A Month In Tonga

Hi,
We spent a month in Tonga, mid September to mid October and thought to share our experiences and views. It just took us a while to make it happen.....
We started with 10 days in Vava'u. A few important things about Vava'u: First it is quite an expensive place. We stayed at Hilltop Hotel which for Vava'u is very good value. At 80 T you get a non view room with bath and hot shower plus a big and varied breakfast. You pay 10-20 T more for a view depending on how long you stay and the views are outstanding. Now if you are budget oriented, as we` are, 80 T , about $42 US, is not cheap. We spend less for the same room in New Zealand or France. But in Vava'u you can pay 78 T at Adventure Backpackers without private bath and breakfast. The best value we found in Vava'u was the fales at Vava'u guest house at about 45 T , but they were all booked while we were there.
Vava'u is all about organised activities. If you want to dive or whale swim or go on a OTV excursion this is the place. And for sailing it is really great with a number of boats offering a variety of options. If you are into snorkeling, swimmming, or beaches Vava'u is not the place to be. Now the day out swimming with the Humpback Whales was a lifetime special experience. I won't get into the ethics of it here; its a personal choice. I will say that the folks at Dolphin Pacific Diving who we went with were very conscietous about the whales well being and the environmental regulations as well as being great whale spotters and guides. The diving was a letdown for us, but that really depends on what you have experienced before and what you enjoy under the sea. Vava'u offers outstanding topography: canyons and caves and pinnacles to swim among and through. It has little colour and not a lot of fish or other sea creatures. Oh, there are always some to watch, but we do most os our diving in Indonesia where you are talking thousands of fish on most dives and outragous coral colour. Nearby Fiji, political stuff aside, offers way better diving than Vava'u in our opinion. We explored most of the Vava'u group by road and foot and found few decent beaches, none near the capital, and we like beaches while in the tropics!
Ha'apai offered much more of what we like. It is not a place to go for organized activities. Oh there are some, but Vava'u is much better oganized if you like lots to do. We like the more laid back explore on your own feel of Ha'apai. Except for the REALLY EXPENSIVE Sandy Beach Resort and its new EXPENSIVE neighbour on the north tip of Foa ( beautiful beach and very clear water ) accomodations are basic in Ha'apai and there is only one resturant to speak of, the excellent Mariners Cafe. However, most places have kitchens you can use for about 2 T a day and shopping is a bit of an adventure to find all you hope to find. You meet a lot of friendly locals in the process. It is a good idea to bring any special foods you like, like cheese, ffrom Tongatapu or Vava'u. We stayed at Evaloni Guest House. That and Langi Langi are the best in our view. They are real friendly family places and the meals they offer are large and tasty for good value. The rooms are basic and at 25 T they are only a bargain because the South Pacific is not a region for value on an Asian scale. Still, for Tonga they are good value. There is good swimming behind the closed hotel about half an hour walk north of Pangai and the best snorkeling we found or heard about in Tonga off the SW corner of Lifuka, about a 45 minute walk south of Pangai. Turn right on the small track through the small cemetery just north of the tip of the island to find the best spot to enter the sea, and a decent beach too.
Our favorite spot in Tonga was on the smallish island just south of Lifuka. Beautiful white sand beaches, sheltered seas for swimming and good, if not great snorkeling. It is very peaceful, or very boring, depending on what you like. We like very peaceful and stayed 10 days at Captain Cook "Resort". The wood bungalow there, right on the beach and with a nice veranda and lots of windows is the choice place to stay on the island. Soni, the owner, seems more Mediterranian than Tongan in nature, which is challenging compared to the laid back norm in Ha'apai, but he is quite ok when you get used to his nature. He will not want to talk price when you arrive and the prices he lists at his place are higher than those he lists at the Tourist Office ( book there ) in Pangai. We sat with him and talked for about half an hour over tea when we arrived at CCR and each time we brought up price he avoided it. In the end we made our point as well as setting up a time for meals and our food preferences. It may sound pushy and structured, but it worked out very well for everybody. We always had our meals, which got better every day as he fine tuned to our likes and dislikes. And the price was known to all. ( We paid 60 T a day for bungalow and 2 meals for 2 of us, a 10 % discount from the rates at the tourist Office for staying a week or more ). Others who came during our stay often had little food at odd hours while Soni always honoured his agreement with us. OH, very imortant, DO NOT bring Soni alcahol. Oh, he loves to drink, but knows not when to stop, and will be a wreck and a bear the next day. Your meals will reflect this!
Because Lonely Planet said some negative stuff about Soni / CCR few people stay there. Most stay at Tiana's about 200 meters away. Well CCR has much more comfy rooms and at least as good food, from what we heard from folks staying at Tiana's. Up to you, but either way this island is a South Pacific paradise.
Finally, we only spent 2 days on Tongatapu, but would reccomend Tony's for its value and friendlyness plus a very nice location just outside of town. They make it easy running you in and out of town for only 1 T each way.
If anyone wants more info please write us at solana_g@yahoo.com as we won't be checking here to see. hey, it took us 2 months to get this together! Be Well and Enjoy! Solana and Maria

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<hr>DO NOT bring Soni alcahol<hr></blockquote>

We figured that one out the minute we set foot in Captain Cook's and met him!

I agree that not many beaches on the main island of Vavau. It was a bit disappointing. But if one can rent a car and get to Talehau (sp?) across a few causeways, there is a small decent beach at the end of the village.

Thanks for your report. I copied it for future reference.

Hi,
we have a few incredibly beautiful beaches here, but most tourists don't know them. If you take a boatride you can visit lonely islands with endless beaches. Just take your time here and meet some expatriates, they'll name the place or take you there.
Katharina

thanks. can you put paragraphs in please?