I would like to say that the Malagan has seen better days, but in truth I suspect it has always been terrible. The rooms are tiny and awful - the sheets were dirty and torn, the floor was dirty, the bathroom and toilet were grimy etc etc. The TV did not work. Initially we changed rooms because the phone did not work. This was quite a hassle as we had to move all our things. When we got to the new room we discovered the phone also didn't work there - the staff just moved us anyway. Rooms get made up late in the afternoon (4:30pm) when you want to relax. They are truly gross and depressing rooms with tiny, filthy windows.

The customer service is poor. The hotel manager, John, seems to incessantly struggle to control the staff, but just gives up mostly. He doesn't seem to understand the needs of guests at all. One day, the hotel organised a trip down the coast of Kavieng. This should have been very pleasant, but unfortunately the driver John assigned was a maniac - he even sideswiped another vehicle he was such a terrible driver. Even after insisting he slow down repeatedly we still had a white-knuckle ride. Other guests had similar experiences.

One night I left my board shorts hanging over our allegedly "private balcony". The next morning they, and my Dad's shoes, had been stolen. Makes you feel nice and safe. By this stage we were so unimpressed with the hotel and their total lack of anything resembling service we didn't even bother to report it. Mind you the lack of board shorts was probably a favor - you wouldn't want to swim in the murky green pool.

One day we went for a day trip to Lissenung Island - this place is paradise. All the guests on the island were having a fabulous time and loved the place. The hosts, Dietmar and Ang, even went as far as taking their hotel guests to the airport, checking them in, and waiting with them for the flight to ensure they got away safely. I would recommend Lissenung, but couldn't recommend the Malagan Beach Resort to anyone. The only thing it has going for it is the beachfront location (which is a completely public beach) and the fact that it does do a very good salt and pepper mud crab (but all the other food was rubbish).