Heading to Oahu...Please Help! (Honolulu, Ewa Beach: 2010, rental, condos)

[YeatesFamily]

My husband and I (and our three dogs) are heading out to Oahu in January of 2010. My husband will be stationed at Schofield Barracks and we are trying to figure out what areas to look in for housing.

We like some of the initial searches we've found in the Ewa Beach area but we've been told the North Shore is beautiful and a good commute to Schofield. We definitely do not want to be stuck in rush hour traffic every single day especially since we are coming over with one vehicle to share and we are not sure if that will change once on the island. However, we still want to be close to the social scene. We would definitely prefer a house and a fenced in yard of some size and with three dogs we'll need a pet friendly community...

ANY suggestions, tips and/or advice would be greatly appreciated! Oh, also, safety and cleanliness are important to us as well.

[melaniej65]

What is your BAH? Trust me it makes a difference to where you might be able to get what you are looking for- but generally the houses here do not equal the sq ft of homes on the mainland (or even on Post).

Usually Miliani, N. Shore, Ewa Beach, Kunia and Kaploei are the ares that those Stationed at S.B. live. Are you buying or renting? Renting with three dogs might be an issue but it IS possible to find rental that MIGHT accept THREE dogs ( a lot of places have limits- even Post Housing has a limit!).

I wish you the best and as a side note the new Qtrs on Post are very nice and almost impossible to find the same size on the economy unless you are independently wealthy. Good luck!

[GeorgiaTransplant]

When I was at Schofield, mid 90s, I lived on the North Shore by Dillingham airfield. Had a lot of friends on the North Shore headed the other way, towards Waimea, also not too bad all the way out to Waimea Bay.

Crime was not too bad, except for "Concrete City" (around Au Street-that had a reputation of being a little to a lot more crime). Very easy commute from Dillingham side (Snake Road-"Kaukonahua Road"). During my time there, it was so outstanding that I sometimes went home after PT to shower if it was a short PT day and I just didn't feel like dealing with the gym locker room.

Much past Waimea, commutes started to add up, particularly during morning PT times...friend of mine out at Turtle Bay condos really had a long drive.

Lots of folks did Mililani, that's also very good and a fair bit to do there.

For socializing, I would try to be Mililani or south. There's a lot of outdoor stuff on the North shore, just not much of a social scene other than a lot of house parties held by 5 Lieutenants living together (it seems to be a Division regulation if you are a single Lieutenant, it is mandatory that you buy a Jeep Wrangler and rent a house with a bunch of other LTs), and with all the amazing things to do in the Honolulu area it can be a drag to haul yourselves down H2 to get there.

[melaniej65]

Georgia Transplant-
It is so true about the Jeep Wranglers (but you forgot to add that it should be red!). It was always a huge joke (I guess we need new jokes).

[Kawena]

can you stay on base?? they just spent $$$ redoing the housing there. as for the dogs.... sad.. did you look into quarantine laws??

[YeatesFamily]

Originally Posted by Kawena

can you stay on base?? they just spent $$$ redoing the housing there. as for the dogs.... sad.. did you look into quarantine laws??

We can look into housing on base but there are wait lists and we were not initially impressed with what we found online. However, if they have done recent renovations it may be an option.

Why do you say "sad" in regards to our dogs? We have looked into the laws and are currently going through the process. Fortunately things have changed and they can potentially qualify for reduced-time quarantines.

[spazzerella]

We just arrived here on Oahu 5 days ago with 4 animals. We were initially very interested in Ewa Beach, too. However, after cruising around there, we are less and less interested. The houses are all right on top of each other and very cramped. I didn't like the 'vibe' we got there. However, that being said, we've really grown to like the Kapolei area just past Ewa. I think that is where we're going to buy.

As to the quarantine process for the animals, if you have everything completed by a military vet, it's pretty easy. If you go to a civilian vet, it's not much harder, you just have to get an endorsement from the USDA. All of our animals (2 cats 2 large dogs) were eligible for the direct airport release program and were released to us within an hour of our arrival at the air terminal.

Side note - you may want to grab the flight from Travis to Hickam if you have large dogs. They allow the animals to ride in the pressurized cabin. They are kept in their crates and on the other side of the firewall, but they are not subjected to continuing pressure changes and extreme temperatures.

Also, with 3 dogs, you're not eligible for housing here. They limit pets to 2 per house. No exceptions from what I was told.

Anyway, good luck. It's not nearly as scary as one may think. It's a large island with lots to do. I am so excited to be here.