Pilila'au Army Recreation Center

The recently renovated cabins are comfortable with updated central air conditioning. The layout gives each cabin a nice view of the ocean. Enjoyed watching the sunset and surfers from my porch on Christmas Eve. Friendly staff. The on-site restaurant has good food and Karaoke Mondays there are lit. Reserved parking for each cabin. Outdoor showers in front of each cluster of cabins to rinse off the sand and saltwater. Perfect just chill spot. No wifi wasn't a big deal and encouraged us to disconnect from most tech. Phone service remained strong in the area. No convenience store on site. Stop at nearby Tamura Super Market for munchies.

Pililaau Army Recreation Center (PARC) is located in Pokai Bay and is one of the best beach facilities on the island. According to their website, it captures the essence of "old Hawaii" with beach front property surrounded by rustic farms and homes. After staying here couple of times I have to agree, this property is truly amazing. I am so glad families that have served, currently serve or family members of the military (spouses) get to stay at a beautiful place like this. We stayed in cabin 25 If you plan to swim across beware if you have kids you might want to walk them further down closer to the restaurant as there are less rocks and not as much waves. The rooms are updated with central AC . If this is your first time here remember bugs and roaches are a big thing on the island if you don't stay diligent about cleaning your space then expect them. I took it upon ourselves to take out the trash nightly and ensure the dishes were always washed, Oooo don't leave out food the tiny ants will be all over them. They don't have much amenities so bring your own toiletries (Shampoo, conditioner, lotion etc) they do provide towels, toilet paper, kitchen utensils enough for 6- pots, pans, a fridge, in room safe, trash bags.

- Price: Very affordable if comparing to civilian options. If comparing to other military accommodations, I think White Plains and MCBH has better value in terms of space and privacy when it comes to beach cabins.- Good option if my intention was to never leave Waianae/my cabin. Traffic and food options are a no-go in this area.- We got a renovated cabin and on arrival it was super clean and nice! The beds were very hard tho, and pillows were kind of hard too. Didn't sleep well.- No washer/dryer in cabin but there is laundry on site. One restaurant that has pretty good food and a bar. Cabin had dishes/utensils/pots, but the one time we decided to cook anything (pizza rolls, in the oven) it set the smoke alarm off!? No they were not burning lol. Weird. - 24 hour MP patrol/presence at only entry point. They ask that you wear a wristband at all times while you stay there too?- Cabin felt semi-private. They are all connected on the corners diagonally, so you can still hear noise from the neighbors from the inside. You also see everyone's porch/table area. - Beach is very nice and perfect for swimming! There are tons of turtles in the morning on the jetties, especially the last one all the way to the right by the pavilion.- Staff/Reception are very nice and helpful, 5 stars. Would I stay here again? No. Not that it was bad. But I like White Plains better in terms of access, space, privacy, and things to do. Glad I finally tried this place out. No

Let's just say that all of the Cons were quickly diminished by all of the family memories we made here. Choose your company wisely because it will definitely affect your outlook and your outcome. With that said, I will definitely visit this place again. Aloha!Pros: Amazing beachA/CPots/Pans/Utensils Military Police PatrolBBQ grillRefrigeratorMicrowaveRestaurant on premisesGreat priceCustomer serviceCons: No Wi-FiPossible cockroach/creature visitUncomfortable bedsCar break-insSketchy areaTrafficCustomer service

They recently remolded the cabins. Everything was perfect. Fell asleep with the sound of the ocean waves.

