Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# Any inexpensive destinations in the Pacific? Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea
viaggero 10:08 UTC 19 Apr 2008 | Just curious if there are any islands in Melanesia, Micronesia or Polynesia that are 'reasonably' priced destinations. That is, are there any that would be affordable to backpackers?Or, what would be the cheapest daily costs for visiting one - room, food, travel (minus the flight) and what island is it? Thanks, kendrick |
Laszlo 06:13 UTC 20 Apr 2008 | The cheapest countries are Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and the Solomons, roughly in that order. Note that if you want to travel around extensively, spread-out archipelagoes like the Solomons can be more expensive to get around than say compact, small Samoa. Even for these countries you should budghet roughly twice what you would for SE Asia - the barest minimum would be 20-30 USD/day, I'd say. Relatively cheap options still exist even in more expensive countries like Vanuatu, PNG or New Caledonia. This means very basic huts or camping in those countries, for 10-15 USD/night. | 1
oldpro 11:14 UTC 20 Apr 2008 | I managed OK around US$30 a day on Fiji, but it was definitely bottom end basic/budget level, and I was also away from the main tourist resorts. I don't know for sure, but Fiji possibly has the most backpacker-type and other budget infrastructure. I was there for 2 months which also helped spread out the cost of some expensive items, such as a dive, a couple of inter-island flights. I met quite few people on RTW trips who slotted in a month or more on Fiji, as it's fairly easy to get to between the Asia/N America sectors - but you'd need to route through NZ or Australia when getting to/from Asia. | 2
ozziegiraffe 13:15 UTC 20 Apr 2008 | You can get budget accommodation in Honiara for about $30 AUD a night, and pay extra for food (cheaper if two are travelling together and share a room). Food is relatively cheap if you use the main market, and budget places (eg Chester Rest House) have cooking facilities. Interisland ferries provide cheap transport (about $20 AUD to travel to Malaita rural areas, for example) and if you are happy to ride in the back of a truck, local travel is cheap. However, outboard hire is expensive as fuel has become very expensive. If you book with Skyairworld you can get Brisbane - Honiara travel for $250 AUD plus taxes one way. (Solomon Airlines have some cheap deals too. Rural homestays could be as little as $30 AUD including food, but be careful of extras you might be asked for, eg paying the local Kustom Dance group. | 3
raro 23:27 UTC 20 Apr 2008 | Fiji is a good choice, lots of cheap places to stay, local food is cheap, public transport is cheap. | 4
silvanocat 05:36 UTC 21 Apr 2008 | I'd double check any prices/budgets quoted in USD. The greenback buys far less than it once did. Also, I encountered something (last November/December) that I hadn't heard mentioned here before, a single supplement in Samoa. Both at Litia Sina and Virgin Cove, I had to pay extra because I was not sharing my fale. | 5