Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# Please help me find my perfect island spot Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea
raslat 12:18 UTC 24 Apr 2009 | Hey all, I'm looking for my ideal spot to visit in the pacific! I'm thinking of a place which has an old colonial two storey hotel/backpackers with large verandahs (possibly painted white), has a few relaxed backpacker types and which is pretty much on a nice quietish beach. Nearby I would possibly like just a couple of shops and there would need to be a good spot to have a beer either at the hotel or at a nice outdoor pub. I would also like the possibility of renting/buying a bike/scooter to drive around a bit. Anyone know the place? |
islandboi321 00:31 UTC 25 Apr 2009 | You've been reading too many romance novels... (: | 1
cruzando13 00:38 UTC 25 Apr 2009 | come to ocean beach (san diego) in the summer. we even have palm trees and no bugs but most days it's not more than 75 degrees. the hostel you described made me think of it and everything else fits .. but i live here and i'd much rather holiday on the other side of the equator. | 2
islandboi321 01:23 UTC 25 Apr 2009 | Seriously though, it sounds more like a Caribbean schtick than Pacific. Most of the older colonial towns in the Pacific may have this type of architecture, but I've never seen in on the beaches anywhere in my travels there. | 3
oldpro 06:41 UTC 26 Apr 2009 | it sounds more like a Caribbean schtick than Pacific. Sounds correct. Only one place I know of in Fiji comes only approximately close to your fantasy image - the Royal hotel in Levuka on Ovalau island. But, there's no beachfront, and is really not a backpacker place. The more common type of accommodation for the backpacker types and others are the small beach huts (called 'bure' in Fiji). A couple of small island resorts near Levuka - Caqalai and Leleuvia - is like this. The beach, but no colonial architecture. | 4
Laszlo 08:15 UTC 29 Apr 2009 | I second Ovalau in Fiji. The only place that came straight into my mind when reading the OP. OK, its colonial accommodation is not right on a beach, but hey, you can't have everything? Some out of the way places in PNG might fit the bill too - without the backpacker scene, of course! | 5