Solomon Islands Comments

You feel the equatorial heat in the Solomon Islands. We found the sun and heat somewhat challenging in November. We focused on the Western Province area of Marovo and Munda, which is more visited than other parts of the country and still encountered few other tourists. It is a world class destination and it warrants more visitors!

We thought about including Tetepare in our itinerary, but opted to stay a little longer in Marovo and instead of fairly expensive boat trips to Tetepare and then onto Munda, we opted for a flight from Seghe to Munda.

I have provided this information because there is a dearth of internet information on alternative accommodation in Marovo and Munda.

We stayed in 4 different places in northern part of the Marovo Lagoon.

Although we were taking a malaria prophylaxis, it was probably unnecessary. They seem to have a good handle on malaria where we went. While we were in the Solomon Islands, there was an outbreak of dengue, which probably has been subsequently contained, so it is always a good idea to take appropriate precautions (repellent, etc). All "eco-resorts" (family owned guest houses) provided mosquito nets in the bedrooms.

Currently, the best way to contact the owners/managers is via phone. It is easy to text either within Solomon Islands or from overseas. The owners are keen for your business and you will be well taken care of!

Matikuri Lodge.

This is what I wrote on TripAdvisor: "We stayed 6 nights at Matikuri Lodge. It is a great base with wonderful hosts (Benjamin and Jilly). Benjamin collected us at the Seghe airstrip and delivered to another guest lodge at the end of our stay. The main lodge area is a spacious area overlooking the lagoon with comfy chairs and normally a cooling breeze. We had some very nice meals there. It is a great place to sit back and relax. The Matikuri attracts a number of local visitors, so you can take it all in from the comfort of a couch. Our bungalow was large and quite separate from the lodge. The bed was comfortable, though we had a couple of sultry nights that made sleep a little difficult. It was a bit of a walk to the nice shared toilet and shower facilities. We made a number of worthwhile excursions to Penguin Reef and to Babata passage for snorkeling. Benjamin also arranged a one night kayak excursion. We used the kayaks to look around the nearby islands too. The house reef is interesting and worth a few sessions; visibility and fish life is less than on the outer edges of the lagoon. However, we did see turtles, a shark, octopus and there are plenty of interesting anemone fish, sponges, feather stars, etc. We also participated in activities in the village of Seghe (which happened to be on while we were there), so not only did we see the natural side of Marovo but we gained plenty of cultural insight. " It would have to be a top choice for moderately priced accommodation in Marovo Lagoon. Benjamin's phone number was 7467177. Note that, Benjamin passed away but Jilly was still running things and using the same phone number.

Bareho Homestay. We stayed a night with Charles and Carol as part of a self guided kayak trip. It was arranged by Benjamin at Matikuri, but you could also contact Charles directly. For a homestay, it was darn good. It didn't feel awkward and we enjoyed our hosts' company. We had our own bedroom upstairs (their room). There is a nice outside shower outside and fine WC as well. There isn't that much to do in Bareho, but a trip over to snorkel Mbambatan Passage is a gem. There are likely more interesting places in the vicinity. Charles is planning to build a guest house (or guest room) right on the water which will be interesting (though I hope he gets enough business to justify the effort).

Charles can be reached at 7849037 or via Benjamin at Matikuri Lodge.

Chubikopi Rest House. We stayed a night at the rest house. Benjamin at Matikuri arranged it for us though you could contact them directly. The rest house was also comfortable with a fabulous deck overlooking the water and the local dugout traffic. Not much going on in Chubikopi but it could be used for a night or two. The staff are all volunteers and all proceeds go directly to the community. There were a number of rooms and a communal kitchen. We had a pretty good dinner there and we self-catered for breakfast. Although we didn't see any mosquitoes, we asked for mozzie nets and they were provided. At the time, Peter was the custodian and his phone number was 7409568.

Pepele (formerly known as Lombi Mulaka). We stayed 3 nights at Pepele. Our host, Lasa, is a cousin of Benjamin at Matikuri. It is worth staying there for the leaf house alone; it really is a fabulous room. We were well fed. Lasa is energetic and a good host. You can borrow a kayak (he and Sea Lodge each have a sit-on-top and share them if two are needed) and paddle around. You can paddle (for free) near Pepele into a mangrove area or over to the Sea Lodge and then up a little river. Lasa can take you to see the mantas, over to Uepi or snorkeling on the north side of Uepi. Lasa's phone number is 7436885.

