Vanuatu... or? Solomons? Fiji?

Hello All-

My husband and I live in New York City and want to escape... we live in the land of restaurants, bars, shopping and all that and want NONE of it on vacation.

What we do want is beauty, gin clear water, scuba, snorkel, beaches, jungles, and quiet. No phone? No problem! But we are not wanting to spend a lot-- just looking for decent, clean places to see, smell, breathe, swim.

I think Vanuatu may fit the bill, but I am also wondering if Fiji/Solomons/Cook Islands might fit the bill as well?

Any advice would be great!

Thank You!!!!

Both Vanuatu and the Solomons are much less developed than Fiji or the Cooks and would fit the bill perfectly.
I personally prefer Vanuatu out of those two as I found it much friendlier, but the Solomons have their fans on this forum, too. ;-)

While Fiji is perhaps more developed compared to other places, it is all relative and what might suit you guys may depend on where you have been and what you have experienced before.
A ''slightly'' more developed experience may be less of a culture shock for you?

Are you looking for a week, or a month?

Cheers,
Peter

The Cook Islands has a resident population of 17,000 persons spread across 15 populated islands. Rarotonga the capital island with 12,000 people is the most developed because it has the main port and an international airport. However, it still retains a Polynesian charm which exudes friendliness, safety, slow pace of life, and reasonably good facilities (banking, telecommuications, foodstores,accommodation, dining, sports, arts, leisure). There is a weekly direct flight from LAX to Rarotonga, and a weekly return flight northbound to LAX.

Aitutaki island, situated 100 miles north of Rarotonga is today like the main island was 40 years ago before tourism. A languid, easy going people, few tourists, lots of wide open spaces, nice accommodation properties, long lengths of isolated beaches. A daily domestic airline connects Aitutaki to Rarotonga. You probably already know that Aitutaki has a magnificent lagoon area suitable for swimming, snorkelling, kayaking, SUP, kitesurfing and bonefishing. The reefline offers scuba divers good dropoffs and canyons, and tropical sealife. With the favourable exhange rate, a safe,clean environment and caring locals you may even decide that time-out on Aituaki will fit the bill admirably.

There are definitely places in Solomon Islands that would meet your needs. They vary from Low key tourist to remote village stay (although those would not have scuba facilities). Probably the Western province would have more places that meet your needs. (and have scuba facilities).
The Visitors' Bureau website should give ou plenty of suggestions.

Hello-

Thanks for the input.

My priorities are:

1. Beauty of islands and and healthy coral reefs.
2. Low budget but clean digs- not too funky!
3. Easy travel, scuba options

Thanks!!

K

Factor in Aitutaki island (Southern Cook Islands) as a possibility:-

Huge area of coral reef surrounding a huge area of lagoon. Some coral heads within the lagoon providing habitat for fishlife. Coral around the motu (islets). Snorkel offshore in the north opposite the coral runway (built by US servicemen during WWII).

Great range of accommodation for an island of 2000 residents. Look at Matriki Beach Huts (west), Amuri Sands (west), Akaea Cottage (west), Ranginui's Retreat (south-east).

Transport from USA - Air NZ direct service to Rarotoonga international airport. Transport from Rarotonga - Air Rarotonga daily services to Aitutaki domestic airport. Transport on/around Aitutaki - rental scooters, push-bikes, lagoon charters, deep sea fishing charters, friendly locals offer lifts to visitors.

Dive trips - 2 operators: Aitutaki Scuba and Bubbles Below.

1. All are beautiful, but the reefs are richest in the Solomons, getting poorer in biodiversity the further east and south you go from there.

2.Fiji is definitely the cheapest of the 4, probably followed by the Solomons.

1. Fiji must be the easiest country to travel in, followed by the Cooks (where you MUST fly between islands), then Vanuatu, with the Solomons being hardest. Scuba diving is available in all 4, though see #1.

All of the places you mentioned in your original post would be beautiful destinations and quite different from NY.

I'd recommend getting detailed information about the accommodations at your final choice. There are places in the SP where Spam is the dinner meat of choice and canned Spaghetti O's are typical breakfast fare. Some may not have screened windows, running water nor full-time electricity and many will have geckos and insects as housemates.

Like I said.... it ain't New York....

My apologies: the link was missing in my post #4 above. It is Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau
And I have never seen spaghetti Os in Solomon Islands. The breakfast of choice is cooked white rice, or bread where available.

LOL @8, are you referring to Hawaii where Spam almost the national dish - even though Hawaii is not in the South Pacific? I'd pump for Solomon Islands, but then I'm biased. Vanuatu is perhaps more 'upscale' than Solomons so might be a better choice if the OP is not used to really basic conditions. Then Fiji, always a great place to visit. I do like Cooks but I find Rarotonga too touristy.

Kll5 Hi. Say what!! No pastrami on rye for a month?...the horror. Seriously, I would say no to Rarotonga account price and a bit of a 'Not too spiffy' ambiance about it. Hard to explain why exactly.
My 'Must Do Again' place? Tahiti Iti...the area around Vairo to Teahupoo (Population 40) at the dead-end of the paved road. Surfie crowd when the killer waves are in. B&B accomodations. NO thru traffic as it's a Dead-end. Ambiance-to-die-for if one is on a budget yet has a yearning for fresh French baguettes, skinny brown dogs, snorkel, jungle hikes and QUIET...yet close to Papette for an occasional 'civilization fix' while you twitch going thru NYC withdrawls. Locomotiveman Tom

@ 1, 9, 10 & 11.....

I was responding to: " we live in the land of restaurants, bars, shopping and all that and want NONE of it on vacation". It would be a shame if they asked for a destination without modern amenities and really wanted a hotel on the beach in Rarotonga.

