Stayed at one of the cabins at Bellows Beach, and it was a truly rustic and back-to-nature experience. The cabin is simple and charming, giving off that classic Hawaiian camping vibe right near the beach. It's perfect for anyone looking to unplug and enjoy the outdoors without the usual hotel frills. The downside was definitely the presence of some dead bugs here and there in the cabin, which felt a bit off-putting. It's an older structure with a rustic charm, but could use a bit more attention to cleanliness and upkeep for comfort. That said, if you're into rugged, no-frills beach camping with easy access to beautiful coastline and great nature, it's worth it. Bring your own supplies and insect repellent, and don't expect luxury--this is more about the authentic island experience. Great for those who love the outdoors and don't mind living a little rough for a few days. read more

Bellows AFB Campgrounds - Chillin in the cabin. Dog friendly! - Campgrounds Near Me - Waimanalo, Hawaii

The condo was nice but we ended up cutting our vacation short for one reason: roaches. We had planned on staying for two nights but ended up leaving after the first night. If you stay in the condos, do NOT stay on the first floor. As soon as the sun sets, they will invade. Up until that moment, our stay was enjoyable. We spent the day at the beach and played putt-putt. Spent the evening at the condo playing board games. The condo had a full kitchen, so I was able to cook breakfast and dinner. But once nighttime came, so did the bugs! read more

Ok the only reason I'm giving 4 stars is because of the amazing location and stunning sunrises and sunsets. Half the staff is nice and the other half of the staff make like you are bothering them. We have stayed in the beach cabins and menehune cottages. This review is for the cottage.... Inside is soooo dirty and exposed electrical wires and rusty nails NOT child friendly and very dangerous. Communal bathrooms but at least the water was very HOT so no complaints there. I don't understand why they don't clean? Wipe down the window sills, mop the floor, and change the paint color. Cleaning staff does the absolute bare minimum. Half the time they are just driving around in their little carts. Hire more people and do formal cleaning training so that these cabins and camp ground don't take a downward spiral into the abyss. read more

See all

Substandard Condition on Ocean Front Cabin (329A) 1. I killed 3 roaches 2. Rust on appliances 3. Old style window AC noise will keep you up at night 4. Don't stay overnight. Stay on the beach all day. 5. Read all the one star reviews. 6. Good reviews from years ago don't count. Read recent ones. 7. Staff are not so welcoming. 8. They let their phones ring so you are to hang up and go to the website. 9. A review of the newer condos are not better. 10. $185 a night was not worth the money unless you like roaches. read more

Bellows is the best camp grounds on the island for families! There's a few things that Bellows do really that other state camp grounds don't. First: Bellows is on the Air Force base and you don't have to worry about strange people walking up to your camp grounds at night. The AFB has a guard and the base also has security on it. Very safe. Second: The camp grounds are in walking distance to a pub, restaurant, coffee place, and a shoppette. And the shoppette has the little things that you forget to bring when you go camping. Third: Other stuff to do. Bellows has mini-golf, paintball and a whole slew of rental equipment like paddleboards, kayaks, snorkel etc that you can do as well. Fourth: This might not mean a lot to some people ... but their shower facilities have hot water. Hot water is a precious commodity sometimes! Fifth: When Bellows has quiet hours they actually have quiet hours. Past 10 o'clock, it's only the ocean and breeze you hear. No loud music, screaming, or even noisy chickens ... just the outdoors. read more

