travellyn

I will be going to the Big Island with my husband and children after Christmas this year. We have reservations for a couple of nice places earlier in the trip, but since the kids like camping, we wondered about staying 2-3 nights in an A-frame shelter at Hapuna Beach toward the end of the trip.

I'm fine with rustic, no amenities, but I do want comparative safety and I don't want cockroaches climbing on me while I try to sleep. Has anyone here had experience with these shelters? Would we better off in a tent?

JayH

I stayed at one a few years ago and definitely recommend them if you like camping. There's nothing in them but wooden platforms for your sleeping bags and a picnic table. We used a camp stove inside our shelter, but there's also a pavilion with a range, refrigerator, and more tables. Restrooms and cold showers are in a shared central building.

I don't recall any cockroaches...the windows are all screened, and it should be possible to keep things reasonably bug-free with the door closed. It's a bit of a walk to the beach, but that's good since you don't have people wandering around who aren't staying there. I wasn't concerned about safety.

There's no tent camping at Hapuna, but Samuel Spencer Beach Park a few miles north has a nice grassy tent camping area right next to the beach, which has good swimming. You give up privacy and security there, though.

travellyn

Thanks, Jay! I was afraid no one on this site would have stayed in one. We're used to minimalist camping, so what you describe sounds like no problem. I'll go ahead and try to get reservations.