Two weeks in Tonga - trip report

We recently spent two weeks in Tonga and as I found the previous trip reports really helpful I thought I would add my own.

We flew into nukualofa at 11pm and were greeted at the airport by someone from the Fuamota Transit Lodge which we had prebooked. It was very nice to have only a 5min drive to the accomodation. The accomodation was basic (worst shower we had) but the bed was ok and people were friendly. In the morning we were given a huge breakfast, an impromptu drive to the kings country residence and driven back to the airport for our flight to Vavau. Total cost was 60TOP for two people, transfers, breakfast and accomodation. I would definitely recommend it for a night between flights like we had.

Flight to Vavau was on time, and uneventful.

Port Wine Guest House - we spent a whole week in Vavau at this place and can't recommend it enough. It was 50TOP per night for a double (the single room was 30TOP). It's run by Luisa and her son Tai is moving back to help run it. There are currently only 4 rooms but they are planning on expanding. They were incredibly friendly and made you feel like part of the family. It was also very clean, had a warm shower and they have now (on the day we left) replaced all the mattresses with ones Tai brought back from Melbourne. Breakfasts we mainly ate bananas and mangoes from the garden (free) and we cooked a lot of our own meals in the kitchen. It's very central as well. It also seems to be one of the few accomodation options owned by Tongans.

Flight to Ha'apai was delayed, but only by two hours so that was ok.

We initially dumped our bags at Evaloni's guest house, but then Craig from mariner's offered us a lift to Uoleva (20TOP per person) so we spent two nights there. The island was beautiful and very relaxing (the worst part was the very persistant mosquitos). It was 40TOP for the double room, and 15TOP for dinner. Dinner was incredibly good, and lots of food. Breakfast was 6TOP and much better value than using the cooking facilities (5TOP). Although the island was beautiful, it's not somewhere you would want to stay alone. There was one girl who thought she was going to be alone on the island and was very grateful to have other people show up (and this is someone who was very willing to spend the night in the airport - see One week in Tonga thread previously). We asked Sonny (owner) to make us a campfire one night which he did. Great place to do nothing!

We then went back to Evaloni's for two nights to attempt to go whale watching (the weather had been too rough in Vavau and although we tried to go 3 times they only went out once and we didn't see any whales). We went with Happy Haapai divers (only operators in Haapai) and although there were no whales we had a good day snorkelling and sailing. (They charged us half price as there were no whales - only the second time in the season they hadn't seen whales!). Evaloni was lovely and it was clean and comfortable (25TOP for the double room).

Flight to Tongatapu was delayed and we weren't told it was going to be so we spent a long time sitting around the airport.

We spent our last two nights in Heileila Holiday Lodge, which was very beautiful and comfortable. We were craving a little solitude by this point as everywhere else we stayed had been very social, so it was nice to have a bit more privacy. (65TOP for the double including breakfast and free internet). We did the island tour with Toni's which was a good way to see all the sights of the island.

All in all it was a great holiday, and although disappointed to spend two weeks in Tonga in whale watching season (we got there end of September) we are using that as an excuse to go back next year. (The non-whale seeing was particularly disappointing when we ran into people who had spent the same two weeks but done the second week at Vavau and seen lots of whales as the weather had improved by then!)

Edited by: CarolBatLP to add trip report tag

For the more chatty report of what we did see trip report

I tried to keep the above short (but obviously failed at that!) with more of the practical details.

Your accomodation was at Captain Cook's in Uoleva, correct?

Did you notice if Tiana's is still up and running? (The place next door just down the beach).

Thanks for a great report.

Wondering too where you stayed on Uoleava. Why do you say that the island is not somewhere you would want to stay alone? Was there something on that particular island or you wouldn't want to stay alone on any island like that? I mean is the comment and the woman's concern about being alone about being alone (which for introverts like me is heaven) or feeling unsafe there because it seemed unsafe?

Yes, Tiana's is still up and running. It is more basic (sleep on mats on the floor) and looked quite rundown, but we spoke to people who stayed there who loved it.

As for staying alone at Captain Cook's: It is incredibly isolated with just the owner who is a little odd and there have been reports (in guidebooks) that women should not stay there alone. The combination of those reports, the odd owner and the isolation mean I wouldn't have wanted to be there alone. For men, or two girls together etc it would be fine.

Great report, Makes me want to go particularly to Vava'u. Have been meaning to catch a yacht there for some time - just a day and a half away. You can be gauranteed to swim with whales in Niue during the season - thats if the Japaneses haven't killed them during the summer in Antarctica.

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<hr>Yes, Tiana's is still up and running. It is more basic (sleep on mats on the floor) and looked quite rundown<hr></blockquote>

Sounds like it hasn't changed, then!

I stopped by Port Wine Guest House (Vavau) late one afternoon just to check it out. No one was around, and it looked a little run down from the outside, but it is in a great location, a couple of blocks from the center of town. Didn't get a chance to go back. Glad to hear it is a nice place!

just because I dont mind hanging out in the airport in the middle of the night waiting for my flight out in the morning, doesnt mean I looked forward to spend the next 5 days with just myself and I (oh, and Sonny and Maria) in a deserted island. :) Ok, solitude wasnt that bad after all, in the end, when cabin fever hit ...but hey, nevertheless, glad you guys came along! :)

oh, and you forgot to include in your report - our Pole Dancing session using the street sign pole on the roadside in Lifuka, Ha'apai, on our very bored last night! :) Ahh, entertainment...

pictures please. ;-)

haha...no.