See all

Living in Hawaii, it is a dream to stay by the beach. Bellows AFS gives you that opportunity! They have multiple camping sites and cabins for anyone wanting to wake up to the relaxing sound of waves. After staying here over the weekend, it was rejuvenating to end the day with a breathtaking sunset and waking up to the beach right out the back door. What is available: Camp sites for people who want to put their own tent and get the full outdoor experience. Cabins with just a bed but no electricity and a shared hot shower bathroom. ($30/night) 2 bedroom open air cabins with a full kitchen, picnic table and walking distance to the beach. ($120/night) New A/C unit cabins with all the fluff you need to enjoy as if you were home ($140/ night) Party pavilions for those wanting to have a party for a day Bellows is also equiped with a small shoppette, gas station, coffee house, massage services and even paintball. The cabin we stayed at was right by the beach. There were ceiling fans, a full kitchen, cable tv , bathroom,, a sofa bed and wifi. My kids enjoyed staying over and had a blast running to the beach in the morning. Although my kids LOVE camping under the stars, but I am not one who enjoys it. So as a compromise, we reserved a cabin. Everyone enjoyed it. Overall, This is a great spot for a staycation or a place for visiting guests to stay without breaking the bank. The only catch is you would need a military ID/sponsor. Other than that, it's an awesome place to hold a party or have a quick getaway. Don't expect Koolina beach villas when you book. (those usually cost over $300 a night anyhow) These cabins are still pretty rugged but have everything you need for a comfortable beach stay and at a pretty reasonable price read more

See all

Stayed here during our Valentines/Presidents day weekend. I must say, I was in awe! There was a bunch of us family and we ending up getting an awesome location. Close to the bathrooms, campfire put, and close to the gas station/store. You do need a military ID in order to book a spot and there is a waiting list especially during the holiday weekends. We were able to camp, BBQ, play our own activities... But, there's so much more that they offer. We got to visit the short hiking trail and mind you I didn't have shoes just slippers and everything worked out. There is also a mini putt-putt place and we were also able to bring our gear for paint ball games! Over all I am so glad we made the drive and was able to spend time with family. The beach is beautiful, the sand is soft, and the bathrooms are more than decent for "camping". They even have sensor lights when you walk in :) lol a little high tech doesn't hurt! It's an awesome safe area to spend time with your family, can't wait to go back! read more

See all

My family and I had a fun staycation here. We stayed in the rustic camper cabins because I wanted to give my kids a real camping experience minus the tent. The camper cabins are exactly what I expected them to be on the inside with a twin size bunk bed, a full size bed (both with thin plastic pads for mattresses, and nothing else. I recommend bringing 3m hooks or tacks to hang something over the windows if you like some privacy and also a folding table to use inside the cabin. They were fairly clean and no bugs thankfully. Outside you have a picnic table and grill. As far as the showers/ restroom, they're ok. I know one of the showers was broken and they unfortunately only clean in the mornings so you can imagine how they look and smell by the evening hours. FYI, they no longer have the playground or cafe at Turtle Cove which was a little disappointing but they do have a bar, coffee shop, game room and gift shop/ rentals. There is still the shoppette and Subway of course. Oh, And a bbq chicken stand at the entrance of the park. Some of the rental equipment could stand to be replaced but It worked. Other than the beach, we enjoyed playing putt putt, volleyball, basketball, and walks around the campgrounds. I apologize for forgetting to take a pic of the inside of the cabin. That was the one pic I wanted the most because I couldn't find any on here. read more

See all

I've tried to reserve a cottage here for the last few years with no success. You pretty much need to schedule a year in advance....I cannot stress this enough. If you want to stay here, you need to book it a good 12 months earlier. We have camped here probably three times in the last year with mixed reviews each time. First off, they offer a very clean and well kept campground....great job!! They provide a bbq grill at each location along with a concrete picnic table. This is awesome and we couldn't ask for more. The campground areas are patrolled occasionally and we felt very safe throughout the evening. They provide a security phone number in case of any complaints or problems. We did have to make one phone call because some people abused the system and invited literally like 50 people to one single campsite. They families next to them must have been furious!!! They played loud music and parked all along the dirt road in unauthorized spots....really just disrespectful and uncalled for. You know, they offer "group" campsites in this same area...this would have been appropriate. We hope the management stresses there guest policy and actually ENFORCES it. The bathrooms are all pretty much kept clean with hot water available for showers. The beaches are pristine with fine sand. Disc golf is available but rarely used from what we've seen. The recreation center has everything you need to camp, but don't always count on them having full size tents available. We bought our own, so no problem. read more

See all

Camping was great. The restrooms need a bit more attention but I understand they are trying to hire custodians so once they get some people hired I am sure it will be better. They ran out Bud Light and a couple other beers due to wedding which I thought was bad management. Cabins do not have electricity and no restroom. Beach is great! read more

