careful neighbors.

In most states there are official regulations as to the minimum width and depth of a parking space. Not here. If a parking lot doesn't have enough spaces, we say "no problem, bruddah" and just make them skinnier. It's so much easier than trying to make the lot bigger!

So if I had the choice of parking either a clunky rental Jeep or a sleek, sporty, convertible MINI Cooper with parking sensors, it's a no-brainer.

Top 10 Reasons to rent a MINI instead of a Jeep in Honolulu

#5 - Push One Little Button And The Sun Is All Yours

If you've been on Oahu for at least a few days, you've seen this: a Jeep on the side of the road in the rain with the top half-closed, one passenger is in their seat getting soaked, and the other is trying to figure out how the heck you close the thing (and also getting soaked).

In our convertible MINI Coopers there are no latches or secret tricks, and no voodoo magic or advanced degrees are required. Just two buttons: CLOSE and OPEN. The buttons are so simple they don't even say "close" or "open." They just have a little picture of a closed top and an opened top.

Now THAT's a care free vacation car.

Top 10 Reasons to rent a MINI instead of a Jeep in Honolulu

#6 - MINIs are 49.85% Better Able to Handle Honolulu's Roads

Believe it or not, the beautiful, exotic island of Oahu does have a few imperfections. One of those are the roads. Those of you who have been here know what I'm talking about: narrow, potholed, one-way roads with names too crazy for most visitors to pronounce. Although we at Little Hawaii can't do much about the condition, direction or pronunciation of Hawaii's roads, we can provide you with one of the only rental cars that can flip a U-turn in roads as narrow as 18 feet.

With a turning radius of just 17.4 feet, our MINI Coopers blow away the large, clunky competition's radius of 34.9 feet.

You may ask yourself why small turning radius is such a big deal when considering a rental car in Honolulu. Well, when you get here and make a wrong turn and find out you need to be going the opposite direction, you'll be glad you rented a MINI.

Top 10 Reasons to rent a MINI instead of a Jeep in Honolulu

#7 - Free 24-Hour MINI Roadside Assistance

When you rent a MINI Cooper from Little Hawaii you'll be able to relax. This seems like a necessary thing to do while on vacation, right? You'll be able to relax, because if you accidentally lock the keys in the car, run out of gas or run over an nail, all you have to do is dial the 1-800 number for MINI Roadside Assistance, and they'll come rescue you anywhere on the island. For free. No, we're not kidding. For free. You don't even have to purchase our insurance coverage to receive this excellent service. Here's a sample scenario:

-You drive our convertible Cooper S to the North Shore
-You go to the beach and relax
-You get tan and return to the MINI
-You see the keys on the seat & the doors are locked
-You laugh & say "silly me!"
-You call the 1-800 number for MINI Roadside Assistance
-You go back to the beach for a few minutes until someone comes to unlock the door
-You go out to dinner and have a great rest of the day

No panicking.

No worrying.

No crying.

(and no complaining from your spouse or kids!)

Top 10 Reasons to rent a MINI instead of a Jeep in Honolulu

#8 - We Deliver Your MINI Rental To Your Door

Renting a convertible MINI Cooper for the first time may be one of the more exciting, and easy, things you do on vacation. Not only can you quickly & easily book one of our MINIs directly from our MINI Reservation Website, we'll also deliver it directly to your hotel or vacation rental. We'll give you a call when we're 5 minutes away to give you enough time to roll out of bed, grab your license and mosey on downstairs to the lobby. It only takes a second to sign some forms and then we'll show you a few of the outstanding features of your finely-detailed MINI. I don't know of any Jeep rentals that come with this kind of service.

This means you can be wearing your PJs when you book a rental and when we deliver it to you.

Now that's vacationing.

Top 10 Reasons to rent a MINI instead of a Jeep in Honolulu

#9 - FREE BRAGGING RIGHTS INCLUDED WITH EACH RENTAL

I hear people all the time talking about their last vacation. They talk about the city they visited and how amazing it was, where they ate and how delicious it was, the activities they did and how crazy they were, and even sometimes who they met and how incredible they were.

But rarely do returning vacationers brag about their rental car.

Why? Because usually there's nothing to brag about. Nothing that makes you want to say "OMG, I've got to tell you about this car we rented..." even though half the vacation was spend driving around in it.

