3 Months (Mar/Apr/May) with two very small children, where to go in the SP?

Hi everyone,

as part of our round-the-world trip next year we are planning to spend three months (Mar/Apr/Jun '09) in the South Pacific. My wife and I have travelled a lot throughout the word but never been anywhere in the SP before. We'll be with our small kids (2 and 4 years old), who are pretty uncomplicated travelers themselves and used to sleeping in new places ... but of course they're kids, so there'll be the occasional crying at night or a temper tantrum ;-)

We've raided the local library and there is a stack of guidebooks on our bedside tables that we've been working our way through. Here is what we are looking for, along with some (maybe incorrect) opinions we've formed from the web and guide books:

1. Since we'll be traveling (without an income) for a while, we'll have to economize a bit. We realize that, cost-wise, the SP is a few steps above South-East Asia and will have to adjust for that. Still, spending US$150/day for the four of us together is pretty much our upper limit. That seems to eliminate French Polynesia and point us more towards Samoa or the Cook Islands. How do the different countries and island groups roughly rank price-wise?

2. Because of the kids we'll have to "travel slower" and will probably want to stay at least a week in places. That opens the possibility of renting a vacation house somewhere. We've done some research, but found very little. Rarotonga seems to be the only place where that is common. Did we miss something? Where else would be a good place to rent a house for 2 weeks or even a month? Any specific recommendations?

3. As for activities, a nice (safe for kids) beach without too much of a surf or sharp rocks is very important to us. Maybe something where you can snorkel right off the beach? We enjoy getting to know a new culture, so a village or small town close by would be nice as well. Some kind of hiking or walking possibilities would be great, the kids can handle an hour or two.

4. Even though I'm certified, I'm not a big time scuba fan. This probably sounds weird, especially going to a dive mecca like the SP, but I enjoy snorkeling almost more than diving. So great scuba possibilities are not important to us ... but great snorkeling is.

What we are thinking of right now is along these lines:

• Fly from Santiago to the Easter Islands and spend a few days there
• Next stop is Rarotonga, maybe rent a vacation rental for a week or two?
• Fly to Aitutaki and spend a week
• Make our way to Samoa and spend a month between the islands there
• Last stop Fiji for a month, probably a good chunk of those 4 weeks in the Yasawa group

What do you think? Makes sense? Way off? Should we go Tonga instead of Samoa or Fiji? What about Vanuatu, would that be a good destination for our needs? We'll be missing New Caledonia and the Solomons as well, a mistake?

I know all advice is very subjective, but we would really really appreciate any and all hints or tips. Should we be visiting different islands? What shouldn't we miss? Do you know a vacation rental we should look into? Or maybe a specific resort that is great for little children? Have you been in the area with small kids yourself and what would you do the same or differently?

Thanks for taking the time to read this and even more if you spend a minute or two replying.

Finn, Lara, Anna & Uwe

I would suggest you include some time in a Melanesian country other than Fiji (eg Vanuatu or Solomon Islands) to get a more comprehensive view of the Pacific. Fijians look Melanesian, but their culture tends ot be Polynesian.
If you are travelling all that way, and have 3 months, having a varied cultural experience would be worth it.
Samoa, Cooks and Tonga are all Polynesian, so 1 or 2 of them would be enough combined with Fiji and either SI or Vanuatu,
(New Caledonia, like French Polynesia has the French influence, that affects both culture and cost).

Please check your personal messages.

Rarotonga has a lot of rental houses now. Until April it will be hot and humid, so make sure your place has a ceiling fan, and insect screens are a must. I would not deal through JetSave, their rates seem higher than others for the same rental place. Try to deal directly with the owner, if you can somehow find them via www.ck or other links.

There are a few rental houses in Aitutaki, but quality really varies.

It will cost extra to hit both Tahiti and the Cooks, so you can just go LAX to the Cooks, then to NZ, and hit Tonga and or Samoa or Fiji on the way out up and of the South Pacific. You'll have to check the best and cheapest routes, but Air NZ will probably be a big part of it.