Others to consider

Sea Lodge (near Chuchulu). We met the owner, Jerry, and I paddled over to the Sea Lodge from Pepele. Jeremiah and Grace run the Sea Lodge and they are also really nice people. Grace is a very good cook (she helped out one day at Pepele). I took a look at the facilities and I was also impressed. They were completing another room which will be the nicest when it is completed. I might haggle a little over their prices as the meals were slightly more than other comparable resorts. Their son was looking after a Facebook page, so you can also contact them that way. Here is a phone number to reach them on 75 03732.

The Sea Lodge

Kopikorapa Eco Resort. James was away in Australia when we were there so we didn't visit or stay there. His phone number was 7749984.

And of course at the higher end.....

Uepi Lodge. We went diving at Uepi and visited the resort for the day. The dining area is beautiful and apparently the food is excellent. We didn't look at the rooms. Staff and managers were friendly and helpful. Excellent snorkeling right off the dock. If you have the money, this would be a fabulous choice.

Wilderness Lodge is at the Southern end of the lagoon and requires quite a long boat transfer from Seghe. We did not visit it, but met people who had stayed there and liked it enough to go there almost every year.

Marovo kayaking

We had a limited Marovo experience (an overnight paddle and a day trip from Matikuri) though we have paddled on longer trips in the South Pacific (Palau, Fiji, Tonga). We found the paddling to be very warm and moderately interesting. Matikuri has a couple of double sit-on tops and one proper plastic single kayak for rent at reasonable rates. We didn't find the sit on tops to be particularly comfortable but they get the job done. It was nice to do an overnight trip but we were not thirsting for more. Day paddles from Matikuri are very enjoyable.

Marovo snorkeling and diving

We enjoyed the snorkeling and diving in Marovo. It would be a big step up from much of South East Asia but it wasn't mind blowing like Palau or Komodo. We found the snorkeling and diving inside the lagoon to lack water clarity and abundance of their counterparts on the outside edge of the lagoon.

Snorkeling. Matikuri has an interesting house reef for sure. On the edges of the outside such as Uepi and Mbambatan Passage, snorkeling was best on incoming tides (outgoing tides were typically murky). Uepi was excellent. We also visited the Penguin Reef from Matikuri; it had lovely clear water, nice reef but it did not have as many fish as one might expect.

Diving. Uepi is pretty darn good. The waters around the island are "protected" (they cannot be fished without permission of the landholders) so the marine life is amazing. Take a look at the Uepi Lodge Facebook site to see some of Jill's videos. The equipment was in excellent condition, the dives were well thought out and the dive guide was excellent. Recommended.

On the other hand, our experience with Solomon Dive Adventures was disappointing. The owner was experiencing land and water issues at the time, so we could not stay at their guest house, nor dive outside the lagoon. In fairness, she warned us ahead of time that there were problems. As luck would have it, she was also ill when we were there (Lisa is supposed to be an amazing dive guide). We made two dives at their new location (Savai island) and we were not impressed so we cut our losses. They felt like "macro" (little stuff ) dives and lacked schooling fish. We had no pre-dive brief, the dive masters kicked up muck, the equipment was ancient. Not recommended.

Munda Diving and Accomnodation

Originally, we were going to stay at Agnes Lodge in Munda, but the Munda Guest House was personally recommended to us and we are glad that we tried it out. It was less than half the price of Agnes Lodge; it had a communal kitchen and it was a 5-10 minute walk away from the "action". We did take lunch at Agnes most days and enjoyed a few beers there, by the water. The Munda Guest House is well run. No air conditioning but the fans were fine. David Kera's (owner) phone number is 8782361. David is the son of Agnes and he used to manage the Agnes Lodge (still a shareholder).

Munda Guest House

Munda Dive. Great operator, best service we have seen in a dive operator in many years. Belinda, the manager, is the best. The equipment was excellent, there was a real focus on safety, the guides were very good and they were flexible in selecting dive sites based on your interest. The diving itself was very good, perhaps not as rich in marine life as say Uepi or Palau, but there was still plenty to see and experience. Recommended.