Lagoon Haus.

Private waterfront house and guest bungalow in cool, tropical rain forest setting. Go native in the Solomon Islands. Dine on fresh fish and locally grown organic fruit, vegetables. Includes housekeeper and cook. We can provide 3 meals for additional SBD $265 per guest per day. Detailed information about how to reach us is located further down the page in the section 'Getting to Lagoon Haus' The space Two houses in private setting fronting warm tropical lagoon. We particularly encourage people interested in the opportunity to spend time living immersed in the life style, nature and culture of the Western Pacific. The Solomon Islands has very little tourism and remains a relatively undeveloped country. The majority of Solomon Islands subsist daily from their immediate sea and forest resources for their daily needs. If you’re interested in a stay off of the regular tourism routes then Lagoon Haus offers that opportunity. Our house is sited at Isisu Point, near Peava Village on the SE corner of Gatokae Island in Marovo Lagoon in the Solomon’s Western Province. You can look it up on (website hidden) Earth with these coordinates. 8˚ 47.342’ S 158˚ 14.208’ E Please scroll down to the section 'Getting Around' for information about how to get there. Guest access Guests have access the the main house and a smaller guest bungalow. The main house is separated into two rooms, with a double bed in one room and a bunk bed with double and single in the other. The guest bungalow has a double and single bed. Property is powered by solar providing lighting and 12vDC with automobile type sockets (see pics) for charging electronic equipment like cameras and phones. The bathroom is plumbed with running water sourced from a pure spring with a modern clean Western-style flush toilet. The kitchen is equipped with a 2 burner gas stove and oven, a lock-up store room and a large dining table that seats about 10. Cost includes a housekeeper and cook on hand 6 days of the week who is also there to assist with any queries such as things to do, organising boats for fishing trips and any other needs. There are 2 plastic kayaks and paddles. Meals. The property is self-contained and includes house keeper on hand to assist. Guests can cater for themselves or have the house keeper source and prepare all meals. If you would prefer to just roll up and not have to think about catering, the house keeper can source and prepare all meals for cost of SBD $265 per person, per day, half that for children under 10. Meals are prepared from clean, fresh and healthy local produce. Other things to note Welcome to my home at Peava Village in Marovo Lagoon. Please have a read through this page which may answer some of your questions about our destination. For queries about travel in the Solomons, the website Visit Solomon Islands for more information about the country and travel. This website also has information about other accommodation in Honiara and around the Solomons. If you have unanswered questions about wider travel in the Solomon Islands, suggest contact Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau, the publishers of this site. There is a Contact Us tab under the About Solomon tab. About Lagoon Haus 2 separate houses Haus 1 has 1 bunkbed (2 singles) and 1 double bed Haus 2 has 1 double bed and 1 single bed Kitchen Has a 4 burner gas stove and oven. Getting to Lagoon Haus. Ferry. Honiara to Bunikalo. Ships MV Marina, MV Fairlady and MV Fairglory sail weekly. When. MV Marina sails Saturday evenings around 6pm, arriving Bunikalo on Sunday morning around 6am. MV Fairglory sails Sunday morning around 9am, arrives Bunikalo Sunday evening around 6pm. MV Fairlady Saturday evenings around 7pm and arrives Bunikalo around 5am. Cost. Cost will be around SBD $400 - $500 per person. The shipping companies do not publish schedules and costs (we wish that they did!). They do not have websites nor are they contactable by Social Media or email (we wish they were!). The only way to get a ticket is to buy in person from the shipper’s office in Honiara. Or onboard the ship when you travel. Generally, there is always space available on ship and they don’t get fully booked. Though at peak times like Christmas when many people travel, they can get very crowded. Pick up from Bunikalo – cost is SBD $600 for boat charter. This is not a service that we provide and payment is made directly to the boat operator. Flying. Solomon Airlines website for schedule and costs. Nearest airstrip to us is Seghe. Pick up from Seghe – cost is SBD $2,200 for boat charter. This is not a service that we provide and payment is made directly to the boat operator. Money We are still a CASH economy, particularly outside of Honiara. There are no ATMs. Last ATM is in Honiara. There are no card facilities outside of Honiara. You need to carry cash. Trade is welcomed by most village people. Items that will be sort after