Suggestions for weekend around Honiara

I will be visiting the Sols for a 2 week trip in early-mid November and so I am looking for options for the weekend that would be suitable for a young at heart mid-50s woman travelling alone. I visited last year and during that visit we had a day trip to Savo which I enjoyed very much; we also visited the American memorial, botanic gardens and markets and snorkelled at one of Bonegis. My thoughts at present are to do a trip to the Florida on one day. Is it possible to stay overnight there? Alternatively, are there guides/ trips that can take me to some of the less-visited sites on Guadalcanal - I'm not particularly interested in WW2 tours. I have considered hiring a car to do some touring independently but I wonder if that is a good idea for a woman travelling alone? Thanks in advance for any help

2 week trip, but you are asking about 1 weekend right...??
So I assume you have the rest of your time there planned...
You could go over to Maravagi Resort as a weekend trip, expats in Honiara do that...usually go over Friday arvo and back Sunday, but you could go across Saturday morning and back Sunday arvo...from memory it is something like 1.5 - 2 hour each way. (apparently it is great snorkelling there, pity they don’t have gear to use and you have to take your own). There are various local tour operator options available in Honiara if staying on Guadalcanal. Check out the SI tourism website or their office when you are in Honiara.

I hired a Rav 4 Toyota from Avis (Ela Motors) on my recent trip. (I am a woman in my 60s.) However, I do have local knowledge, and was visiting places I am familiar with. The west Guadalcanal road is now in excellent condtion, and there are a number of beaches where you can pay a small fee to swim. You can also visit the satellite Festval of Arts site at Doma.
Maravagi would be a good option. It is on one of the smaller islands in Gela (Florida Isalnds). There are also accommodation options in Tulagi. 360 Discovery now stops at Tulagi on several trips a week. Check at their booking office in the arcade behind the King Solomon gift shop (near Westpac).
Auki (capital of Malaita) is also an easy weekend trip from Honiara, with the option of fast and slow boats and planes. You could even get to to Langa Langa Lagoon.

I think poster #3 learnt everything he knows about Solomon Islands on Google. There is much more information on the official Tourist Bureau website.

(Sorry, computer glitch double-posted.)

Edited by: Ozziegiraffe

Solomon Islands Honiara is one of the best tourist places in the continent. It has a lot of tourist attractions to offer but the best is Solomon Islands diving. Along with this, you can explore Botanical garden, cultural center, national museum and Chinatown to name a few. To know more about the attractions, browse through: http://www.solomonislandsresorts.com/local-attractions.html

#3 - Solomon Islands in a continent? I don't think so :-))

Looks like you've seen a lot that Honiara has already, so would recommend getting away for the weekend to experience more of Solomons.
1. Extreme Solomons often run a Saturday day trip to Central Province http://www.solomonadventures.com/

1. A weekend trip over to Auki could be good if you can leave on Friday afternoon. You could look at a real unique Solomons experience at Lunga Lunga Lagoon. See http://www.welkamsolomons.com/places/malaita/serahkei/index.html

2. Or other things in Honiara check out http://www.welkamsolomons.com/honiara/things/index.html
   There are some good bush walks of varying levels and also other beaches to explore.

In summary, Central Province trip or even Auki I would recommend while over there considering the things you've already done in Honiara.

I've noticed advertising for Extreme Solomons recently, as well as recommendatons from locals. The name amuses me, because by Solomon standards, their "adventures" are pretty tame, and confined to the area easily accessible from Honiara. However, they do seem to be good value