At Little Hawaii Car Rental Co., each of our MINI Cooper rentals inherently includes post-vacation bragging rights. You will find it difficult to NOT tell everyone about your amazing cruise through paradise in a MINI. You may even have to exercise a little more self control than you're used to so you don't annoy your listeners.

Top 10 Reasons to rent a MINI instead of a Jeep in Honolulu

#10 - OTHER MINI OWNERS WILL SMILE & WAVE TO YOU.

I drive MINI Coopers all over the Oahu, and everywhere I go I get a friendly wave & a smile from other MINI motorists along the way. Whether I'm driving our hardtop Cooper S to the beach or delivering our convertible chili red Cooper to a rental customer; whether I'm on the freeway, at an intersection, or in a parking lot; or whether I'm parked or driving. Its kind of like the common motorcycle wave, but with cars instead of bikes. Is there any other car in the world whose owners do this?

Now, I'm not to say that Jeep drivers don't wave to each other, but I never see them waving. My brother owns a Jeep, but he doesn't wave at other Jeeps when he's driving.

Feel more loved on Oahu: rent a MINI.

Honolulu: Hotel Renew - an Aqua Elite hotel - Traveler Reviews - Loved Hotel Renew - TripAdvisor

Honolulu: Hotel Renew - an Aqua Elite hotel - Traveler Reviews - Loved Hotel Renew - TripAdvisor

Missy20 and her sister hired our red convertible MINI during their Waikiki vacation and had a blast. They stayed at the newly-renovated Hotel Renew, which is currently offering a great package deal when you rent a MINI. They left a great review of their experience on TripAdvisor.

Check out our MINI rental reviews on Yahoo Local

Thinking of renting an exciting exotic convertible during your next trip to Honolulu? Can't decide on a car yet? We could tell you until we're blue in the face that you'll have the most fun renting a MINI Cooper. But don't take our word for it. Check out our excellent customer reviews on our listing Yahoo Local listing.

Our customers know even better than we do how a "Mini Cooper convertible and the roads of Oahu are a match made in paradise." We'd like to thank our loyal customers for the positive feedback & fantastic photos with a great big MAHALO!

An unexpected tragedy leads to long-awaited upgrade

Many of you have heard of the unfortunate and extremely frequent vehicle break-ins on Oahu, especially in Waikiki and at popular tourist attractions. That's why each time we deliver one of our detailed MINI Coopers to a new rental customer, we caution them to keep valuables either back at the hotel or in the secure trunk of the MINI, out of sight of potential thieves.

Well, on a gloomy day last January we didn't follow these suggestions, which resulted in a broken window and a stolen computer bag (luckily sans computer). So after quite a bit of online research, we decided to go with The North Face Striker sling backpack as our new official company bag.

The striker has everything we need in a bag, and then some: an uber-comfortable shoulder strap with Velcro & clasp closures, elastic cellphone pocket, mesh zippered hip pocket, padded & insulated laptop/lunch compartment, water bladder hook & hose outlet, headphone flap, waterproof nylon fabric, waterproof zippers, side compressions, stitched foam back panel, tons of inside pockets (including one for our tire pressure gauges), and even a built-in safety whistle for the next time I see someone trying to break into a car. And for only 70 bucks, it's a great deal.

(Mini) Wedding of a Lifetime

Last year we were invited by Hawaii Bride & Groom Magazine to take part in a all-expense paid dream wedding giveaway. Two lucky local lovebirds would be chosen by viewers to be flown to Oahu to be pampered, fitted, dined and wed like celebrities. And since celebrities don't usually do what everybody else does, the winners couldn't ride in limos like everybody else does.

Instead they were chauffeured in Mini Coopers!

Since most of our MINIs were rented for the weekend, the MINI of Hawaii dealership pitched in a few brand new convertible MINIs for the occasion. We all had a blast driving from the luxury Hawaii Prince Hotel to the elegant Ocean Crystal Chapel of the Hilton Hawaiian Village, through Waikiki while honking and waving to cheering onlookers, to the Homestead reception in Aina Haina.

To see pics of this incredible event, pick up the latest copy of Hawaii Bride & Groom Magazine, available in stores all around the islands as well as online at www.HawaiiBride.com.

Cruise in on a Boat, Cruise around in a Mini

Few things can ruin a perfect vacation faster than having a disappointing last day. This is especially true for cruise ship passengers who might choose to settle for mediocrity after their ship docks and before their plane taxis.