Had a hard time scoring because of mixed feelings so here it goes: Reservations- 1 star. Called in, on hold for 30 minutes as caller #2. Finally get to be caller #1 and someone hangs up on me. Called back, now I'm #4. Will try again another day when I have another hour to kill. Campgrounds, beach, check in - 5 stars. Everything you need. Plenty space. Just like what everyone says. Yes. Some neighbors party but just bring your Aloha next door and kindly ask them to be considerate. Works every single time! We are all there to enjoy. Miscellaneous comment- out last trip was great until the last night. Someone let out the centipedes! S our party was bit by a baby, one small one in our tent, 3 BIG ones in our camp area and 1 caught a ride home in my car, grazed my foot while I was driving and scared the out of me when I realized what it was!! read more

Great staycation option for those with a military connection. Lucky for me, my girlfriend works for Tripler... We stayed at the condos this visit, but I think I rather stay at the cabins on future trips. Each cabin is supplied its own bbq grill while the condos share ghetto ones (the grill cannot be removed from the chamber that holds the charcoal..). Bellows AFB is fun for the following reasons - Of course, the beach. On the Waimanalo coast, the beach has a great view of the islands off shore--including Maui afar... - Miniature golf. Looked fun but didn't have time to try. Will try next time and bring my own putter and balls. - Loop trail. There is a walkway that loops most of the campgrounds. Good for a walk or morning jog. There is even a very short nature hike (nothing great). - Golf driving range. You can swing off the grass! Other than that, not well maintained. The practice putting surface has been neglected... - Basketball, tennis, and beach volleyball courts. Like the golf driving range, not well maintained, but it is available for you. - CHEAPER gas for sale. 92 octane was about 30 cents cheaper than your typical gas station in town. - Equipment rentals. Rentals for your enjoyment at a nominal fee. Be forewarned of the following - Alcohol at the mini-mart available for purchase by military only. My gf, a civilian, could not purchase alcohol. - Pets not allowed unless registered. All in all, a great place to camp out for the weekend. Plan your staycation about 6 months ahead if planning on using the cabins.... read more

This review is for camping the classical way with a tent! We were fortunate to get one of the better campsites that wasn't neck-in-neck with the other ones. Some of those campsites are just unreasonably close to others. Ours luckily afforded us some space to ourselves and was rather close to the beach. The site was relatively clean. Some small pieces of litter was present but we did our part and cleaned it up. We set our tent up, staked claim of our picnic table and grill and set out to the beach. We rented a paddleboard for $25 from 10am to 4pm. By 2pm we returned it because we were done with it. There's only so much paddleboarding you can do in one area. You aren't allowed to paddle out to those barrier islands unfortunately. But we had fun with it. The water did get quite choppy towards the later afternoon which of course can make paddling very interesting, however not as peaceful. We rented the four-person bicycle for an hour for $20. That was a fun activity for the family. A little nerdy but what the heck. My butt is still sore from that seat! Lol but the kids enjoyed it. We played a round of mini golf. Not too pricey- $6 per player. It's a nice 18 hole course. Again, the kids had fun. We watched the sunrise in the morning, went to bed with the sun, played catch, grilled food. It was an affordable and very fun time. I highly recommend doing it! read more

See all

Note to self if planning to get a CABIN at bellows for the months of CHRISTMAS you must ... Reserve 6 mos in advance. Because most likely in sept/October nothing will be open. Lol learned that read more

See all

It's clean for a camp site! Every morning someone always empty out the trash bins which I think is very sanitary! Our campsite was so close to the beach, it was really pretty! But the downfall is that a lot of people kept on coming to use the beach so it gets really crowded..but it's really a clean beach & i like that there is a life guard & a music playing at all time, & the shoppette is close by too. read more

Bellows AFB Campgrounds - Bellows - Campgrounds Near Me - Waimanalo, Hawaii

Love this camp site. It is very well maintained and the showers have hot water for those who enjoy a nice warm shower. Ive been here two times in the last 6 months and I cant wait to continue to use the grounds for some relaxing, fun atmosphere. read more

