Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020

Where is ultra-cheap in Pacific Islands?

Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea

I have 6 weeks and a very limited budget. Where is the most beautiful snorkeling in the world and the cheapest place to travel all in one? I prefer off-the-tourist track places with cool cultures and people. Went to Solomon Islands last year and loved it, but it was very expensive.
Thanks!

Unfortunately, no where that I have been to in the South Pacific is "Ultra cheap" (Assuming I have your understanding of ultra cheap.. i.e. South East Asia)

Fiji, Tonga and Samoa seem to be the most inexpensive I have found, but are not "cheap" if you compare to India or Thailand.

Solomons expensive? I thought they looked reasonable considering the exchange rate with the US or Canadian dollar.

Snorkelling fantasies are to be found in any of the South Pacific countries!

1

The Solomon Islands are among the very cheapest countries in the region, so if you found them "very expensive", just stick to Asia.

2

Spiritualdance,
Where did you go in Solomon Islands?
Recognised resorts are relatively expensive, particularly those that provide restaurant-standard food. Hoewever, there are homestay options that are considerably cheaper. Similarly, there are good, reasonably cheap places in Honiara to stay, but you have to book early as they are popular with locals.

3

Hey Laszlo- I see you've spent a lot of time in Malucca. What can you tell us about that? Does that fit this category?

4

My info on Maluku - lot more than I'd repeat here.
Make sure you check all the sub-links, not just the opening page!

It would actually fit these requirements perfectly, more than anywhere in the South Pacific proper.
Certainly prices would be much lower, though a bit higher than in more touristy parts of Indonesia.

5