With calm waters, a country setting, and newly renovated cabins, Pilila’au Army Recreation Center offers one of the most relaxing escapes on Oahu’s west side. In this guest review from retired U.S. Navy submariner and longtime Hawaii resident, Doug Nordman, learn why Pilila’au has become one of his favorite staycation spots, and what you should know before booking a cabin of your own.
My wife and I recently enjoyed our second annual three-night Oahu staycation at the Pilila’au Army Recreation Center’s beach cabins on beautiful Pokai Bay in Waianae.
We’ve lived on Oahu for over 36 years. Waianae is about as country as you can get on Oahu (over an hour away from Waikiki) and we’ve visited Pilila’au’s cabins several times over the decades.
The natural beauty of Pokai Bay has always restored our energy, and Pilila’au has recently overhauled the cabins. If you visited more than a few years ago, then you don’t know the new facility. These days, a visit here is the best it’s ever been.
Here’s everything you need to know to plan your own Pilila’au trip.
About Pilila’au Army Recreation Center
Pilila’au Army Recreation Center (PARC or “Pilila’au”) is “west side” in Waianae on Pokai Bay, one of the most sheltered bays on Oahu where ancient Hawaiians fished for ‘anae (mullet).
In the late 19th century Waianae was a bustling plantation town for Hawaii’s sugar industry, and in WWI Pokai Bay was used by the Army as a training site. During WWII it was an Army rest camp and later a bustling training site for amphibious landings.
These days, the most activity you’ll see in Pokai Bay is an outrigger canoe race or the state’s Junior Lifeguard program. There’s also a couple dozen people fishing off the breakwaters or from kayaks.
The Cabins
Pilila’au has 42 beach cabins spread along the shoreline, only a 30-foot walk to the shorebreak. Options include two small studios (on each side of an optional bunkroom), 36 2-bedroom cabins, and three 3-bedroom floorplans. The DV cabin (Waianae Hale) is also a 2-bedroom floorplan with additional couches that pull out into beds.
We’ve stayed in the 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom versions, and all have been renovated. Pilila’au spent most of 2022-24 overhauling the cabins while preserving their rustic design. Now that the contractor noise is finished, the entire property is very quiet again, except for the occasional shorebreak wave crashing on the sand.
Safety
The entire PARC property is patrolled by active-duty soldiers, the grounds are lighted at night, and we had no security concerns. In fact, some of the cabins displayed a truckload of beach gear and inflatable baby pools on the lanai.
During our stay, I stored my longboard and stand-up paddleboard on our front lanai. We’ve felt very comfortable during all of our stays here.
Eligibility and Reservations
Pokai Bay and the beaches are open to the public (by state law) but the Pilila’au cabins, Beach House 604 restaurant, and parking are limited to patrons with a DoD ID card, including active duty, retirees, family members, and DoD civilians. Veterans with a Veteran Health ID card (VHIC) are also eligible.
The minimum stay is one night, up to a maximum of 21 nights. Those limits are per ID cardholder, so a couple could reserve up to 42 days between two ID cards. After that, they’re asked to take a six-month break before their next reservation. In any case, once you’ve checked in, then you can try to extend your stay, subject to availability.
The 3-bedroom cabins sleep a maximum of six people, and the 2-bedroom cabins sleep a max of four people. The distinguished visitor or “DV” cabin (Waianae Hale) sleeps six. We also suspect that a few families have brought extra futons for the kids. Pets are not authorized in the cabins.
Watch a video tour of our 3-bedroom cabin:
Cabin reservations are accepted up to a year in advance, and many patrons plan far ahead for their annual vacation. However, retired O-6s can only reserve the Waianae Hale cabin up to 30 days in advance.
PARC offers a lodging discount of $10/day to active-duty ranks of E-1 through E-5. For all other patrons, their 2025 nightly rates are:
- 2 BR cabin $175.00
- 3 BR cabin $195.00
- Makai Hale 2BR studio $175.00
- Makai Hale Bunk Room $165.00
- Makai Hale 2 BR + Bunk Room $495.00
- Waianae Hale $245.00
You can reserve rooms at PARC by phone or via e-mail. Their contact info is on their website.
Amenities and Services
The PARC cabins are equipped with most of what you’d expect from a vacation rental. They have air conditioning, ceiling fans, a full kitchen with cookware, and a BBQ grill.
You should provide your own extra coffee filters and trash bags, charcoal for the grill, and beach towels. (Pro tip: remember to bring matches or a lighter for the charcoal.)
