Oahu’s North Shore | Cabin Camping at Malaekahana Beach Campground

For nearly a week we camped out on the North Shore, calling Malaekahana Beach Campground our home. We rented a tiny green cabin, or hale, right on Malaekahana Beach, complete with our own private ocean access. Our basic accommodations were simple, but they more than fulfilled our needs. We spent all our time outdoors anyway, playing in the water, watching sunsets and moonrises, and sitting on our deck eating fruit.

Inside the cabins were two wooden bunk beds equipped with air mattresses. We both took the top bunks and used the lower bunks to stash our gear. At night we played gin rummy on one of the top bunks while eating snacks. It reminded me of the many summer nights I stayed up late eating cheese and crackers, drinking A&W root beer and playing cards with my Grandma.

The cabins tended to get pretty hot inside so we kept the front door open as much as possible to try and catch whatever breeze we could from Malaekahana Beach. The mornings and afternoons were the best and breeziest. We spent a lot of time sitting on our front porch eating fruit, drying wet clothes, or just hanging out in the cool shade.

Malaekahana Beach Campground still had a good number of feral chickens and kitties roaming about. The chickens were a lot more cautious than we remembered them being the previous time we camped at Malaekahana. Last time the chickens practically chased us around the campground for a tiny bread crumb, but this time around they watched us with very careful eyes.

We tried luring a hen to take some food from our hands while we sat and watched her on the porch. She wasn’t having it though. Our little friend spied at us through the bushes and then, when we turned our heads, bolted out to grab the crumb and run back to the safety of her hideout.

There weren’t any functioning indoor – or even enclosed – outdoor showers so we had to make do with showering in our swimsuits out in the open. Meanwhile, this kitty served as our lookout. Every time we took a shower we found him nestled in a patch of dry leaves either taking a nap or staring at us. We didn’t mind, we always find it comforting when there are animals at camp.

A patch of trees just beyond our picnic table became the perfect spot to set up my hammock and watch Sly swim in the ocean.

I wasn’t the only one keeping watch…

The cabins at Malaekahana Beach Campground were a far cry from the pampered resorts most commonly found in Oahu, but we loved camping here because of that. Being able to really appreciate the simple things in life is what we both love most about camping and spending time outdoors, especially in a place as naturally beautiful as Hawaii. Ahuoahu

While our cabins didn’t have electricity or running water we had everything we needed at Malaekahana Beach: fresh air, lots of critters (some more welcome than others) to unintentionally annoy play with, bags of fresh tropical fruit, and of course that million dollar view.

DETAILS | Cabin Camping at Malaekahana Beach Campground

Malaekahana Beach Campground | COST: $10/night, tent or campervan site, $60/nt, 2-night minimum for a cabin/plantation hale (what we rented), $115/nt, 2-night minimum for a Plantation Suite. Group camping and group cabins (Tutu’s Hale is a series of cabins located near one another that can be rented together) also available. | DETAILS: At the time of our stay Malaekahana Beach Campground just underwent a change in management and a complete overhaul of the campgrounds. The old, crumbling yurts were removed and new cabins/hale were constructed. There are several areas designated for tents, RV or Campervan camping, cabins, and group cabins (Tutu’s Hale). A majority of the hale cabins have an ocean-front view and access points, though many are set back from the beach. Check Malaekahana Beach Campground’s online map before picking your cabin (we stayed at H6) to make sure you get one right on the beach – it’s totally worth it! All of the plantation suites are beach front. Parking is available but if it’s after 7pm, expect to park at the lot near the camp store and walk in as the gates are closed. The plantation hales have 2 bunk beds with air mattresses (bring your own bedding), and can sleep four. In my opinion, sleeping four would feel really tight, especially if you had gear or any kind. There is no electricity or running water within the cabin itself, but there are public shared restrooms, showers, and sinks within a short walking distance. The plantation suites, however, do have electricity, running water, private toilets, and sleep a lot more people. Malaekahana Beach is a public beach so during the day there are quite a few people on the beach, however they are usually at the SE side of the beach, not on the NW side with all the cabins. Because of this, it really does feel like you have your own private beach, especially in the evening when the day beach goers have left. Unfortunately, the camp itself can get busy (and noisy) on weekends, especially around the group sites, and it didn’t seem as if there were any “quiet hours.” The camp store has pretty much everything you need, there’s a food truck on site that sells food and coffee, and gear is available for rental at the shop. Otherwise there’s a grocery store/strip mall a mile or so away which can be reached by walking/biking. TIP: If staying at a plantation hale, bring your own combo or key lock for the front door. | VERDICT: As mentioned before, we camped at Maleakahana Beach Campground right around the time they finished remodeling/changing management so there were a few things that have hopefully been improved since then. One – the bathroom situation wasn’t great. They were clean (though, bring your own toilet paper) but there were only two open for our entire area, which over the weekend was completely filled with campers. There simply were not enough bathrooms for that amount of people, and I often found myself waiting in a long line, only to give up, get in the car, and drive down the street to the strip mall to use the restroom. Second – the outdoor showers had no enclosure whatsoever except for a see-through net at one of the showers. The old campground had open showers, but they were at least enclosed on the sides so that nobody could watch you while you showered! Third – The cabin we stayed in was so hot at night, even with a considerable breeze, in large part because of the way the cabins were designed. If you look at the photos you can see that the windows are covered so that the only way a breeze can enter the cabin without the door being open is through the bottom of the slatted window. When the staff asked us for our comments we told them that the cabins were just way too hot and that they should open up the window not only for the air, but for the view. They said that they had to build them that way for safety reasons which didn’t really make sense as we noticed most people slept with doors open because of this. (We didn’t because of the bugs!) Sites H-11 – H-15 look to be designed slightly differently (with open windows) but don’t have a beach front view. If I were to do it over again I would probably stay at the Plantation Suite as they have private bathrooms and screened windows. I’m nitpicking here though. I still really loved and would recommend camping at Malaekahana Beach Campground – it’s a really amazing place to stay especially given the cost.