Why should you go glamping in Oahu Hawaii? For us, the obvious reason is that hotels in Oahu are over the top expensive, and we wanted to save some money.
We landed in Oahu in the latter part of 2022, at this time hotels were quite expensive and if you were staying near Waikiki beach parking would most often be an additional charge. So for the modestly paid Cabbage couple, we couldn’t afford it.
So how did we end up going? Well, we needed to find a few ways to save money, and one of those ways was to stay at the Sun Farm. This post is all about our experience and our review of the place.
The Sun Farm
Located on the outskirts of Hawaii Kai, away from the hustle and bustle of Honolulu, is a 3-acre farm that offers Yurts and Campers for Oahu’s nature-seeking thrifty visitors. In addition to lodging the Sun farm also offers farm tours, fruit picking, and flower picking. But the main attraction for us was the affordable lodging.
Lodging
The Sun farm offers two main types of lodging: Yurts and Campers. But they also offer Campervan sites and Tent sites for those of you who have decided to rent a camper van or bring a tent.
We didn’t rent a Campervan because rental fees for the camper vans were also quite high. But if you’re interested in renting one I’ve included a link to companies on the island that rent them out.
- https://www.hawaiisurfcampers.com/
- https://www.hawaiibeachcampervans.com/
- https://hawaiicamperhubllc.business.site/
- http://www.surfervan.com/
- https://www.alohacamperadventures.com/
- Island Nomad
- https://alohavanlife.com/
- Camp van Hawaii (No Website)
- https://www.haleonwheelscampervans.com/
- https://www.peakadventurevans.com/
Sun Farm offers two sizes of Yurts a larger one and a smaller one. The larger yurts, have larger beds that are off the ground and have more space. When we visited, the smaller yurts were the only ones available. The smaller yurts come with a single mattress which is placed on the ground. We were able to communicate with the owner Marcos and he was able to provide a futon (for an additional fee), so we didn’t have to share the single bed. You can also rent a camper but these are a little more expensive.
The yurts and camper are equipped with electricity and a power bar. The power bar doesn’t come with a USB plugin so you’ll need to bring a USB wall charger. If you’d like to purchase one my affiliate link is https://amzn.to/3IGqgN5.
We were there for five nights. We couldn’t unpack all our clothes for the whole duration of the stay, but we used the trunk of our vehicle as a makeshift locker so it wasn’t too bad.
The Sun Farm Amenities
The amenities at Sun Farm are communal, and they offer parking, a hot outdoor shower, semi-clean toilets, laundry (for an extra cost), a kitchen, and a fridge.
Parking
The distance from the parking isn’t too far away, about a 1-3 minute walk depending on if you can snag the upper parking or the lower parking. It’s first come first serve, so if you plan on adventuring all day, you’ll probably need to park in the lower parking lot.
Showers
The outdoor shower was unique, it didn’t have a roof. So if it rained while you were showering, you’d be showering in the rain which is an experience in itself. We were often the last to shower at night, and there were times when the water wasn’t hot. But I noticed that if I shut the water off and lathered the shampoo on my head the hot water tank refilled enough to finish the shower. Also, there was one time when the lights were turned off (there’s no light switch) but it was easy enough to grab a phone turn on the flashlight, and place it on the shelf.
Toilets
The toilets were kind of clean. They weren’t hotel clean but they were considerably cleaner than the public toilets we used at the numerous beaches we visited. Also, there are two of them so considering the number of people that are staying there, you’ll likely not have to wait to use the toilets. The toilets are about a minute’s walk from the Yurts and Camper, so it isn’t as convenient as being in a hotel. The walls between the toilets are also paper thin, so this reduces your privacy a little.
Kitchen, Fridge and Dining area
The kitchen area was nice, it was equipped with a propane stove and kitchen supplies. We didn’t use it but at least we had the option. However, we did use the fridge, Oahu is a foodie paradise so we normally had leftovers. There was also microwave which we used to heat the leftovers up.
Roosters
Lastly, Sun Farms is equipped with Roosters. The crowing starts around 4 in the morning. We brought earplugs, so the roosters didn’t bother us too much. However, around 8-9 am there is a particular rooster that crows right beside the yurts. I think the rooster thought it was funny, I tried crowing back to tell it to stop, but unfortunately, it didn’t work.
Location
Sun Farms is located about a 40 – 50 minute drive from the airport. We had rented a car so getting there wasn’t an issue for us. Sun Farms is willing to transport you, for a cost. My recommendation is to rent a vehicle as I think it gives you the most freedom to explore the island.
It is also located near shopping centers, Koko Head hike, and Hanauma Bay. If these are things you’d like to explore then this place would be great for you.
Rentals
We didn’t use this service but they also have surfboards and mopeds for rent.
Final Thoughts
Do I recommend Sun Farms? Yes and no.
Sun Farms isn’t for everyone, if your imagining a place with an ultra clean washroom, an accessible pool, and room service this place is not for you. Sun Farms allowed us to be able to explore Oahu Island in an affordable way.
Also, we don’t have any children so our situation might be different from yours.
Sun Farm offers a Glamping experience, which is head and shoulders more comfortable than staying at a campground without these amenities.
We did consider going to a regular campsite, it was more affordable, around $10 per day. But keep in mind there would be no bed, no yurt to rent, no electricity, unclean washrooms, cold showers, no kitchen, and no fridges. This option wasn’t for us, but if you’d like to explore this option further I’ve provided a link (https://camping.honolulu.gov/).
For us, the extra cost was worth it and we had a great experience staying at Sun Farm. Obviously, we weren’t expecting a 5-star hotel, but if you’re a nature-seeking thrifty visitor, this place is perfect for you.
If you’d like to learn more about Sun Farm their website is https://sunfarmhawaii.com/.