Diana & Robert understand the importance of an unforgettable last day, so when they found us online while out at sea, they quickly reserved our chili red convertible MINI for their last two days in Hawaii. Having enjoyed a wonderful week-long cruise, they skirted around our tropical paradise reflecting on their memorable activities of the prior week while blissfully soaking in the last few rays of our setting Hawaiian sun.

Now, I ask all our customers to send us pictures of themselves & their rented MINIs, but it seems as though returning to "real life" causes this request to be forgotten. So until I get a pic from Ronald Miller & his wife, I'll liven this post with a pic of a pre-Dr.McDreamy Ronald Miller from the movie Can't Buy Me Love.

Find a Mini Rental anywhere in the world!

The Mini Cooper Rental Portal is the official source for finding Mini Cooper rentals anywhere in the world. Have you ever wanted to rent a Mini on a vacation, but weren't in the mood to call every rental car company in the area to find out who had one? Well, they guys over at MCRP have done all the work for you. Just type in a city anywhere in the world, and if there are Mini rentals there, it will be listed. You can also scroll their list of cities on the left side of the site.

Each Mini rental company's blog post on MCRP lists their contact info, pricing, and available Minis. There are even some posts that have customer reviews and special pricing for MCRP visitors. And don't expect to just read some boring post with a few mundane company specs; MCRP has a few witty, even funny, posts. I actually sat there and searched quite a few cities and just to read what they wrote. It also got me thinking about how I really need to take a vacation back to the mainland.

Obviously, we're listed at the Mini Cooper rental company for Oahu, Hawaii, and appreciate the traffic MCRP has sent us the past few months. We believe they're doing the Mini-lovin' community a huge favor by rescuing vacationers from the doldrums of boring vacation car rentals! Thanks guys.

Free $50 bill offer for BridesClub.com subscribers

For a limited time, valued BridesClub.com subscribers, and their friends & family, will receive a FREE $50 BILL when they either rent a MINI Cooper on Oahu for at least 3 days, or when they purchase MINI rental gift certificates for a 3-day rental. We'll hand you a crisp new $50 bill when we deliver the MINI, or we will send one in the mail if you choose to purchase a gift certificate.

To take advantage of this offer, please call our reservation line at (808) 347-2886 and let us know you're a BridesClub.com subscriber.

Renting MINIs to Rockstars on Oahu

I dropped off our chili red convertible Cooper S to a customer named Jessee last month who wanted to take a a few days & cruise the North Shore. It turns out Jessee is the keyboard player for the band Motion City Soundtrack.They stopped in Oahu to play a show before continuing on to Australia & Japan. He had so much fun driving around the island that a few hours after we picked it up from him, their drummer, Tony, called to rent it for a day. And, of course, he had a blast as well.

MCS has a new single called "This Is For Real" and I'd recommend checking out my favorite track called "Antonia" off their Even If It Kills Me album.

Four Days of Hawaiian Bliss in a MINI

Jerry & Anna had a blast cruising around Oahu in our chili red Cooper Convertible back in January. They had a wonderful time during their stay in Ko'olina (mostly, I think, because of their choice in rental car!). Here's what they said about their tropical experience:

"My wife and I planned the perfect vacation to Oahu. Even though we stayed at a beautiful resort (Marriott Ko Olina), we wanted to see the island from top to bottom. My wife loves Mini's so I thought it would be a great opportunity to try one out. Additionally, we wanted something fun to drive and easy to park.

The sound system in the car was great. It was super clean and completely detailed out. Picking up and dropping off the car was quick and easy. Just like renting from a major chain.

Recommendations:

- If you rent a convertible and your wife has long hair; bring a scarf or a hat.

- We brought along an FM transmitter so we could listen to our favorite tunes from our iPod."

Jerry

Lindon, Utah

Crazy MINI Cooper Ads from around the world

Full Collection of Crazy Mini Ads � Marketallica

I sure enjoy seeing the creative MINI Cooper ads around town here in Honolulu, but they're nothing compared to some of the ads I found on Marketallica's blog in the link above. Check them out for a few good laughs, as well as possibly for some good marketing ideas!

My favorite is the "COPS HIDE HERE" sign. Any of you who have rented a MINI from us here at Little Hawaii Car Rental Co. and have motored around Oahu know we could use a few of those signs. They sure would reduce the cost of vacationing for a few of our old customers!