Barking Sands Kauai Review | Affordable & Unique Beachfront

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!

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.

Chase Sapphire Reserve^® Card
Learn how to apply on our partner's secure site

• $550 annual fee waived to $0 for US military + spouses with Chase MLA policy
• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on eligible purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
• Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually.
• 3x Points on other Travel (airfare, hotels) after earning the $300 travel credit
• 3x Dining restaurants, takeouts, delivery
• Chase Ultimate Reward Points redeemed through Chase Travel℠ are worth 1.5 cents, a 50% bonus.
• Priority Pass lounge and restaurant access with over 1300+ airport lounges worldwide
• Up to $120 application fee credit for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS every 4 years
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Primary coverage with Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
• No foreign transaction fees, Member FDIC
• 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 The Platinum Card^® from American Express. I’ve also found recently that the discount for those of us with the Platinum Card American Express often gives me the best rates at any of the major car companies.

The Platinum Card^® from American Express
Learn how to apply on our partner's secure site

• $695 annual fee*. Reduced to $0 with American Express special military protections
• Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership
• Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
• $200 Annual Hotel Credit: Get $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts^® or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using your Platinum Card^®. Note that The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month when you pay for eligible purchases with the Platinum Card^® at your choice of one or more of the following providers: Disney+, a Disney+ Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, Peacock, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
• $200 Uber Cash: Platinum Card® Members can get $15 in Uber Cash each month, plus a bonus $20 in December after adding their Card to their Uber account. Use your Uber Cash on rides and orders in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction. Enrollment required.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees, such as checked bags and in-flight refreshments, are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card® Account. American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases. If you do not see a credit for a qualifying incidental purchase on your eligible Card after 8 weeks, simply call the number on the back of your Card. Qualifying airlines are subject to change. See terms & conditions for more details.
• $199 CLEAR® Plus Credit: CLEAR® Plus helps get you to your gate faster by using unique facial attributes to verify you are you at 50+ airports nationwide. Use the dedicated CLEAR Lane to confirm your identity without taking out your passport or ID – this can mean shorter lines, less waiting. Receive up to $199 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for your CLEAR Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal) with the Platinum Card®.
• This is a MAJOR time saver–$120 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA PreCheck® official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card®! Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
• Lounge life! With American Express Global Lounge Collection®, eligible card members can enjoy access to over 1,400 airport lounges globally, including The Centurion® Lounge, Unlimited Delta Sky Club® Access when flying an eligible Delta flight, EscapeLounges, Lufthansa Lounges when flying Lufthansa Group, Plaza Premium, Priority Pass™ Select Lounges, & Additional Global Lounge Collection Partner Lounges subject to visit limitations. Lounges may have their own rules, like additional access rules and guest fees, and for Priority Pass Select, you need to enroll and there are unlimited airport lounge visits for Card Members. With Delta Sky Club Access, Card Members will receive 10 Visits to the Delta Sky Club to be used from February 1 until January 31 of the next calendar year and can unlock Unlimited Delta Sky Club Access by spending $75,000 in eligible purchases on their Card in a calendar year. To find a lounge, visit the membership section in the American Express® App or visit http://www.americanexpress.com/findalounge#/loungefinder.
• A Walmart+ membership can get you free shipping with no order minimum on eligible items shipped by Walmart. Use your Platinum Card® to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) and receive one statement credit for up to $12.95 (plus applicable taxes. Plus Ups not eligible) each month. Free Shipping excludes most Marketplace items, freight & certain location surcharges. Paramount+ Essential plan only, separate registration required.
• Up to $100 annual Saks Fifth Avenue credit, enrollment required
• Global Dining Access by Resy gets you access premium dining experiences. Receive Priority Notify and unlock insider access to some of the world's most sought-after restaurants with Global Dining Access by Resy. Download the Resy iOS app or log into Resy.com and add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile to take advantage of your special benefits and discover restaurants near you.
• Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
• No foreign transaction fees
• Enrollment is required for select benefits
• The Platinum Card^® from American Express – learn how to apply
• Read my full review of the Amex Platinum card for military, terms apply

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