Mililani is a nice place and close to Schofield Barracks/Wheeler if that is where he will be stationed at. The rent will be higher because it is closer to the main hwy (H1) but while it is you will end up spending less money on gas, time on the road, wear on your car in the end. Getting out of Ewa Beach after 6 am is a nightmare, weekends are bad as well. It isn’t that far to go down to the beach but to be honest the waves at Ewa can get pretty high so it isn’t the safest place to take little ones. Mililani is about 10/15 minutes from Schofield, 20 from Hickam/Pearl Harbor and 35/40 from Kaneohe Bay. There is 2 beaches at Hickam you can go to that are nice, low waves, wading water, etc… There is one at KBay that is decent as well. You can try up at North Shore area too. Or you can drive over to Ko’Olina where they have specific coves that are great for babies.

Schofield is a decent size base, full commissary, new exchange, movie theater, bowling alley. PH & Hickam are the same, Kbay’s is nice as well.

With the cars definitely ship the better one, with the 2nd one it can depend if it has been good for you so far then ship it because to get a decent used car there will be around the same cost. There is used car lots on the base to choose from. You could keep the Audi til the last minute, ship the other vehicle asap and then it would be there waiting for you when you arrive. Then sell it and buy another one or motorcycle when you get there. If he wants to get certified to get a motorcycle then Hawaii is definitely the place. There is a dealer in Waipahu called Seven Seas Cycle that is awesome, they really bend over backwards for the military.

We were there twice on orders, I’m white, my husband is black, we lived in Kunia, Aiea & Salt Lake areas and never had problems. I took the bus to work each morning and was the only white girl on it. We ate at small restaurants (they have some great ones to eat at less than 30 bucks for the family), local beaches, everything, never a problem. You are always going to get the idiot every so often but it happens no matter where you are. be positive, dont show an attitude, be respectful and you should be fine.

jobs can be tough because it has the lowest unemployment rate out there. It can depend on what you do. They are always looking for teachers if that is something you want to look into. Housing is PPV now so they can be looking for staff. It might take a little while

yes it is expensive but probably not as bad as Europe.

Mililani is a great community for a young family. Lots of parks, several community swimming pools, & good shopping. But the commuting into Honolulu is bad. If you live out that side, try to find employment no further east than Aiea. As far as employment goes… it really depends on your skill set, experience, & how well you relate to people. If you are going head to head with a local & everything else is equal, the local is likely to get the nod because he or she has a built in sense of how to get along here and they are more likely to be here for the long haul. But having said that, my department hired a haole military wife because she was the best applicant. We knew she would only be with us a couple of years & were sad to see her go when her husband was reassigned.

Leave the car. There are plenty to choose from here. You can buy them from a car lot on Hickam AFB, or see the outside bulletin boards at the military malls.
For employment, it’s best to live closer to town. If you live in Ewa Beach, you won’t like the commute. It is often an hour or more and won’t change soon. Finding employment is not hard. A lot of it has to do with networking.
You might consider buying a townhome since interest rate are close to 5% now. Your BAH money pays the mortgage, then you deduct the interest from your taxable income. That is a huge benefit. Generally speaking the rent goes higher as the neighborhoods get better. You may want to consider Kailua or Hawaii Kai as well.

I arrived in Hawaii for the 2nd time as E-7 and retired here after a 4-year tour. I really enjoyed it. Send me an email regarding the type of job you be looking for, and I can send you suggestions. I have lived here over 10 years.

Hanauma Bay for snorkeling is a must. It isn’t free, but is well worth the nominal parking fee & the $5 per person admission. Even if your kids are not strong swimmers, they will be safe & they will see fish, guaranteed. You can rent gear if you don’t own any.

Flying kites is fun. Sandy Beach, just down the street from Hanauma Bay, is a good place. On the w/e’s you will see lots of huge, fancy kites & you might even get to see a hang glider land. Kapiolani Park, at the eastern end of Waikiki is another good place to fly kites.

Kapiolani Park also has a decent zoo – it won’t compete with San Diego, but it is nice & a small aquarium. On the w/e’s local artists diplay their wares for sale at “Art on the Fence” just outside the zoo. If there is a concert at the shell you can listen from your beach mat just outside. There are also some beachside restaurants with entertainment that you can enjoy while you stroll the beach.

Just west of the Ala Moana Center there is Kakaako Waterfront Park where local kids delight in sliding down the hills on big pieces of cardboard. Your hotel could probably fix you up with some boxes. There is also a children’s museum in the area, which I can not vouch for, as I have never been.

I’ve yet to meet a kid who couldn’t kill an hour or two wading around in a tide pool, catching hermit crabs, etc. You can find some near the Turtle Bay hotel or in Mokuleia on the north shore.

The Hawaii Nature Conservancy at the back of Makiki Valley has some good programs for kids.