In addition to showers in the cabin bathrooms, there are outdoor showers for rinsing off the salt water and sand. Some of the outdoor showers have a hose for longboards. Each cabin has an unshaded lanai with chairs and picnic tables. (Just like my article about the Barbers Point Beach cottages, it’s where I drafted this post!).
There are no dishwashers or washers/dryers in the cabins (except in the Waianae Hale), but there’s a laundromat in the Reservation building.
The bunkroom is a bit unusual. It sleeps two people but has no other facilities— not even a bathroom. It’s the cheapest way to stay at PARC (and there are two public bathrooms next to the Reservation building), but it’s also intended for use with one of the 2-bedroom studios on either side of it.
The Waianae Hale is reserved for the ranks of O-6 and above. It’s a 2-bedroom floorplan with additional pull-out couches to sleep a total of six guests. It’s the only cabin in Pilila’au with its own dishwasher and washer/dryer.
The cabin also has a larger yard with a shade canopy, and the yard is surrounded by a privacy hedge/fence. It’s right behind the office and maintenance buildings, yet still very quiet.
Watch a video of the inside of the Waianae Hale:
Two important notes about WiFi and connectivity:
- There is no WiFi service in the cabins, although the Beach House offers WiFi.
- Cellular service is often spotty due to the hills and valleys of the Waianae terrain. Our cabin #37 had 4-bar LTE service but other areas of the grounds were only 1-2 bars.
PARC recently resumed their gear rental service and offers boogie boards, soft-top surfboards, and beach chairs (view rates on the PARC website). They plan to expand their offerings soon. In the meantime, there are also three surf and bike shops within five miles, and they offer rentals as well as sales. If you’re not a surfer (yet) then you can set up a surf lesson, too.
The on-site restaurant is “The Beach House at 604,” part of a local chain at Oahu’s military facilities. It’s open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, and it also offers a takeout menu.
The Beach House at 604 is right next to the beach with an elevated (covered) lanai, offering a fantastic place to linger over a meal or beverage while watching the bay traffic: surfers, racing canoe practice, kayaks, fishers, an occasional turtle popping up in the shorebreak, and sunsets.
We also recommend the century-old Tamura Super Market (half a mile south of Army Street) for fresh poke, adult beverages, local dishes, and other groceries.
If you need more supplies, Waianae Mall is less than a mile south on Farrington Highway. It includes a Longs Drugs and a laundromat, plus a farmers market on Saturday mornings. Wal-Mart and Costco are 11 miles south in Kapolei. Both are good options for snorkel and beach gear.
A note about surfing Pokai Bay: the closest waves in the bay (especially summertime) break alongside a rock formation. The shallows include the usual coral heads and some urchins. You don’t want to ride your fins into the shorebreak or bounce your feet off the bottom. You will see turtles feeding around the rocks and in the shorebreak, but state law requires staying clear of them.
Getting to PARC
You’re going “all the way westside” to Waianae. You can use the limited public transportation by bus (officially called TheBus but known locally as “Da Bus”) or a pricey rideshare, but the convenient way to explore the area is with a rental car.
If you’re flying Space-A to Hawaii, there is a Sixt kiosk in the passenger terminal. You can also take a shuttle bus off base to the Pearl Harbor Navy Exchange to connect with Da Bus service or a rideshare.
The passenger terminal is a short taxi or Uber to the Honolulu Airport rental car center, or to the Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam rental car franchise on the naval base side. From there it’s a drive of 60-90 minutes to Waianae.
| Search for rental cars at Honolulu International Airport
Rideshare and taxi drivers have base access, but in the past it’s been unpredictably suspended without notice. MilitaryUber drivers may still have base access— if they’re on the app when you’re seeking a ride.
Space A passengers to Kalaeloa (aka Barbers Point) should use a taxi or rideshare to the Avis/Budget rental car franchise at the Hampton Inn & Suites in the Makana Ali’i Shopping Center. From there it’s a 45-minute drive to Pilila’au.
Most visitors arrive at Honolulu International Airport with access to a variety of rental cars, bus service, taxis, and rideshares. It’s 60-90 minutes from there to Waianae, depending on the time of day and traffic.
Pro tip: the entrance to Pilila’au at 85-010 Army Street is hard to find. Army Street is not well marked. It’s between traffic lights, and it’s a left-hand turn off busy northbound Farrington Highway. Use a map app, and after the light at Old Government Road, watch for the Aloha Island Mart on the left. The Pilila’au sign is just north of the Mart’s parking lot, on the north side of Army St.
