Need advice on resorts in Marovo Lagoon.

Hi there,

Have read about certain places located in the Marovo lagoon such as Uepi island resort and Wilderness Lodge which are advertised on the net. But they seem to have limited space ie; number of beds/rooms to stay in and it seems to be connected a lot with Auzzie divers on dive package deals and it makes me wonder if I could ever stay there (at Uepi) since i get the impression this place is booked up or gets booked up quick.

I'm in Bangkok and travel agencies here don't have a clue about the Solomon Islands. Plus I don't know or cannot exactly pinpoint a date that I would definitely be at Uepi since first i have to get to Brisbane then Honiaria, then book a flight to Seghe (Sp?) then take a boat an hour to the lagoon according to LP guidebook. Anyone done this recently?

The Marovo lagoon and an island called Tetepare are my main interests in the Solomons as i really would like to snorkel and do some light kayaking and hiking. Everything about this place called Uepi sounds awesome but not easy to get to. Seems like the Solomon islands are hard to get around in.........whatever......I really would like to stay at Uepi but can't guarantee a date but isn't that the case when your on island time? .

I guess there are other good options on the Marovo lagoon. Some are listed in my book but places like the Wilderness lodge only have a few places to sleep. Any advice about booking and staying at places along the Marovo would be much appreciated. LP guides can only tell you so much. Uepi resort is still my goal. Thanx

Dave

Hi Dave

You would love Uepi, it is one of the world's very special places. It only has 10 rooms, and yes, it does get very heavily booked. If you really want to go, you should email the resort's office, here in Australia (info@uepi.com), to see if they can help you with travel plans. Or visit the website (www.uepi.com) for more info

You can arrange flights to Seghe (code EGM) from Honiara quite easily (although the planes do get full very quickly), by visiting the Solomon airline website, then the resort will collect you by boat for transfer to Uepi Island.

We're heading back up to Uepi in two weeks, but please feel freee to PM me for more info before then if I can be of further help

cheers

Carol

Dave,
Here is a link to Tetepare, a very recent article in Solomon Star, with their email and website.

Hi Dave

I satyed in the Morovo Lagoon last year. We actually got the ferry from Honiara to Seghe, and booked to stay on Matikuri Island with a couple called Benjamin and Jilly. We had a wonderful week staying there on the island with them and their children. They have around 5 wooden huts with massive verandas right on the lagoon edge. We went swimming from our bungalow in the clear water every day, and enjoyed lots of Jilly's amazing cooking.

Matikuri isn't that far from Uepi. Ben took us to Uepi island for the day, and we visited the resort. I did two dives there, which were great. But the snorkelling around Matikuri was great too. Uepi seemed very nice, but I suppose it depends what you are looking for. To me, it was very 'resorty' - quite luxurious and not all that traditional. Although it was beautiful, it could have been a resort anywhere in the world. I much prefered to stay at Matikuri and experience the serenity and fun of staying with a Solomon family.

Ben is happy to take you anywhere around the lagoon in his boat. He will charge you a little bit extra on top of petrol costs. He is also happy to recommend other things to do around the lagoon, such as trekking, snorkelling, visiting local villages and remnants from the war. The family were so hospitable, and the stay there was very reasonable - I would really recommend them. Although they only have around 5 huts, they don;t get very booked up like Uepi - they unfortunately don;t have the advantage of the same kind of marketing! We just radioed them from the tourist office in Honiara, and booked a couple of days in advance. Ben even came at 1 o clock in the morning to pick us up from the ferry port!