Thank you all for your replies so far.

We've been looking into Vanuatu to get a taste of Melanisian culture, but somehow haven't gotten "to grips" with it. It seems to be off the more beaten paths in the Pacific and (while we've looked through the guide book) we've gotten very little input from people that have actually visited it. It's not really off our list yet, but not high up on it either. We'd love to hear suggestions what makes it so different from the other islands (except of course the culture).

Raro, thanks for your input. We've been reading a lot of your posts on the forums and been learning a lot from them. Thanks for taking the time!

Is there a specific house you'd recommend on Rarotonga or Atutaki? We've been surfing the web, but it's very very tough to decide solely on a web page or two.

Regarding flights, we will be on a 7 month trip from California to Europe (where we're actually moving to). Before the south pacific we'll spend some time in Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Chile and our "jumping off point" to the SP is Santiago. From there the logical next step are the Easter Islands. From there my understanding (which might be wrong) is that the only onward flight is to Tahiti. Our plan is not to spend any time there and get right on the next plane to Rarotonga. After the Cooks, our understanding is that there are flights to Samoa and then onwards to Fiji. From Fiji it will be Bali (via Australia or New Zealand) and then finally Europe. So we are looking for the most "efficient" flight route from Santiago through the SP on to Bali.

Thank you all again for your replies!

To put it very generally, size is the biggest difference.
Micronesian islands are tiny, Polynesian relatively small, and Melanesian much bigger,
The other major difference is language and culture.
Whereas Polynesian languages are related, and each country only has one (similarly Fiji, apart from the outer islands and Hindi), Melanesian countries have many languages and cultures - 80 in Solomon Islands, and over 200 in PNG. I am not sure of the number in Vanuatu - it is a bit smaller than SI,so maybe about 60.
Also, the Melanesian countries are less developed and tourist-oriented.

#4-- On Rarotonga, I'd avoid the west coast ("Arorangi"). Lagoon is pretty shallow, and rental houses are targeted by the local petty thieves. Look for one near Muri Beach (SE of the island) or Titikaveka (south coast).

Terry Lambert has a couple of rental houses on and near Muri Beach. His rates are reasonable, and he's a nice guy too. Not sure of current rates. The MacQuarie's have a couple of rental houses on or near the beach in Titikaveka. I don't have any links for them, but start at www.ck and take it from there. Others in those two areas would be good also. The ones right on the beach are pretty expensive, Nextin price are the ones on the main road, which can be maybe 100m from the beach. Cheapest are the few on the side roads heading inland. Those will have a lot more mosquitos however.

From Easter Island, heading west, you can only fly to Tahiti. From there you can head to New Zealand on the big carriers, but to go to the Cooks you have to get a separate airfare on Air Tahiti/Air Rarotonga. From the Cooks you can only go down to NZ, no connections any more to Samoa or Fiji. So, the costs will add up a bit. From NZ you can head up to Samoa/Tonga/Fiji. There are some flights between those islands, but often it's not on the main int'l carrier that allows the same RTW or RT ticket at a cheaper price than the local ones. So again, your costs will go up.

you may be able to go from Fiji to Vanuatu/Solomons etc, and then to Bali from there, but you'll probably have to go via Australia (or NZ).

You should really spend a bit of time checking the available air routes and the costs of each itinerary. It could get pretty pricey. I'd contact whatever airlines are in the same alliance as LAN Chile, as that is the one that will get you from Santiago to Easter Island, and then to Tahiti. See if you can get from NZ or Aust. up to Fiji/Tonga/Samoa on one of their partners (Cooks would be a separate trip in among all that). Then see if any partners head west from there.

There are regular flights Fiji-Vanuatu-Solomons (check Air Pacific, Solomon Airlines, Air Vanuatu, SkyAirWorld (I'm not sure if the last one has organised Santo - Honiara flights yet, but I know they were planning them.
Also, weekly Air Niugini flights Honiara to Port Moresby, and onward flights to Asia from there.