As you approach Pilila’au’s 24-hour security gate, prepare to show your ID. The Beach House restaurant parking lot is on the left side of the gate, while the Reservations Office is on the right.
Things to See and Do Near PARC
Let’s face a logistics fact: you’re not at Pilila’au to make day trips around the rest of Oahu. You’re here for lots of beach and ocean time, maybe with some local day hiking and tidepooling. Instead of dealing with highway traffic at rush hour, you’ll enjoy the backdrop of the Waianae hills and some of the island’s best sunsets.
Here are a few local highlights.
Petroglyphs
The first wave of ancient Hawaiians is thought to have sailed here from Polynesia in the early 800s. Over the centuries they’ve carved hundreds of petroglyphs into rocks all over the islands, and most of these petroglyphs are still poorly understood.
Pokai Bay has its own symbols that are thought to be at least a thousand years old. In the 1980s they were noted by an Army team of cultural resources experts. They were rediscovered a decade ago when winter storms eroded a large section of the beach sand.
For now, the petroglyphs are uncovered, but in the shorebreak. A couple of them are three feet tall (which is unusual) and may be part of a series of symbols that are now under sand and algae.
At low tide, check the shelf of rock in the shorebreak in front of cabin #11. If the sand has been washed away by the surf, you’ll see at least three faint engravings of human figures. The heads are at the shore and their bodies are in the surf.
It’s easiest to view them from the top of the seawall (from a perspective where they seem to be lying on the beach). If you try to view them on the rocks or from the water, you’ll get tossed around in the shorebreak. Even worse, you might step on a sea urchin.
Ka’ena Point
Ka’ena Point is one of the most remote spots on the island, and you can hike into the nature preserve from its access point a few miles northwest of Waianae.
It’s a 5-mile out-and-back shoreline walk with plenty of rocky and sandy areas to explore. Humans are required to keep away from turtles and monk seals, and no dogs are permitted in the preserve.
If you’re going to explore the tidepools, then be mindful of high tide and the shoreline surge. (It’s no fun to get knocked down and scraped across the lava rocks). Mornings are much calmer and cooler than late afternoons.
Other Local Hikes
If you’re an experienced hiker, the AllTrails app shows several longer and more challenging routes through the Waianae hills. There are generally no facilities (and no water) at the trailheads or along the routes.
Take a day pack with extra water, lots of sunscreen, and maybe a first-aid kit. Cell phone service is spotty in the hills, so make sure you have a map stored on your phone or GPS device.
Waianae Harbor
Consider visiting this small boat harbor for local fishing, snorkeling, and diving charters. (November through February is prime whale watching season.) Whether you’re gazing from the deck or under the water, you’ll see plenty of marine life and scenic coastline. Since you’re in the lee of the tradewinds, the Waianae ocean is a little calmer (especially in summer) than the rest of the waters around the island.
Other Things to Do on Oahu
When planning other parts of your trip, my favorite site for Hawaii visitors is 101ThingsToDo. It has something for everyone: hiking, surfing, museums, current special events, tours, dinner cruises, luaus, live local music, scenic drives, restaurants, and shopping.
Oahu shopping centers may have racks of visitor magazines like “This Week Oahu.” They feature dozens of activities and discounts along with their weekly calendar.
Check both of these resources for more guided tours of Waianae and Ka’ena Point, as well as boat trips out of Waianae Harbor.
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We had a wonderful stay, and we’ve made two more sets of reservations during the next six months. As far as we (retirees) are concerned, this rural cabin glamping is more fun and less crowded than Waikiki. If you’re “slow-traveling” here from the Mainland, PARC will fit right in with your other Hawaii plans.
Note from Poppin’ Smoke: check out Doug’s review of his other favorite Hawaii staycation spot: the Barbers Point Beach Cottages on White Plains Beach.
Author bio: Doug Nordman served 20 years in the submarine force and retired in 2002. He and his spouse were ordered to Pearl Harbor in 1989 and never left. Their daughter was born and raised on Oahu. After her active-duty service, she and her spouse returned to Hawaii to raise their daughter.
Doug’s two generations of family achieved financial independence on a high savings rate while enjoying life all over the world. Doug writes books and blog posts at MilitaryFinancialIndependence.com. You can reach him at NordsNords@Gmail.