Munda, Gizo, Marovo Lagoon - choosing 2 out of 3

Hello,

I am going to the Solomon Islands in a few weeks, and I have heard that Munda, Gizo, and Marovo Lagoon are all fantastic. However, I probably only have time for two of these locations. Which two would you recommend, and why?

Thank you!

Skip Munda.
I found nothing fantastic about it whatsoever, though of course it's useful as a base from which to reach more interesting places nearby.

thanks for the quick reply!

for Marovo Lagoon, does anyone know how to book a room at Uepi? i emailed them at info@uepi.com but haven't gotten a response. also, does anyone know how much the cheapest room costs per night? i couldn't find rates on the website, unfortunately.

Do you know what activities you want to do in Morovo? Uepi is at the higher end of the accommodation scale and id say they answer emails Monday to Friday. You can compare prices and what everyone offers on the www.solomonislands-hotels.travel site and also info on www.visitsolomons.com . Marovo is fantastic, Munda is a small, sleepy village with lots of interesting WW11 history and Gizo is a busy little town surrouded by little islands and a hopping spot to various village stays. Enjoy wherever you choose.

thanks gizogirl! I just went to www.solomonislands-hotels.travel and I found that I can actually book Uepi and many other hotels on that website. Has anyone done this before? and if so, when you showed up at the hotel, did they have your reservation? I'm always a little nervous using these kinds of websites that I'll show up and my reservation won't be there.

also, Uepi is out of my price range. does anyone have a recommendation for a cheaper place nearby so I can still use their dive shop?

I am interested in this Solomon Islands accommodation site (www.solomonislands-hotels.travel , as this is the first time I have heard of it (perhaps because I don't often visit Western Province).
They appear to offer a good service, but don't yet have a comprehensive list of accommodation options.
Do they charge for the service?
Has anyone had experience booking through them?

As for whether or not they charge for the service, why don't you just ask them?
Though I have the feeling gizogirl might be able to tell you, too... ;-)

Some of the budget places they list on that site are so cheap they can hardly get rich on making a commission on those.
It is actually a pleasant surprise to see an online hotel booking site bothering with such cheapies!

Videshi

If you are not staying at Uepi, it's unlikely that you can use their diveshop. The resort owns the whole island - you just can't rock up there and wander around. Dives are organised for their guests. It is a very special place that is worth the price. Remember, it includes meals as well.

You might like to look at Matikuri lodge, Uepi sends some of their kayak trips there, and I've only ever heard good reports about it - but it is a far different standard to Uepi of course. And there is no diving.

Wildnerness, or Tetepare are other alternatives, neither offer diving.

Avoid Charapoana lodge - it isn't anything like it's web images suggest!

Videshi -

The distances between resorts may not seem great BUT the transport is outboard motor boat and so actual travelling times are long. Also, there are no normal telephones (only sat phones and radio). Uepi is a great place but it is deliberately a long way from anywhere else. Matakuri is on the completely opposite side of Marovo lagoon. If you want to dive, Munda might be the best option (Laszlo's comments apply to the above-water scene). Try Agnes Lodge for starters. If you can afford the trip from Matakuri to Munda by boat, do so!

The places you mention are all in a line. You could consider ending up at Gizo and then flying back to Honiara. Travelling between Marovo Lagoon and Munda and Gizo by small boat is fantastic BUT there is mo organised small boat service so you have to just ask around.

The other drawback to small boat travel is the cost of petrol, and it increases exponentially the further you are from Honiara.

You could stay at Charapoana,which is the next island across from Uepi.It is super cheap,good food,and you can organise dives at Uepi,but you have to go over in the morning(they wont pick you up).JohnFord at Charapoana is happy to take you over in his boat for minimal cost,if any.(it is only 200 metres away)He will pick you up from Seghe in his boat when you arrive there,also.Get hold of Charapoana on CB Radio,or the Visitors Bureau in Honiara will do it.Be warned-not much to do on Charapoana apart from read,and take your own beer .Its pretty basic!

The new hotels booking site is owned by Danny and Kerry Kennedy of Dive Gizo, and yes, the do take quite a hefty commission from the locals who they are booking for...

Thanks, surfingyogini. They also own the King Solomon in Honiara, I think. I met them once waiting for a plane in Brisbane (I think they may have actually helped us get a plane at all, as it was during the tension).
That explains the bias towards the west.
It would not be much use for my friends with a homestay in Malaita, as they don;'t have enough visitors or enough profit.

Nah, that's a different bunch of Kennedy's! 1 family (Shane Kennedy from Oz I think?) own King Sol and Gizo Hotel and recently bought Fatboys (which is apparently being turned into a poledancing club but that's another story!). Danny Kennedy is an ex-pat from the states who owns Dive Gizo and is the local member for Ghizo...

I'm a bit surprised at the pole-dancing, but I've always had an objection to calling anything "Fatboys" on prinicpal, even though it was supposed to be named after a fictional character.
However, since I have been involved in the identificaton and prevention of sexual exploitation, the idea of pole dancing may need monitoring.