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:

Pililaau

Pililaau Army Recreation Center
Pokai Bay, Hawaii
Pililaau Army Recreation Center (PARC) located on the Pokai Bay and is one of the best beach facilities on the island. It captures the essence of “old Hawaii” with beachfront property surrounded by rustic farms and homes. PARC is located just 35 miles from Waikiki and 18 miles from Schofield Barracks, on the beautiful Leeward Coast. The gentle waves and white sand beaches delight swimmers, snorkelers and scuba enthusiasts.

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.

Kilauea

Kilauea Military Camp
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii Island
(808)967-8333 • www.kmc-volcano.com
Located in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Kilauea Military Camp (KMC)
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.
This one can’t be beat – cabins next to a volcano?  How great is that?
Seward Lingcod%20Fisherwoman
Seward Military Resort
Seward, Alaska
(907) 224-2659 • www.sewardresort.com
The Seward Military Resort is offering a very affordable package from March 31st to May 13th!  Package includes Lodging, Gray Whale Tour and admission to the Alaska SeaLife Center.  An amazing price starting as low as $99 per person!
If you are a fisherman, this one is the best.  They will not only arrange a halibut charter, but when you get back they will cut your catch into one pound packages, vacuum seal and freeze them for you!  Anchorage is only two hours away and the visits to the glaciers and nature are fantastic.
Take advantage of these other resorts as well as the main ones.  They are all a well deserved perk of being in the military.  Note that many of these facilities are now managed by IHG so you can get points in the Holiday Inn program as well as a great vacation.

One Comment

  1. 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.

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