Fireworks happen every Friday off the Hilton Hawaiian Village. I don’t remember if it is at 8 or 9 pm.

There are a number of easy hiking trails on the island. If this interests you, you can get specific information about the trails by typing “hiking Oahu” into your search engine.

I don’t know how much the catamaran rides are off Waikiki Beach, but if they aren’t too pricey, the kids are sure to have a great time.

Zippy’s is sort of a local Denny’s. The closest ones to Waikiki are the one next to Sears at Ala Moana Shopping Ctr & one on Kapahulu Blvd. The Pagoda, near Ala Moana, is a fun place for kids, as the restaurant is surounded by a koi pond. The buffet is reasonably priced. The Oceanarium Restaurant is built around an aquarium several stories high. The food is nothing special but the kids will love watching someone feed the fish.

Mililani is one of the better parts of town. Mililani has many small parks for you and the kids. many haoles live there, fairly new area. in fact my mother lives there. Ewa beach is too crowded. it takes about 20 minutes just to get out of Ewa beach on a workday to get to the freeway. the 97 i would sell and get rid of, buy a cheaper more economical car in hawaii, the salt air rusts everything.
my wife is haole, i am asian, i found work after 3 weeks of interviews, my wife took over 7 months to find work.
the locals speak pidgin and some english, but on post its a whole different world. be wary of the leeward coast, too many homeless there. the great part of the military is that you get to “taste” different parts of the world and eventually you get to move away from Hawaii too.

Duke’s is not the greatest for kids. There is an IHOP in Waikiki on Kuhio Avenue–great place to fill up the kids. Cheeseburger in Paradise is fun, near Fort de Russy.

You can hike in Makiki Valley (park at the gate and hike up). There are many hiking trails but you need a car to get to most of them. Driving around the island is fun–the North Shore is very pretty, and the Dole Plantation store in central Oahu is fun.

You might wanna ship your car. You might want to sell it. I’m selling mine when I move to Hawaii this summer or before christmas. I live in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and its still about $3,000 to ship my 97 Pathfinder. So I mind as well sell it, and buy another used car. Or maybe a scooter! It’s always warm, why not haha. I have two really good friends that spent their entire lives out there, and the towns the first guy listed are good places to raise a family. Dont’ get caught up in worrying about what locals think of you. You’ll be very welcomed, if you dont come there and cause drama, or act like a tourist. Yeah, of course there will always be that person that is a bother, but thats everywhere. You’ll love it. I’m coming out there this july for 2 weeks again. I love it so much I’m just getting up and spending my life there. If you like to go for walks, you’re in the perfect place.

Finding a job shouldnt be that hard to be honest. I already found a great career out there, just by talking to someone. It depends how much inspiration you have though. I love the people that live there though. A lot. Haven’t had a problem whenever I’ve talked to a local. The people there are another reason I’m moving out there.

Of course if you ever need more advice, you can email me.

As I said i’ll be out there in July for 2weeks, and moving out there by christmas. I dont know what town I’m moving to, but I”ll be on Oahu. My one friend operates his own photography business out there, and eventually we’re getting together to start up a catering business.

~~Aloha Chocolate Chip…my kids are 12, 14 and 17 and they prefer the Beach to just about anything when we are in Waikiki (well my 2 daughters DO LOVE shopping BUT that is a different story all together…LOL…) My Kids are Avid Surfers so they are pretty content to spend all of their time at the Beach…I am going to give you my Tried and True List…maybe there will be some things on there your Family will Enjoy…Very Few things besides the Beach or Hanging out at your Pool will be Inexpensive or Free..but here ya go~~Aloha,Enjoy and E Komo Mai~~Michelle~~

Hanuama Bay Snorkel or just stand there and look and walk with the fish – take the bus about an hour get there early the area fills fast very pretty

Hilo Hatties factory tour but then you might spend buying clothes free shuttle
Buy some peanut butter and jelly for lunches

Ewa beach is not in a downtown area. It’s pretty far from town and “country-like,” if you will. Mililani is also pretty far from town. I say the best place to live in Oahu is Hawaii Kai, Kahala or in the Ala Moana area. It is close to town, if not in town. A very safe environment and there is a beach near by (about 5-20 minute walk).

I’m not very sure on used cars but a new moped will cost you around 2 grand. Used cars can run up to $10k but sometimes they have sales as low as $1. I think it would be worth having your cars shipped for $3k.

There is no discrimination against those who aren’t local. You will have no problem applying for jobs. Something very important that you should know is that we speak “pigeon.” Most people in Hawaii do not speak in proper english but rather in slang. For example: “He, She, They, Them, It, etc.” will be said as “da kine.”

If you come to Hawaii, please don’t pick up this pigeon talk. It’s a turn off when going to an interview or talking to someone of importance.