How to choose! Relax, explore, further afield...

Hi all

Thanks very much for all the info already shared in the forums - some great tips. I was wondering if anyone could help my fiance and I out with some dilemmas about our trip to SI. We're both divers and well travelled - we're looking for a good mixture of stuff in the space of 10 days - two weeks before heading up to PNG for a few weeks.

Uepi sounds tempting for its diving but is it too western and resorty? Certainly seems very expensive. We don't want to travel all the way to SI to feel like we could be anywhere. Zipolo Habu resort is another option but not sure how practical it is to dive with Dive Munda without staying at Agnes Lodge.

We're really keen to see some Manta Rays - have read LP's tales of Sandfly Passage but wondering if there is anything to compare up west?

I also heard that Tetepare Islands was badly hit by the earthquake in Jan 2010 - Jetty taken out along with a bunch of the buildings and things are not quite as they were. can anyone comment on this?

OG and others who aren't keen on the west, if you were to spend two weeks having a mixture of comfort (first few days of our honeymoon!), some diving, beautiful places and a proper Solomon Islands experience, where would you go?

Finally, do people who have been to both PNG and SI reckon we're weighting it right by spending more time in PNG? Thought being loads to see up there, we're off to the Goroka Festival, would like to go up the Sepik, out to some of the islands etc. We've got approx 7 weeks in all.

Any pointers much appreciated. I guess a lot of it is subjective but very hard to come to decisions from afar. I usually avoid planning hotels and onward trips like the plague but it seems like a necessary evil (to some degree) in SI and PNG when you don't have months to slowly meander around.

Cheers,

George

P.S What's the top recommend for Honiara hotel for one night between flights? Chester Resthouse? Thanks!

Link to January incident on Tetepare
I can't find anything more recent, but 6 months on, I expect significant repair work has been done, as that earthquake in January was far less devastating than the one 3 years ago. (I was on Malaita at the time, but felt nothing until an aftershock about a day later.)
Chester is good, the rooms all have 2 beds, but bathrooms are shared. St Agnes, up the road, has rooms at a price a little higher, but all have en-suites, and there is a television in the lounge. It is a good idea to book in advance, as both are popular with locals, and you can never get a room if you just arrive in a taxi from the iarport.
To see a bit more of Solomon Islands than just the Western resorts, you will need at least 2 weeks.
If you are interested in Sandfly, probably Maravagi Resort, on a neighbouring island, is the best base, They can provide transport (at a price). The Mothers Union Rest House at Tulagi is considertably cheaper and self-catering, but further from the Sandfly area.
If you want to see some of the more traditional parts of Solomon Islands, Malaita is both more traditional than the west, and now very easy to get to, and quite easy to get around.
There are planes and at least one fast boat every day to Auki, and in the last 12 months, the roads have improved markedly. Gela (where Sandfly and Maravagi are) is between Honiara (Guadalcanal) and Malaita, but it is not really practical to travel to Malaita via Gela - it is much easier to return to Honiara, then travel from there.

PS try to get one of the first 3 LP Solomon Islands editions - the accommodation and transport info is out of date, but the general information is still excellent, including maps.

Stayed many times at SSEC transit house on top of Vavaya Ridge, overlooking city center of Honiara.
Price was two months ago 120 Sol-$ per head/day
Daytime caretaker lady is called =Elisabeth=.
Telefon there: +677 - 24528
Elisabeth can be contacted through her husband, who is general manager of SSEC Church, email: jpwale (at) ssec.org.sb

SSEC Rest house is in the same area as Chester and St Agnes.

Thanks very much, much appreciated. Out of interest, do you think we'd be mad to try and make the connection to Munda on the same day as arriving from Brisbane on pacific blue - we've only got 45 mind between flights - bit tight?!

The two terminals are quite close together, but it can take a while getting through immigration, depending on how full the Virgin Blue flight is. It might be a bit tight.

i think it is also very tight with the flight to munda.
in honiara chester house is a very good accomodation. i came 3 times back to Honiara and stayed there. very comfortable, central and friendly
uipi has australian managment. i was not staying ther but visiting on a boat and wanted to dive there with their resort. I found them very strange.
Wilderness lodge has also good diving possibilitys. it is also in marovo lagoon.