A few words of advice...

We just returned from our vacation in Waikiki and I want to warn anyone who plans on driving to the Lanikai area. We drove to Kailua one afternoon to look at the beautiful beaches. Many travel books recommended the Lanikai area and their beautiful beach, so we took the extra effort and drove around until we found the beach area. Lanikai is really located in a residential area, so finding a parking spot is not easy. When we did find a parking spot, we locked our car (of course),careful not to have anything of value exposed within the car. As we walked away from the car, we noticed a few young men just hanging around. This gave us a creepy feeling. My husband sort of hung back, walking slowly to the beach, but also not loosing sight of these 2 guys and our car. Well, what do you know, he watched one of the 2 men approach our parked car, walk behind the car, near the trunk, stand there and look around. He saw my husband looking at him and what looked like a change of plans, turned away from our car and walked away from our car. We are almost positive that our car would have been vandalized if we had not been in the area to observe the situation. I hope our feedback helps others who will be on vacation in Hawaii.

A few words of advice...

LaniKai is home to the rich and famous of Hawaii. I have not heard of cars getting vandalized here. However, theft from vehicles is a huge problem everywhere. I noticed you said:

';careful not to have anything of value exposed within the car';

Does that mean you put your stuff of value in the trunk? Unfortunately, people are watching for this and will pop your trunk in one minute.

LaniKai is in my opinion, the most beautiful beach on Oahu. However, as with everywhere in Hawaii, it is imperative that you leave nothing in the car - ANYWHERE!

A few words of advice...

You need to have nothing of value left IN the rental car at all. Just thinking it is not visible, is not sufficient precaution.

Even at home, if I know I am going to leave something in the trunk, I put it there at home or stop well before the detination to do so. I never ever put something in the trunk at a destination where I will leave the car. Not saying OP did, just reiterating the warning above.

Might add with the holidays coming up that is good advise to follow no matter where you are.

All of you are so right. Even if it%26#39;s not a rental car and it%26#39;s just your own car in your own city and state where you reside, you should not leave anything of value in the car. Sad world that we live in. I want to add that we were careful not to leave anything in the car, trunk included. My husband had a backpack and carried everything with him, including our GPS, to the beach. These guys were out to vandalize our car, we feel sure of that. Take a minute to look around as you park your car. I guess the advice would apply to wherever you are and not just Hawaii. This forum is a wonderful way to inform our fellow trip advisor members.

Thanks everyone!

Thanks for sharing your experience and for the heads up. I%26#39;m sure the whole scene was un-nerving and unpleasant and put a damper on being at the beach which must have been disappointing. Wondering though if you found the beach itself as pretty as you had imagined? The reason I ask is because we are planning on going to both Lanikai and Kailua beaces on our trip next summer.

Hi Treepalm, yes, the beaches at Kailua and LaniKai are beautiful. Worth the drive and effort to find. We brought our GPS to locate both beaches, otherwise I think we would have gotten lost and bypassed both areas. We had snorkeled at Hanauma Bay that morning, then drove to Kailua and Lanikai in the afternoon. We didn%26#39;t stay long at either beach (it was already late afternoon and wasn%26#39;t sure how long it would take us to get back to Waikiki)but we are glad we did take a side trip to see both beaches.

I%26#39;m from Oahu and unfortunately there%26#39;s a big problem with car thefts there. It%26#39;s especially bad at the beaches. My mom%26#39;s car was broken into at church and the thief was after a cell phone charger (for a phone from the 90%26#39;s...). This was in a nice Kailua area. Our van has been broken into so many times that for a while the only working lock was on the trunk.

So what is the answer? I know not to leave anything in the car but what if they break into the trunk just to look? Then the car is damaged.

Should you just pop the trunk and make a show of taking things out?

I don%26#39;t know if there is a great answer other than to make it obvious that there%26#39;s nothing in the car. Some people leave the car unlocked so the bad guys can take a look.

We usually lock our car though. i haven%26#39;t had any trouble since the time I put a hawaiian print bag in the trunk while in the Kailua Beach parking lot.

I guess I just say, always keep in mind they%26#39;re watching you. If you make it obvious that you are taking your stuff, you wont be bothered.

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