A Soft Place to Land While You House Hunt

The Navy Lodge is the official lodging for families on PCS orders. If it is full, ask the front desk for a Certificate of Non-Availability before you book a hotel in town. You will need it for your claim.

• Where: Building 1172 on Addor Street, Port Hueneme.
• Reservations: 800-628-9466 or the front desk at 805-985-2624.
• Rooms: standard, business class and accessible. Every room has a full kitchen. Breakfast and Wi-Fi are free.
• Check in after 4 pm. Check out by 11 am. Cancel by 4 pm on arrival day.
• Who can stay: active duty, Reserve, retirees, disabled veterans, Purple Heart and Medal of Honor recipients, DoD civilians and their families.

Pets: dogs and cats up to 70 pounds, two at most. Bring vaccination records and a crate for when you step out. The 2023 Navy Lodge policy set the fee at $25 a night, capped at $250 a stay. Confirm the fee when you book.

Book the day you get orders. Summer PCS season fills the Lodge weeks ahead, and pet friendly rooms go first.

Gateway Inns are built for travelers on temporary duty, but they take families when there is room. Check the Navy Lodge first.

You rarely miss the air conditioning this close to the water.

Run by Navy Getaways for leisure stays, right on the base beach.

• 26 hotel rooms with kitchenettes and patios, two beach cabins, four yurts and tent sites.
• Reservations 855-968-7697, any hour. Front desk 805-989-8407.
• For ID card holders. Active duty can book a year out, everyone else six months.
• No pets in the hotel rooms. One cottage takes pets for a fee.
• The RV park next door is closed for renovation with no reopening date posted.

Fairways RV Resort at Port Hueneme has 85 full hookup pull through sites for rigs up to 40 feet, two dog parks and free laundry. Call 805-982-6123. Families who PCS with a trailer often stay here while they close on a house.

Temporary Lodging Expense helps cover lodging and meals while you are between homes on a stateside move. The current rule allows up to 21 days at up to $290 a day, based on rank and family size. Keep every receipt and confirm your entitlement with your pay office.

Twenty one days is enough to close on a home if you start early. Buyers who are pre-approved before they arrive and tour homes by video often get keys inside that window.