Stationed in Hawaii with Kids: Hideaway Club at Barbers Point

Even though the Naval Air Station at Barber's Point is closed, there is still a small USCG Air Station... and there, we find the Hideaway Club.

This place has a really nice, beachy feel to it... sand volleyball court, horse shoe pit, basketball court, and pavilion for parties.  The parking lot is a little tight for larger events, but hey, it's not that big of a place anyway.  Great place to get together with other families on a Saturday afternoon.   There is plenty of space for the kids to run around and it's pretty easy to keep an eye on them.  The bathrooms are typically reasonably clean, too.

Just remember to bring your own food (which is totally allowed).  This place is not a restaurant.  The bar is fully stocked but the food offerings are  pretty limited and I am not a huge fan of frozen food cooked by bartenders between drink orders.

Now, this is a bit out of the way for me, so I don't really make it out here too often.  However, it is also the closest decent bar for folks who live out this way.  (So in case you were wondering whether or not to live in Ewa Beach, Kapolei, or Makakilo, consider whether or not you really feel like being that cut off from any sort of night life.)  It is also a military/MWR facility, so no worries about folks coming around to pick a fight with drunken soldiers/sailors.  (Which, I am sorry to say, would still be a possibility in parts of Ewa Beach and Kapolei.)  Getting back to the Hideaway Club, at night, this (being a bar) is not really place to bring the little ones. Most weekends there is a local band playing loud music and people are mostly here to hang out and drink. It's a mellow crowd most of the time, but still, you can typically count on one piss drunk idiot in every crowd of drinkers.

One thing that frequently is overlooked at Barber's Point is that there are still beach cottages and pavilions that you (if you happen to be eligible for MWR benefits) can rent... more or less right across the street from the Hideaway Club.  These seem to be less crowded than the ones at Bellows. 

How would you like to wake up to this?

Not too shabby.

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