This was the first time I stayed at this cabin. So I didn't know what to expect. I have stayed at the two military base cabins Oahu, White plains and BELLOW's . So my expectations was coming from those two experiences.I first have to say, the customer service and check in was easy and professional. At first we got our dates wrong and they helpful with correcting that four us. There's a lot of stuff that you have to check off when you check in, like you can't check out and ask for your money back for bugs and things like that. I brought my raid spray, I was full aware that there would be bugs for my experience staying at other cabins Driving up to the cabins section, you see sets of cabins stacked in a diagonal from the beach to the parking lot. There's a large grassy area in front of the cabins, a walkway, a beach wall and then the beach. Each cabin has a bench and a barbecue in front of it. The cabins are a few steps away from the beach. But the entrance to the beach is a bit away, unless you don't mind climbing over the rock wall. There's a walkway from the parking lot leading to all the cabins. The cabins also have a wooded patio in front of their cabin. Not much privacy, since the sidewalk goes back-and-forth through the cabins to the parking lot. Saturday evening was really busy, we had people walking back-and-forth, every five minutes. So if you're going for privacy, this is not your cabin. But for a family oriented space, this would be your cabin. Inside the cabins, the cabins are old and a bit dingy, there is no glamour here, but It is workable. I do recall that the cabins was going to be updated a few years ago, like the ones in White Plains. I guess that didn't happen yet. The cabins have two bedrooms. One with a queen size bed and the other with two twin beds. They have a bathroom and shower. They've left plenty of towels, with a bag of extra towels. I would suggest you bring shower shoes, your own soap, shampoo and hand soap and shower shoes. These is a small kitchen, they provide rags and dish soap, But nothing else. Bring your own plastic ware, cookware etc.... They did not provided a coffee machine. I knew this ahead of time, I called and asked. I brought everything but the sugar, so don't forget to bring the sugar for the coffee in the morning.The dining/living room, there is a couch, dining table with two chairs and a TV and a TV stand. There is window air-conditioners in all the rooms. The air-conditioning work quite well, but they are very loud. They have ceiling fans in all the rooms, as well. There is only one TV in the living room and that has Basic cable. They have a ship store on base, but it was closed due to the pandemic. There is a gas station/store right outside the entrance/base that you can get the things you forgot.There is a restaurant, with a beautiful deck, facing the ocean, on the property. They open at 10:30 am through dinner. The restaurant is called 604. They have entertainment on the weekends. They have a bar, with Sport TVs. Service is quick and the food is good. Although there armed Guards at the entrance of the base and The base is patrolled. they suggest that you don't leave anything in your car. The base is pretty small, you can get around by foot . You're allowed two parking spaces. The base is not pet friendly. Check in is at 4pm, the office closes at 6:30pm Check out is 10:30 AM. When I arrived at my cabin I opened everything up and unpacked. I didn't see one sign of insects. So I did not spray. After I left and came back from dinner. My cabin had ants the size of a Mac trucks swarming all over it. The more ants I Killed the more ants came out. Needless to say, it freaked me out, and I did not get much sleep that night. So spray the cabin out as soon as you get there. Whether you see an insect or not. My husband said "they didn't bother him and unless they bite him, he's fine with ants Swarming all over the floor and the walls". And he watched me look like a crazy lady for hours. But You know how God is, he's funny like that. My husband was bitten on the second day. So don't forget to spray the deck, because he got bitten out there. The cabin also has a glass screen door, that leads out to the deck. you can see and hear the ocean from your room. Because I've gone to the other two cabins and have had total different experience, I'm going to rate this cabin a three out of the three cabins For the view, rate my cabin a fourThe access to the beach, I would give a four For cleanliness, I would give it a three The cabin is clean, but a lot of things are old and look dingy, even the blankets are dingy and things like that are easy to replace, these cabins are due for that update. We came here to relax and decompress, and after some good all fashion raid, we did that, So I give the cabin a four

Not the best area. The beach is nice and has a swimmable side and a more suitable surfing side of the bay. (Bigger waves on the surfing side) this is a military post with a public restaurant. You can only park on the base if you have some sort of military ID (if there's room) other wise park in the dirt parking lot to the left of the entrance and walk in just showing your driver's license. Overall this is a fun beach and a phenomenal place to SUP. The area being a bit sketchy is the only downfall!

I have to be honest that the place is great and the rooms are excellent. The beach amis a breath of air. But if you are visiting g the island or use to live here I wouldn't recommend staying here. You will waste your time driving back and forth going everywhere and it is a farrrrrrrrrrrrrr drive . There is one way in and one way out and the traffic is terrible! I made a mistake of staying here. Now if you are from here and want to do a staycation just in the same beach . Then maybe. I'm afraid I cannot recommend this place fro long stay vacation. The cabins are great and the restaurants are great as well . Again, not if you are visiting.

The ambience, experience I loved it here! I am from Waianae and loved this place. I wish we could've stayed longer. Growing up stayed in the Harvey house but it was no longer available. So blessed that I get to make new memories here with my children and grandchildren.

While the views are spectacular and the weather perfect...MWR could be doing a hell of alot more with this place. There is no room cleaning service. They will bring you the towels and sheets, you do the work. There is no place to rent beach equipment, AT ALL. Nearest place is Honolulu, an hr drive. There is no wifi either, notta. Zilch. Nothing. If you need to keep up w work here, you need to go to an Internet cafe, somewhere. The staff are super nice. The villas very clean. The people who come and rent are very friendly. The grounds are upkept nicely. The beaches are clean. The waters are nice, nothing wrong or unsafe with the ocean or beaches. The sea turtles are abundant and everywhere. They have Monk Seals that come close to the beach sometimes. The crabs are bountiful and fun to watch. They have life guards on duty most of the time. If MWR could just step up and put a few more amenities for those of us who travel from the mainland and can't bring all the things for a great beach time....that would be great.