Most of the places off the beaten track don't have restaurants. Most rely heavily on canned food. I have dined on tinned beef (I meant Spam as a generic name for that product) in many remote places including the SP.

If you find yourself in a remote spot when the supply freighter is late and fishing has been bad you will probably find yourself eating what the locals eat. In the outer islands of the Cooks this will be locally grown fare supplemented with canned goods. Things like canned Mackerel, tinned beef and canned spaghetti are pretty standard fare. Home-made donuts (lots of grease, not much sugar) served with tea make up most noon meals there even in times of plenty. They are probably not going to kill a pig or a goat unless there's a party or someone pays big money for it.

I just asked my wife about the Spaghetti O's for breakfast. She corrected me, it was just plain canned spaghetti on Mitiaro in 2009 when the supply freighter was two weeks late.

Or you could eat real food by going to Southeast Asia, at half the cost....

yeah... but you'd be in SE Asia

H2ooh @12 - I thought you were referring to real Spam; my bad. Having lived on a diet of rice or ramen noodles and tinned second grade tuna, or rice or ramen noodles and tinned ox palm, for extended periods in villages in Solomons, I get your point.

But no spaghetti. The noodles readily available in Solomon Islands are Asian 2-minute noodles. And I love second-grade tuna. I usually bring a case, or at least a few tins, home every time I visit the Solomons.

Ozziegiraffe....

The fact that you love canned tuna is testament to the diversity of human opinion and taste. It reminds me of the penchant for smoked salmon that Cook Islanders have.

Do you prefer it over fresh-caught fish in the Solomons?

I became addicted to the second grade Taiyo (tuna) during the first 4 month stay in Solomons. Brought a tin home for the sake of nostalgia, but mostly because I wanted to keep the Pijin label. One day I decided on a tuna salad sandwich for lunch, hauled out what I thought was Clover Leaf tuna (same colour label as Taiyo) and nearly fell over from the whiff once I opened it (by mistake). But when it's all you have to eat you get used to it pretty quickly and I actually prefer it to quality first-grade tinned tuna and don't even notice the whiffy smell anymore. Brought a case back with me in 2000 and was so sad once the lot was finished.

We eat more fresh fish than tinned in Honiara (I prefer fresh anything to tinned anything). Fishing wasn't so good in the villages I stay in, only tinned Taiyo. I've never seen spahgetti in any of the shops in Honiara, or Auki, or anywhere else, only the Ramen noodles as Ozzie mentioned.

Sheesh, now I want some chili Taiyo.

Ramen, canned spaghetti, and low grade canned tuna. Hmmmmmm.
You SP guys really sacrifice a lot to enjoy these far-flung islands...

You DO know that there are islands in Southeast Asia with world class food at nearly half the price?
You wont be eating Spam and spagettios.

Thanks for introducing a newbie like me to the rigors of South Pacific travel....I had no idea the food was so bad there.

I didn't even know about the penchant for smoked salmon in the Cook Islands. I need to find out more.

LOL #19 - you can get good fresh food as well if you shop at their local markets, and in villages that have access to the ocean. Obviously not as tasty as SE Asia, but some quite delicious, especially the fish. I'm a sucker for fish in fresh coconut and I'm more than happy to live on that alone. Solomon Islands is 100% organic as well.

Anyway, I much prefer the rigours of (parts of) the SP to the over-touristed areas of SE Asia that I've visited.

Food is pretty low on my criteria list for selecting destinations. I do enjoy the normally plentiful supply of fruits vegetables and fish of the SP islands. And of course, nothing beats a good nue, the ultimate thirst quencher. I've become fairly good (not great) at selecting them.

There's a little restaurant on Aitutaki, CI called Tapunas that has some of the best seafood dishes I've eaten anywhere. Parrotfish or unicorn fish w/coconut in a banana leaf is my favorite.... mmmmmm

@lagoon...

I know some folks from Alaska that go to Raro every year and take smoked salmon with them. They say the locals can't get enough of it....

Christmas 2 years ago, I had fresh caught fish, squid or crayfish every day for 3 weeks, in the Lau Lagoon. However, fresh fish is becoming beyond the means of the average local in the Honiara market, and they are resorting to buying "salt fish" the by-catch of the commercial fishing boats, bought off the ships in the Sound by the Fishing Village people, and sold in the local market.

There are many great things about the South Pacific, many of them hard to find in most of SE Asia, but tasty, varied local cuisine is generally not one of them.
Well, not even "Paradise" can be perfect, right? ;-)

LOL Ozzie, thanks, my mouth is watering already, which says nothing for my culinary tastes. And now I'm dreaming of mangrove crab (taken at the right time of course), and crayfish the size of small lobsters after reading your Christmas menu.

I'm thinking that mangrove crab and mud crab is the same critter...?

Also, I think Navy Biscuits and Pilot Bread are basically the same thing....

Interesting about PNG'ers liking Navy Biscuits. One of the Alaskan Yupik people's favorites is Pilot Bread with a generous application of Crisco. I always attributed the attraction to Crisco as a substitute for seal oil or muktuk, (whale blubber with the skin on it.)

There is a belief among Pacific Islanders that foreign (European, American or Chinese) food has to be better than local food. Since most of the canned stuff available (and affordable) is very poor quality, this has had a disastrous effect on the health of those living in urban areas in particular.

@Ozzigiraffe .... very true in the Cook Islands where I've spent a lot of time. It's ironic that people here in the US spend lots of money on things like coconut water, mangos and noni juice for their health. And we export some of the worst food items in the world. Not to mention non-food items like rap music.

H200h @28. Yes, as far as I know, mud crab and mangrove crab are one and the same. Best crab I've ever had.

Ozzie @29: this must be one of the reasons diabetes is so prevalent in the SP, over and above the local SI Gilbertese population's love of sugar water.