Hawaii Surf Campers — Attraction in Oʻahu

Worst experience and completely unsafe!

We rented a Kombi for 4 nights for a milestone birthday and couldnt have been more disappointed. The Kombi itself was in shocking condition (see photos) a budget reno with peeling vinyl overtop of rust and cheap plastic fittings that were already broken.

drivers side window didnt work, we were told this on pick up the passenger door didnt open, when we contacted Tanner we were told to use excessive force with our shoulder, when this didnt work he attended and "fixed" the door but it was still hard to open and unable to be unlocked with the key the window winder handles broke straight away due to very low quality plastic materials the door handle on the inside was already off, although we politely pointed out the screws were affixed to loose vinyl Audrey commented we could be charged but then agreed this was clearly broken and removed it from the return paperwork there was a 'user misuse' blame culture on every obvious defect the sliding door was impossible to lock as the lock needed replacing (Audrey tried several times when we returned it and couldnt lock it) this meant we couldnt use the back of the camper at all WORST of all the car needed a wheel alignment and drifted dangerously to the right especially at speed, the steering box was busted and it was near impossible to keep the Kombi straight on the road gear stick knob was broken radio didnt work at all for the entire duration of the hire we own 3 kombis (including the model rented) and have done so for 20 years so we know how quirky vintage cars are but this was exceptionally poor condition with cheap plastic materials, we've never had any issues with our kombis like this the driver for the trip is a mechanic and was shocked the car had been deemed roadworthy with the obvious way they had tightened the steering wheel but not replaced the obviously worn steering box

When we made contact Tanner was aware of all these defects despite still charging full price.

When we provided this feedback to the owner Lucas he was reluctant to accept any fault and when he finally conceded to the facts (photos, text exchange with his staff) we were offered a token $100 after our travel agent spent 2 months back and forth as she was so shocked at the lack of quality and customer experience and felt something...

Professional, courteous, and extremely hospitable.

Why see Hawaii in a camper van? The freedom to go wherever you'd like, but more importantly stay wherever you like, whenever you like, is a feeling better than any 5-star resort could provide. I say this having left the Ritz Carlton in Maui en route to our camper van in Oahu.

Why Hawaii Surf Campers? Each VW van has its own personality and is cared for and maintained extremely well. Saying goodbye to our van "Cocoon" (we called her Coco), was as hard as leaving Hawaii itself. The looks and waves you get driving her around make you feel even more welcome and definitely tricked everyone into thinking I was somewhat cool- it was a good feeling and a lie that I was happy to go along with.

You may have reliability concerns about driving a 50-year-old vintage vehicle around Oahu- we had a minor mechanical problem (our fault). One phone call and then within 15 minutes two mechanics showed up. We went across the street for a cup of coffee and then we heard Coco start up before we got our order.

The airline lost our luggage on arrival and our driver waited patiently for us at the airport, well over an hour before the airline could verify it was lost. Rest assured, Hawaii Surf Campers has your back from the time you step off the plane until you're getting back on.

If there was a rating above 5 stars they would earn it, no question. I rarely like to do the same vacation twice, but I would do another Hawaii trip with Hawaii Surf Campers...

Strongly recommended if you’re looking for more ventures experience to do in Oahu! (Surfing, food hunting, hiking, snorkelling, camping etc.) It is our first time in Hawaii and we are very grateful to have Lucas and Tanner being super welcoming and helpful!

Having our hotel on wheels has been wonderful and let us be able to explore the whole island much more than we thought! We had Vegas Baby for 6 nights stayed around the few spots that have been shared in Lucas’ digital map during Christmas and we absolutely love it! It was very thoughtful & lovely that Tanner even offered & provide us a “life saver” wifi router without charge throughout the whole journey as our overseas roaming coverage wasn’t that great, it was great with navigation & some insta/ facebook updates! ;)

The team has been real great assisting us with any questions in their super responsive manner even before our arrival from NZ, especially when it was Christmas eves & the roadside assistance were unable to provide any service but we had Lucas came to us in person & solve our van issue in seconds! Outstanding service and we really appreciate that Lucas also gave us a free ride up north shore with all the bags to our next Airbnb once we dropped off the van!

Thank you again for the cool van! Classic & we really enjoy having such experience from your team! Keep up with the engines & I’m sure we’ll be back for...