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We recently spent 3 days and 3 nights at a beachfront cottage at Barking Sands, Kauai. It’s on the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) which is about 45 minutes from the Lihue airport. It was $110/night for the 2 bedroom cottage with full kitchen, dining room, living room, flat screen TV, and…. FREE WIFI in each cabin! The cottages are available to active duty, retired reserves, and contractors of the U.S. Military.
Here’s the view from the front of our cabin (1130). There is a grill and an outdoor shower to wash the sand away before going inside. The cabins are a short walk to the beach and it was virtually empty every time we went. Swimming isn’t recommended at most beaches on this side of the island because of the strong currents, but we had fun splashing around at the edge and chasing crabs.
After imagining my son waking up in the middle of the night and stumbling sleepily to the ocean, we spent awhile looking for a piece of driftwood to jam the sliding glass door (in addition to the normal lock). Then we realized there was another safety lock at the top of the sliding glass door, which made me feel so much better!
I really thought the free wifi was a nice touch. Most hotels have slow, crappy internet that you often have to pay for, but here at the beach cottages all spread out across a few acres you get free wifi.
The bathroom was very clean and had sealed towels and toiletries just like a hotel. Guests that stay at the cottages are responsible for cleaning the place before they go. Cleaning supplies are provided: broom, vacuum, garbage bags, etc.
The restaurant on Barking Sands is called Shenanigans and has a great view. There is also a small NEX for groceries and other items you might need.
There are a surprising amount of chickens and other birds around Kauai. Some of the birds are endangered and need to be left alone, but my son had fun chasing chickens around the cottage!
While you are on Kauai you don’t want to miss seeing the Waimea Canyon and other lookout points on the drive up there. You can see my full post on Waimea Canyon here.
Overall we had a wonderful time and it was WAY cheaper to stay at a cottage at Barking Sands than most of the popular hotels on Kauai. You can find more details here.
We love going on family adventures together, but it can be hard to fly with littles ones sometimes. Check out my tips for airplane travel with kids in these posts:
A Successful Flight (Minus the Swearing)
8 Tips for Airplane Travel with Kids
16 - 16Shares
Kauai is my favourite holiday destination and I’ve been four times, despite living in London! My best experience was a tour of the island in a doors-off Hughes helicopter – so much fun!
My husband really wanted to do the helicopter tour, but I’m such a baby in small aircrafts! :-/
This looks like my perfect little dream house! Cute and on the beach! I love that the towels are sealed up – I’m a germ freak and love to know things are clean!
Madaline, me too, I’m the same way!
This cottage looks really nice, too bad though you’re not allowed to swim.. but to wake up with a great view like that each morning is heaven. :)
..your son sleepwalks? oh no.
Yeah it’s a bummer not to be able to swim, but we still played a little in the waves and laid on the beach :) You CAN swim there, but it’s not recommended!
I have never caught my son sleep walking, I was just imagining him sneaking out in the middle of the night!
I would love to go to Kauai…..no doubt you had a wonderful time on your vacation.
I hope you can go one day, Alice!
Beautiful view! I love how the first thing all of us travelers do is make sure there’s free wifi ;) http://nomoneywilltravel.com
haha yep! It’s a big deal, right?
I need to live there. Kauai is so beautiful, and the Chicago winters are kicking my butt!
Chicago winters are brutal! I spent 3 winters there and I still remember how cold it was. I hope you can visit Kauai sometime soon :)
It looks gorgeous and so peaceful! I need to come over, it’s so miserable in England right now :(
Yep, I’m currently enjoying the winter in Germany so I would love to go back too!
What a beautiful little beachfront cottage! Hawaii is definitely on my destination bucket list! Such an amazing vacation!
It’s definitely worth the trip to visit Hawaii. Such a gorgeous place! Thanks for reading :)
What a great trip you had, I bet three days is not enough :)
I love the house you stayed in
So true that 3 days wasn’t enough! It would have been really nice to stay about a week, but we only had a 4 day weekend :)
You had me at Free Wifi :D I love the fact that the towels are sealed as well. Beautiful pics.
haha yep those were my two favorite aspects! Well, besides the being on the beach part :)
These cottages look super nice, and it is so convenient that they have free wifi. I have been to Hawaii before and would love to take my husband there- so much beauty! That last picture of your little one hauling the huge suitcase is hilarious!
Thanks, Samantha! I hope you can “drag” your husband to Hawaii one day ;) Yeah that lasted about 20 seconds with him dragging the family suitcase haha
What an amazing looking place! The beach and the landscape behind you in the pictures is so breath-taking. I definitely want to visit!
It’s hard to take a bad picture of the beach in Hawaii :) I hope you can visit!
Looks absolutely gorgeous! I’ve only been to big island, but I hope to go to Kauai too. Free wifi is always a huge perk.. esp if you’re having to blog during the trip! :P
When we lived on Oahu we made it our goal to visit all the main islands! We also enjoyed the Big Island :) I hope you can make it to Kauai one day!
It’s great to have fast Internet connection even when you’re far from home or the office. The hotel looked pretty decent and I also like how the bathroom is arranged.
I couldn’t agree more – wifi is almost a necessity!
It sounds like a very lovely cottage and like you had a wonderful stay. I long to go to any of the Hawaiian islands one day!
I hope you can visit Hawaii some day, Heather!
I would just love to live on a beach house like that! It must have been great to hear the waves and play in the sand!
Sounds like it was a beautiful getaway, I would love to go to the beach soon I want to wake up to the sound of the waves.
I have never stayed so close to the actual beach before and it really was an incredible experience!
This looks like an amazing place to stay and it looks like you all had a wonderful time. It is gorgeous and the views are amazing. I love the little cottage and would love to go relax there indeed. Thanks for sharing
One of the places I dream to visit with my family is Hawaii. This looks like a nice hotel and safe to stay with great amenities. I think the price is perfect especially for family. Love the free Wifi
I hope you and your family get the chance to visit Hawaii one day!
Wow! My husband’s in Afghanistan now, I’ve got to book this for when he gets home! Pinned for future reference. Many thanks for sharing!
I hope you guys get to go to Kauai when he gets back! It’s best if you are flexible with your travel plans if you go during the normal tourist vacation times.
Wow! Those pictures are amazing. I love the cabin. It looks like a home away from home.
It was a really cool cabin! I always prefer to stay in places with full kitchens. It makes eating so much cheaper on vaca!