Lucky's and mountain biking

I'm off to Tonga in September and while in Vava'u was planning to stay at Lucky's Beach Houses for a few nights. Would appreciate any reports on the place - the food, the beach, snorkelling, etc. Is it easy enough to get a taxi into Neiafu in the evening if we want to go out for a meal?

Also considering doing a day mountain biking (for something other than beach/snorkelling/swimming) with the Friendly Islands Kayaking Company - has anyone done this and what was it like?

Thanks in advance for your help.

I spent a few hours driving in every direction from Neiafu, and at the end of one of the roads, over a couple of causeway bridges, sits Lucky's in Talihau village. It's an OK beach, not a classic wide sandy one, but fine for lazing around under the trees. Snorkeling looked OK, but not great. It was a little rocky in the lagoon, but not real bad.

I didn't go into Lucky's, just parked near it at the little park on the beach next to it. Very pleasant and quiet spot. If you can get some idea of how good the units are, and if they are OK or better, I think it's a great location to stay.

You are quite a ways from town, maybe a 15-20 minute drive. It's a tiny village, I think I only saw one local shop. I'm sure you can arrange for a taxi to take you into town and take you back at the end of the evening, not sure how much it would cost.

But for this I'd check with the owners, their website seems pretty friendly, and so I would guess they are friendly as well. I was impressed with how starightforward it was, no hype, just what they have to offer, some suggestions, etc.

There are no real "mountains" on Vavau, just a couple of high hills, but it would be a great place to do a bit of biking and/or hiking. Several small villages radiate out from Neiafu, some are across those quaint causeways. After school the local kids often swim in the shallows near them.

I stayed in town at the Paradise, as it was December and I wanted A/C, and was glad I did. It gets VERY humid from Dec to March! But, since you are traveling in Sept., it won't be too humid. I'd give Lucky's a try if I was traveling in September.

Just came back from a four night stay at Lucky's. The owners, Lynne and Kurt, are lovely and very friendly. The resort is very pleasant. The beach is not the most beautiful but is pleasant enough, with nice views, and there is a private beach for resort stayers with a few loungers. It's a small property and meals are very sociable. Rooms are clean- I stayed in the traditional Tongan fale, which was lovely and airy but suprisingly warm with the shutters down- and the bigger house has its own kitchen. Showers are cold but you'll find that in most places of that price range. The villagers are very friendly and welcoming and we were invited to visit the weaving hall.

It is easy to get a cab from Neiafu back to the resort, but you'd have to call and order a cab to get into town, which is less reliable. It's possible but might become a hassle every night. The food at the resort was good- Lynne is a good cook and dinner was always enjoyable. Breakfast is hearty too. You'll need to pick up stuff in Neaifu for lunches. The snorkelling off the beach is reasonable; your best option is to paddle a canoe out to nearby Mala (or ask Kurt to drop you off) as there are gorgeous coral gardens there.

Vava'u is not terribly mountainous; this is good if you like to take it easy cycling, but not if you are more hard core! The island is pretty though and worth exploring, I passed quite a few pleasant hours wandering round on foot. Enjoy!

when you get to vava'u check out what is happening at tongan bobs - they do stuff like trivia night and ladies night and a drag show. Thats pretty much the only option for a night out - and its on a weekly schedual, so a reccomend you make it your 1st stop!

don't eat at the tropicana cafe. the food there is really disgusting, and it really shoul be better as its run by new zealanders - the menu reads well but the food is nasty.

the chinese near the wharf is really cheap and really nice.
the crows nest bkery cafe by the wharf is also really good, as is ciao italian which is near the church on the hill.

oh, and i stayed at vava'u geusthouse which was pretty good for the price and walking distance from town. i reccomend the fale.

I found the food @ the Chinese place near the wharf to be gawdawful, a nasty greasy mess if ever there was one.

Maybe I'm spoiled living in a place with so much good Chinese food but Tongan Chinese+ is even worse than +Costa Rican Chinese and that's saying something.

i guess it depended what you ordered, but we always got noodle and rice dishes, usually vegetarian. Sure it wasn't gourmet, but it was about $3!

I don't know what this womans problem is - she is posting about places that are no longer running in vava'u and that have changed hands.
Vava'u guest house is a cockroach hotel
Ciao is now closed
Tropicana is the best food on the island
Tonga Bobs food is disgusting and is the biggest cause of stomach bugs on the island.
Crows nest and Bounty have the most obnoxious owners you'd ever want to meet - some locals never go there.

If you haven't been to a country within the last 3 months then state it in your review!

Yes, you are right i was there 11 months ago. And most of the things i have written were written about 10 months ago. Its not my fault if things change! And honestly i am not so inclined to belive you.

7--Man, give her a f$%&ing break! she is trying to help people out. not many people post about Tonga. Sure, it might help to post when exactly someone was there, but geez, the OP's should realize that places close up, things change, etc etc. an inquiry here only points them in the right direction.

Lot's of people posting Q's aren't even going to be traveling for several months from now. So, should no one post a reply until three months before the OP is planning to leave, just so we are sure the places recommended are still operating??

I'm glad tessha_m posts her experiences, etc. I think an apology by you is warranted, but if not, well, so it goes.

(duplicated post deleted by poster)

Edited by: Raro

thanks raro :)

and for the record my "problem" was that the 2 times i ate at the tropicana cafe the food just tasted weird and wrong. i can't explain what kind of "wrong" i want to say slightly rancid but it didn't make me ill... tasted like it had lemon or something acidic in things it shouldn't have been in (like baked beans!)

Tessha, glad to see you continue posting. I've actually had about 7000 posts in 10 yrs, they deleted the first 5000 in my profile when LP got sold last yr. I've always known that much of whatever specifics I offer may have already become inaccurate, esp. when dealing with small restaurants, local tours etc. But we all have to assume that people traveling will also ask about these places when they arrive, etc., so no harm in giving your info. Yes, I guess it helps to say when exactly when one was there if one was at a place a few yrs ago, but 11 months ain't that long ago!