From the Archives – Lesser Known Military Resorts
We’ve been writing this blog for about three and a half years now. Realizing that many of you have not been reading us that long, I thought I would dredge up some of our older posts that are still timely. Hope you enjoy!
Most military members are aware of at least some of the military-run resorts that are set up to offer military families as first-class hotel at a discounted rate. The four resorts are:
Shades of Green at Disneyworld
Hale Koa in Waikiki, HI
Dragon Hill Lodge in Seoul, Korea
Edelweiss in Garmisch, Germany (the German Alps)
All of these are fantastic to stay at, I particularly enjoyed staying at Edelweiss during my first R&R from Iraq.
However, there are several lesser known military resorts that I find many people are totally unaware of and thus never taken advantage of. Here are a few:
PARC is comprised of 39 beachfront cabins, one distinguished visitor cabin, an equipment rental center, club facility and cove pavilion area for group outings. All cabins are air conditioned, with ceiling fans, cable TV and telephone. The kitchens are equipped with cooking utensils, tableware, dishes and linen, a private sundeck and barbecue grill.
I love this one as it is a nice quiet way to enjoy Hawaii and sits near my favorite beach on Oahu. A real get away as opposed to the excitement of Waikiki.
sits amidst spectacular scenery, natural wonders, and cultural treasures
including the marvels of the active Kilauea Volcano. Hawaii Volcanoes National
Park is Hawaii’s number one visitor attraction in the state featuring one of the
most active volcano on earth. It has also been designated as a World Heritage
Site (one of 20 in the United States) by the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as well as an International
Biosphere Reserve.
We’ve stayed at Hale Koa before. For the price, it is an excellent hotel. The room was clean and updated. The price was splendid for beach front access (private/military only). I also liked the onsite BX/PX.
Another place that has little known lodging is Bellows Air Force Station on Oahu. We haven’t stayed there but we checked it out while on Oahu and they cabins are amazing! Literally a few hundred feet from the private beach (one of the best beaches I’ve ever been to) and at ultra low prices (I believe around $50 per night). Bellows AFS books early and fast so I’d recommend looking 12 months out if you’d like to book there.