Vanuatu or Solomon Islands

My family and I (2 adults and 2 teens ages 13 and 15) had decided on a trip to Fiji. We traveled there 10 years ago and loved it. We have also been to the Cook Islands. I had done a lot of research as my kids are very active and adventurous and we would be doing different things than we did on our last trip. I was about to book our flights today and started thinking about Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands and feel drawn to do something different. I usually like to do tons of research, but due to fuel surcharges possibly going up on flights I feel pressured to make a decision quickly.
We like to: snorkel, hike, culture (visit villages or do a village stay) surf, history. Our budget is limited, $100 US per night, but most nights I'd like to be under that so we can do something more "deluxe" for the last few nights. Food costs are important as my 15 yr old eats non stop. We are going for 3 weeks end of july-august.
Any thoughts or info you may have on either place that could help with the decision would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

If you are looking at a home stay in Solomon Islands, you will need to bring your own snorkelling and surfing gear as they are very basic. However, the teenagers I've taken there have loved it.
Look at Lau village stay and Surfing Lau Lagoon (scroll down on the second one - the first page is blank) to see if your family would like something like this.
You could spend the rest of our time somewhere with more facilities, if ou choose.
If you are interested in the home stay, let me know and I will forward contact details. They charge about $30US pp per night, including all meals.

Thank you so much for the information. The village stay looks great and I'll pass the surfing info to my husband, the photos are incredible. Are there any other places you would recommend to visit?

Most people who visit Solomon Islands go to the Western Province, which I have limited experience of. It does have more toursit facilities, but the culture has been more influenced by Europeans.
Have a look at Visit Solomons and Exploring Solomons for ideas.
I have been to all but 2 of the islands, generally staying in villages with friends or Rest Houses used by locals.
In Honiara I recommend St Agnes (all rooms en suite) and Chester House (both en suite and shared bathrooms). Both are very popular with locals and need to be booked. (I can forward details by PM) Both have shared kitchen fadilities, and are close to the main market for fresh food.
Allow a couple of days at least in Honiara at the end, in case you get delayyed somewhere - transport can be unreliable.
You can get to Malaita by daily boat or plane, and go on to the village by local truck, but other islands can be less reliable.
Planes to Western Province are good, but not cheap. Gela (Florida islands) and Savo can be accessed by outboard from Honiara - Savo has a dormant volcano you can climb and hot springs(but I don't like the sulphur fumes). Gela hasTulagi, which is the old capital, and Maravagi resort which may be above your budget, if you factor in food.

The Solomons are generally cheaper, though Vanuatu is probably easier in a limited time.
Within the Solomons Malaita is definitely your best bet though.

Don't forget to take malaria pills if opting for the Solomons!

OG: Is it Gela or Ngela these days?

Laszlo: I think Gela is the language, the Ngleas (or Nggelas) are the islands that used to be called the Florida Islands.

Basically, in common use, they tend to be interchanged. Nobody in SI uses the term Florida Islands which s on most maps, though. Similarly, San Cristobal is never used in country for Makira Island.

I should add to this, little damage in the Lau Lagoon from the tsunami, though they did hear the warning, and head for the hills. And Bemobile has recently installed a tower, so we have phone service at last.

Apparently Buala on Isabel received the most damage, and Foukokodo village in E. Kwaio experienced a king tide that only washed away market produce.

Thank you everyone for all the ideas. It appears that the Solomon Islands are favored the most in this thread. There are currently warnings about unstability. Would this be the case in the outer islands? Is it enough to be concerned about?

I think the warnings about instability probably relate to the weak political parties and the present coalition government, which is somewhat wobbly at the moment, but other than that it's pretty stable and safe. There's been a rise in street crime and petty theft since the peace accord was signed, but only in Honiara as far as I am aware, and it isn't anywhere near as bad as in other cities of the world and is nothing to be concerned about; just don't walk the streets at night, by yourself (it's not what it was in the good old days), but then you probably wouldn't do that at home either. Last time I was there (2002) it was not safe to walk up to or around Skyline Ridge (the war memorial), but I think that was the only 'iffy' area even back then and the fighting wasn't completely over. If you drive up to the memorial, lock the car when you leave it, petty theft is still active.The outer islands are super-safe (IMO anyway) so there's really no reason to be concerned about anything. Most travel advisories are hyped up well out of proportion to what might actually be going on.

Ozzie will have a better idea of what that warning might mean, she's out there more often than I am.

