| Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 | ![]() |
Any inexpensive destinations in the Pacific?Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea | ||
Just curious if there are any islands in Melanesia, Micronesia or Polynesia that are 'reasonably' priced destinations. That is, are there any that would be affordable to backpackers?Or, what would be the cheapest daily costs for visiting one - room, food, travel (minus the flight) and what island is it? Thanks, | ||
The cheapest countries are Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and the Solomons, roughly in that order. Even for these countries you should budghet roughly twice what you would for SE Asia - the barest minimum would be 20-30 USD/day, I'd say. Relatively cheap options still exist even in more expensive countries like Vanuatu, PNG or New Caledonia. This means very basic huts or camping in those countries, for 10-15 USD/night. | 1 | |
I managed OK around US$30 a day on Fiji, but it was definitely bottom end basic/budget level, and I was also away from the main tourist resorts. I don't know for sure, but Fiji possibly has the most backpacker-type and other budget infrastructure. I was there for 2 months which also helped spread out the cost of some expensive items, such as a dive, a couple of inter-island flights. I met quite few people on RTW trips who slotted in a month or more on Fiji, as it's fairly easy to get to between the Asia/N America sectors - but you'd need to route through NZ or Australia when getting to/from Asia. | 2 | |
You can get budget accommodation in Honiara for about $30 AUD a night, and pay extra for food (cheaper if two are travelling together and share a room). Food is relatively cheap if you use the main market, and budget places (eg Chester Rest House) have cooking facilities. | 3 | |
Fiji is a good choice, lots of cheap places to stay, local food is cheap, public transport is cheap. | 4 | |
I'd double check any prices/budgets quoted in USD. The greenback buys far less than it once did. Also, I encountered something (last November/December) that I hadn't heard mentioned here before, a single supplement in Samoa. Both at Litia Sina and Virgin Cove, I had to pay extra because I was not sharing my fale. | 5 | |