Bellows AFB Campgrounds - Sunrise - Campgrounds Near Me - Waimanalo, Hawaii

We camped here last weekend. The campgrounds themselves is beautiful and flat. Pros: big sites, restrooms close by, beachfront, plenty of views, Water close by, maintenance/grounds worker(Derek) extremely friendly and knowledgable Cons: rules are not enforced; dogs, generators being used, more than 3 cars per site, loud parties all night(until 430am), cops showed up twice; a lady screaming through out the campground, a couple fighting( pretty sure alcohol was involved). A car alarm went off for at least 5 minutes at 2am! I would recommend this campground for groups without kids, and people that are there to party. read more

The location is just great, hard to beat. Right on the water, the place is clean, the staff and campers do a pretty good job of policing their trash. Only thing is the showers are out in public, and the restrooms were pretty clean but could certainly use some upgrading. read more

Bellows AFB Campgrounds - Sunrise at Bellows beach. - Campgrounds Near Me - Waimanalo, Hawaii

Love this place.....definitely the place to rent for cabins on the beach. The cabins have been renovated so it's clean breezy, there isn't any AC but if you're near the beach side it's perfect breeze. They provide towels, blankets, pillows, a full size refrigerator and tile shower. The beach is so worth it and the view every morning! The only downside is the jelly fish in the water but it's not bad if you're careful, otherwise I highly recommend this location! read more

It's a beauty. We tent camped and had great time overall. It was just so blasted hot. Showers were garbage and mostly broken. 2 toilets for hundreds of people can make for a crappy situation. read more

This is ONLY a review of movie night. Movie starts at 4. We go make sure we can bring in food and drink at about 3 and the nice lady informed us we could bring whatever, as long as we clean up after ourselves! Sweet! Great start... However, she also said she was going to start it early... without telling anyone or advertising? Bad! We get there right at 4, set our things down and a different lady is turning on the tv... there are a couple other people there, i run for a quick bathroom break and when i get back (I'm speedy quick, btw, hustling) the movie was already going... kinda bad but i take some blame... the tv is huge but the quality is junk. Picture quality is bad. Sound is unclear and not quite loud enough. It was hard to understand the heavily accented dialogue most of the time. Bad, but its camping and free, so, who am i to complain. free popcorn, as good as free.... its thought that counts! Movie finished right at 5:59 we start to clean up our mess and i gotta use the ladies room again... it's been two hours of snacks and drinks.... but the rude employee points out the back door, "You have to go out the back, you can't go out the front, "they" already locked up cuz its 6. No bathroom? (Not just me, the other family too). She didn't even answer, turned on her heel, went the other way! Ummmm ok. I guess she doesn't get paid to 6:03 and common courtesy and customer service and aloha is only given when she's on the clock! RUDE, BAD! We commiserated with our fellow campers on the way out the back, walked around front to our car... there was a worker and a guy in the lobby... but we just jumped in the car and drove away to the nearest community bathroom (on that note, something dead in the trash outside the woman's bathroom that has been there since are got here.... gross! Take out the trash!) So, if the movie starts at 4 and its 2 hours, maybe you should lock up at 615. read more

My family & I have been to this campsite 6 times since August of last year. Every trip has been wonderful. The campgrounds were exceptionally clean with no trash in site and many trash cans available to use. The bathrooms were kept exceptionally clean from morning to evening every day we were there. Beautiful scenery to watch all day. Will be back hopefully for the Easter weekend!!! read more

Love this place; particularity the restricted (military only) side. The open side can get a bit dirty and isn't as well kept; thus, this review is for the military side only, as that's really the only side I ever go to. Reserve a spot in advance; it's a popular place and more often than not, it gets booked up. The beach is nothing short of amazing, bathrooms are clean, sites are almost all pretty great; overall, it's one of my favorite camping spots next to the beach, by far! read more

This is for the beach. One of our favorites. Restrooms are fine. Parking is good, plenty of beach space and it's good to have a shopette and food place nearby. read more