for trade include clothing. Quality wood carving tools like fine chisels. Electronics like mobile phones, blue tooth speakers micro SD cards. Snorkelling gear, particularly kids sizes (ironically in a country with some of the world’s best diving it is very difficult and expensive to by mask and fins!) Village people, depending on the individual will possibly accept foreign currency for payment for items like carving. There are no shops in the village. There are small canteens out of people’s home selling basics like soap, rice and other rudimentary needs. Marovo artisans create high quality wood carvings. These can be purchased for cash, or trade items are often welcomed too. Drinking water. The village water supply comes from a spring and we have never heard of anyone getting intestinal issues from the water. However, if wanting to play safe, we recommend a small hiking water filter for drinking water. Food. We try to gain as much produce as possible locally. So that we know that food is fresh and also to put that money back into the local economy. The food stuffs available are seasonal. We don’t have provision to import produce from aboard when vegies or fruit are out of season. Same with fish. We put fresh fish on the menu as much as possible. However we don’t have refrigeration so if fish aren’t getting caught or vegies and fruit are out of season we can’t access them and if that happens fall back upon non-perishable foods. Children. The village is a wonderful place for kids of all ages. Family is a core value in our village life. Village kids enjoy extraordinary freedom and independence relative and welcome visitors and friendships. We highly recommend visiting with children. Medical. Overall, in our experience the environment is healthy and clean. However, when new or foreign, can take a bit for body to adjust. Malaria in the village is rare. This is not same for Honiara. Malaria and other mosquito born diseases like dengue and common in Honiara and we stress people to take extra care when transiting through Honiara. In our experience the most common health issues are small cuts and scratches that if not cleaned and covered can become infected. Particularly scratches and cuts to feet. Best is to be very careful. Closed foot wear like Crocs are good for softer feet unaccustomed to going bare feet. Be careful though if walking in sandals because a little sand quickly rubs soft moist skin, breaking that protective barrier and infection risk. In short be super vigilant and treating and covering even the smallest nicks and scratches. Suggest carry a first aid kit. Key things in our experience are lots of plasters of varying size, including some waterproof varieties. Topical antiseptic and antibiotic. Paracetamol and other analgesia/antipyretics. Medical facilities available locally are few and relatively basic. Snorkelling. There is excellent snorkelling directly from the haus or use the kayaks or hire boat locally to explore further. We do NOT have facilities for SCUBA. Your visit will also help our small rural economy. The Solomons is a very undeveloped country, which is part of the charm but a little tourism income is valued for needs like education, which is user pays. Activities. There is excellent snorkelling nearby in the sheltered lagoon or outside in the open Offshore are 3 nearby islands, Malemale, Bulo and Kicha. Kicha has been a community MPA (marine protected area) since 2008 and has excellent coral and fish. Fishing. There is good blue water spearfishing nearby as well as a variety of line fishing opportunities from trawling to deep for species like snapper. A variety fishing can be accessed with a short boat ride. Inexpensive local guide and boat hire are available in the village. Saturday is our Sabbath between 6am to 6pm. You are very welcome join us in worship. We ask guests please not to dive or fish on the Sabbath. Pick up at Seghe on Saturday's not available earlier 3pm. Seasonality. January is generally fine with clam seas. Feb-March can be wet and windy if there is cyclone activity in the Coral Sea. We are north of the cyclone zone, but their influence can be felt that time of year during ‘Are Mohu’, which means wet wind in Marovo language and during those months the region receives its highest rain fall. April to June is generally calm and stable. July normally sees the onset of the ‘Are Hecha’, or SE Trade wind season driven by the large high pressure systems that build over Australia that time of year and generate steady SE winds over the Coral and Solomon Seas. These are the cooler months and also some of the best for fishing, but the sea can be choppy. From September to December are often the calmest months when the SE trade winds fade and by Christmas the sea is usually glassy calm during most days. Sea water temperature is around 29 degrees year-round. Air temperature is low 20s at night and early 30s during the day.