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Hawaii is full of great MWR resources for military families, and if you’re stopping by Kauai, you won’t want to miss the cabins at Barking Sands!
I recently was able to take advantage of a long weekend and hop over to Kauai and visit the Barking Sands MWR Cabins at PMRF. My family got a beachfront cabin with 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, and a full kitchen for $250 per night. Spoiler alert- Barking Sands is remote, beautiful, and definitely worth your time if you vacation to or are stationed in Hawaii!
In this post:
How to book Barking Sands cabins
You have to book online though dodlodging.net, which is not a very user-friendly website. It can be a little painful to find dates. After searching for “Barking Sands” and clicking through a couple more steps, you’ll find a 1990s style booking page that looks like this:
You have to use trial and error to find dates that are available. There is no flexible calendar view or anything more helpful than simply trying many date options until you find an opening. I scrolled through all of the year’s 4-day weekend options until I found one that was open. When you get lucky, you’ll find the available cabins appear like this:
As of the time of publishing this review, they have a 14-day cancellation policy.
Arriving to Lihue for Barking Sands cabins
We flew into Lihue (LIH); it’s your only commercial airport option in Kauai.
I transferred some of my Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Southwest for the cheapest travel redemption option. We talked about how valuable and flexible Chase Ultimate Rewards points are, and our favorite card is the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card.
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- Learn more in the Chase Sapphire Reserve review
Do you need a rental car while staying at Barking Sands Cabins?
Yes, for Barking Sands vacations, you’ll definitely need a car. It’s very far and remote. I’m sure you could find a shuttle, but you’ll also want it for exploring the southwest portions of the island, hopefully all of Kauai.
I used Hertz and one of my favorite travel benefits, the President’s Circle status for a quick and easy process. We explained in episode 117 of the Military Money Manual Podcast how President’s Circle status from Hertz is free for military members with the American Express Platinum Card®.
I’ve also found recently that the discount for those of us with the American Express Platinum Card® often gives me the best rates at any of the major car companies.
Having a rental car that you can quickly grab and hit the road helps you find time to explore amazing places like this Red Dirt Waterfall in the Waimea Canyon park.
When we got to PMRF, it was after hours in the evening, and there wasn’t much communication ahead of time from the team about what would happen with the front desk closed. The gate guard was prepared though, and we had a welcome packet, map, keys, and instructions to visit the front desk the next morning to complete check-in. It was smooth and obvious the team does use this method of check-in often.
The cabin was very spacious and recently updated.
Our two bed, one bath oceanfront cabin had a large living room with a pullout couch as you enter. It’s an open concept with a dining room table and the kitchen with plenty of counter space.
The master bedroom had a queen bed, and the second bedroom had two twins. There was also an outdoor shower to rinse the sand off and an outdoor lanai (patio) facing the ocean.
The beach was maybe 30 yards from the lanai, and there are clear views of the ocean facing to the west. It makes for a great sunset spot!
Checkout Process for Barking Sands
Check out was a little bit of work as you do have to clean up the cabin more than a traditional hotel would require, so build that into your final day’s plan.
Things to do while staying at Barking Sands:
While staying at PMRF, you can enjoy the remote beaches, the beautiful stars at night, Waimea Canyon, and nearby boat tours. I personally use and always recommend the Shaka Guide app. We also did a sunset dinner cruise with Blue Dolphin Charters. They offer an online Kama’aina discount for those stationed or living in Hawaii. Although the Blue Dolphin tour was good for us with kids this time, whenever we can, we choose Capt Andy’s Napali Coast boat tours as our first choice.
On our last morning we all did tubing as a family with Kauai Backcountry Adventures. It’s popular on social media and among influencers with great reviews online too. It was a lot of fun for kids and big kids alike, but we wouldn’t consider it something you have to do. It was good, not great.
At night, the stars were incredible from the very dark and remote beach. Light pollution is practically non-existent.
We even saw bioluminescent organisms in the sand as we walked around. It was magical. There’s really no other word to describe it.
On base, there is not a lot to eat or do, except one restaurant, a small NEX Shoppette, and a gas pump. The restaurant was closed for renovations during our stay, so we didn’t get to experience that. I recommend stopping in town for groceries after arriving. Lihue (the town by the airport) has a Costco, Target, Walmart, and some more local grocery store options.
Traveling on Points for a Kauai Vacation for Military:
If you love to take advantage of your military lending act benefits, you may want to maximize your travel and save cash. Some of our top tips include:
- Use points for flight on Hawaiian or Southwest.
- Use points or your free night certificates for any hotels if you stay on island longer than your nights on Barking Sands
- While staying at a MWR cabin, use a card with a travel credit to offset the cash price.
We also recommend checking out Poppin’ Smoke’s review of the Barking Sands cabins. We had Stephanie on the podcast episode 88 to discuss how to use Space A travel for vacations like Hawaii.
Frequenty Asked Questions
Yes, you can rent the cabins if you’re an approved military servicemember, veteran, retiree, or dependent from dodlodging.net
Yes, many of them are. Some are across the street but very close to the ocean.
Yes, many cabins were renovated in 2024 or built in 2025.
Yes, PMRF is far from the Lihue airport. You’ll want a car to explore the island.
Yes, they’re recently updated, spacious, and right on the beach. The setting is perfect for a quiet few days for military families.