There is a current probable "no confidence" motion against the Prime Minister, but the police have learnt from the incident in Chinatown, and any rioting is stopped pretty quickly and safely. I would agree with Watsoff, the whole place is pretty safe, except for petty theft, which happens everywhere.
Outside Honiara, you will be looked after, especially if the women and girls in the group make sure you cover your legs to the knees (Buy a "lava lava" - local sarong in Honiara, and use it as a wrap). These days women wearing shorts are perfectly OK in Honiara, but not even men wear brief shorts.
Swimmers one-piece, bikini or speedos are only acceptable in hotel pools, not on beaches where locals go. Board shorts or lava-lava over swimmers preferred.

The Western Province of the Solomons, although more influenced by western culture, is still an amazing place to visit that is still relatively off the beaten track (certainly compared to Fiji). Tetepare Lodge sits on the largest uninhabited island in the South Pacific and is an unforgettable experience. The snorkelling is excellent and the rangers can teach you a lot about the local ecology. Matikuri lodge near Seghe is nice,basic, run by a local family, and it has quick boat access to Penguin Reef, the Taiyo shipwreck, and is 30 minutes to some small but beautiful beaches. There isn't much to do at the lodge itself, but sitting on the deck listening to the jungle under the stars by kerosene lamp is pretty cool. Charapoana passage (access via the expensive but absolutely amazing Uepi Island Resort or the much cheaper but basic Charapoana Lodge) has some of the finest snorkelling in the world, period. Lots of sharks, manta rays, dolphins, incredible fish diversity, giant clams live under the dock, etc. I can't emphasize enough how beautiful the area is.

One other place to consider is Tsoi Lik Guest House in New Ireland Province of Papua New Guinea. Costs at the guest house are easily within your budget, the lagoon is one of the most spectacular in the South Pacific, the cultural experiences are world class, and you will likely have the place to yourself. The tricky part is getting there and it is difficult to find cheap accomodation in Port Moresby and Kavieng which you have to travel through to get to Tsoi Lik. Kavieng Guest House or The Malagan Resort in Kavieng should be able to help you arrange a boat out to Tsoi Lik (2- 4hours across a stunning lagoon).

Have a fantastic trip!

Worst Welcome Ever Encountered at Uepi Resort, Solomon Islands.
My family and friends were cruising in the Marovo Lagoon in the Solomon Islands on our private yacht, when we decided to anchor in a protected bay just across passage from where this resort is located.
We first went to shore to visit the locals to do the customs and make sure that we were not trespassing and that they were OK with us anchoring in their bay, which they accepted with open arms and great smile.
We then decided to go to the resort to say hello, have a drink at the bar, maybe go there one night for a meal, and even go scuba diving when we were approached by the owner, a fat singlet wearing sweaty bare foot man, even before we could tie the tender to the pontoon who told us that we were NOT welcome, and that we best be on our way.
Bedazzled by such an unfriendly welcome, we then went back to the boat to digest such a disappointment.
The next day we went past the resort on our way to a snorkeling site, and noticed that there were lots of sharks in front of it so we decided to slow down to take pictures, when a lady, most likely the owners wife or sister, screamed at us and told us to PISS OFF, even though we were not even on shore. Not looking for any trouble we decided to keep going, and still couldn't believe what we had just heard.
After a couple of days, the locals approached the boat to sell us some wood or stone carvings, or even freshly caught seafoods. After speaking with them for a while they all said that this man, an Australian from Melbourne, was one of the unfriendliest man they had ever encountered. Our suspicions had now been confirmed.
We then talked to the chief of the tribe in front of which we were anchored, who told us the owner of the resort was so stingy that he got in a fight with him because he wanted to charge the resort diver 10 Solomon Dollars ($1.5US) to dive on the tribe's Manta Ray site. That was the day they stopped diving on the site.
And the unfriendliness doesn't end here.
We later spoke to a customer of the resort (a professional photographer) who had spent some nights there, that told us other horror stories from this place, and was basically asked to leave because he was taking too many pictures in and around the resort. The owner even asked for a fee on each of the pictures taken... can you believe that? I couldn't, and yet it was true, and this is why that person left with a bitter taste of the Solomon Islands.
Would I recommend this resort? NO WAY IN HELL, unless you like being treated like dirt.
Why would you go half way around the globe to have such a poor experience.
I hope I have help you in making an informed decision on this particular resort, and I thank you for having taken the time to read this far.
Cheers

There are lots of great places in Solomon Islands owned by locals where you will be welcomed. I would try those, rather than foreign-owned places.