I just got back from 3 weeks of island hopping in the Solomons.

After reading the reviews of this place I thought it would be quite good however boy was I in for a surprise.

We originally booked for a 8 night stay. We stayed 2 and only stayed 2 as of the wind was blowing so hard the long journey over Iron Bottom Sound was not possible.

They picked us up on time (rarity in the solomons).

We arrived at the resort and were given a lay? and a glass of cordial and thenshown to our room. We were taken to a room with 3 single beds. I asked if there was a room with a big bed. The host guy said no just push the beds together. I can deal with that but the mosquito nets were only singles and couldnt be moved so I went without mosqito netting and was chewed to pieces.

The room was unlike the nice leaf haus accom we had stayed in the other resorts and villages. They had this horrible plastic stuck on all the walls and floors. I cant really describe it other than disgusting. While the room had its own bathroom and shower (the only place in the solomons that we stayed that had) it was filthy.

In the solomons things just grow out of the ground you do not need soil you just need space. Gardens are easy to make however at maravagi they have a different view. Cut it down , rip it out and burn it. All around our hut was sand blowing around and smoke for the huge (think massive rainforest tree) stumps that they were burning. There were no hammoks, little shade other than the 5 or so benches that over look the sea. I asked how long the resort had been in operation, they said since 96. In 12 years they cant even get a garden going.

The food was the biggest disapointment. The food cost is 47 AUD per person. Most other resorts seafood was the order of the day however not so here. In the 2 days I was there I ate 3 meals, My girlfriend ate 2. The rest went out the window to feed the fishes. The stir fries were ok but the breakfast and dinners were discusting and they drowned the dinners in inedible sauces. When they talk about a sausage they mean a hot dog that even a dog would refuse. The steak was worse than anything I ever ate on school camp and the fish was either baracouda or trevally (tough and fishy) and couvered with crap sauce. The vegies were obviously from a can which amazes me with the variety and price of vegetables and fruit in the Solomons. I asked about chilli mud crab and grilled lobster (perfectly normal food every where in the solomons). I didn't get a response.

I am a keen fisherman and had been in negotiation with the resort to go trolling every afternoon. The boats did't have any rod holders and they said o dont use your rods we have hand lines. I was not going to pay 200 aud per day for 4 hours fishing using a hand line.

The only nice thing about the resort was the little snokling reef out the front it was 5 star but the rest of the place was crapola and highly over priced. The surf photos looked ok but I saw really good surf all over the country with out the high prices.

Give it a miss and go somewhere else.

I don't want to add to the excellent information already provided. However, I would warn travellers that they are likely to get wet on the trip from Honiara, so dress accordingly. I travel by boat around Solomon Islands frequently. The Maravagi boat is more comfortable than most, as it has seats.
Fellow visitors snorkelled for hours around the resort - the water is crystal-clear. However, be aware that the price you are quoted doesn't include meals or drinks, and there is nowhere else you can get them. They are excellent, but not cheap.

The Maravagi Resort is situated in a picturesque bay on Mangalonga (or Mana) Island in the north west of the Florida Islands. We were picked up from the beach in front of the Solomon Kitano Mendana Hotel in Honiara and taken by outboard-powered runabout across Iron Bottom Sound to Maravagi. The trip took about 90 minutes in this ‘motor canoe’ which is the most common form of water transport in the islands. Maravagi is a charming little village-style resort where guests can enjoy complete quiet and total relaxation. Mathias and Joyce Sake and their extended family provide friendly hospitality and excellent cooking.

Accommodation at the Maravagi Resort is in four local-style bungalows by the beach and a larger building with seven rooms. We stayed in one of the bungalows which can actually accommodate up to four people. It has two bedrooms, a bathroom with toilet and cold shower. The dormitory style building provides beds for fourteen people. Two more bungalows are currently under construction. The bungalows are of local construction, built about one metre off the ground, with screened louvre windows, ceiling fans and mosquito nets over the bedding. The accommodation is basic, but clean and comfortable. Electric power is supplied by a generator.

The restaurant and bar at the Maravagi Resort has been built over the beach so that guests can look out of the front windows onto a colourful coral reef with many fish. The construction is island-style and is tastefully decorated with woven matting on the inside of the walls. There are superb views of the sheltered bay with its deep-water anchorage and the much larger Sandfly Island across the channel. Meals are substantial and include soup, fresh fish, chicken and beef with salad, vegetables and fruit. Guests can also sit on the lounge chairs around the coffee tables and read, play games or chat about the day’s activities.

The area consists of many small islands, extensive reef systems and deep passages where there is abundant marine life. Local reef dives include the following dive sites: Baby Cake, Kovuhika Island (wall dive and Pyramid), Soghonara Island (wall dive and Crayfish Cave), Passage Rock (vertical drop-off with big fish action), Rueben’s Express, Sandfly Passage (wall drift dive), and the US B24 Liberator Bomber.

Other activities at the Maravagi Resort can include fishing, swimming, snorkelling, bushwalks, beachcombing, cultural entertainment and sightseeing trips. The Maravagi Resort Reef is a great place for hours of snorkelling and easy scuba diving. There are three undercover tables and chairs along the beach near the restaurant for guests to sit and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

We hired one of the motor canoes with a driver and guide for sightseeing trips around Sandfly Island and Buena Vista Island. We visited the local school on Sandfly Island, drove past the skull cave on Mount Panamanauvi, stopped at the half-built Roderick Bay Yacht Club with the beached wreck of the World Discoverer. We also went to picturesque Buena Vista Island with its blue waters, old coconut plantations, and the unfinished Nugu Beach Resort.