The Solomon Islands is a country located in the Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea and north of Vanuatu. The country’s name comes from the Greek legend of King Solomon and his use of magic to split his kingdom in two, which occurred on these islands. Today there are around 1,000 islands in this chain that makes up the nation — many are still untouched by tourism. And although tourism is growing here, there’s definitely still an adventurous spirit that pervades all corners of this island nation.

Island life with lots of seafood, beaches and palm trees. Famous for diving, fishing and off-the-beaten-track surf destinations.

The Solomon Islands are a collection of over 900 islands in the Pacific Ocean. If you’re looking to live on an island, this is your chance!

There are a lot of things that make life here great: beautiful beaches and palm trees everywhere, fresh seafood every day and warm weather all year round. But there’s also some downsides – especially if you’re used to living in big cities ! If you are used to big cities, like I am now, it will be hard at first because there’s not much going on here compared to larger countries (we don’t have cinemas or theatres). 

Just to get you started if you have never been there before, I have listed below some inside information to help you. Please note that this is mainly for Honiara. For the other islands and resorts, please refer to the links individually placed per destination. 

Basic Destination Guide 

Honiara

Visas

Visa on arrival for all countries as long as you have a return ticket in hand on arrival at immigration. Please note that they usually handwrite the expiration date of your visa in your passport. A Tourist Visa is usually for 30 days however you can extend this for another 30 days at the local immigration office at a small fee. You will need to be prepared to queue for this for a while should you ever wish to extend. Waiting is for a few hours so take that ice-coffee and magazine to read. 

For more information, please check the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Labour and Immigration.

Getting Connected

The internet connection is reasonably fast now unlike twenty years ago when I was living here full-time, and had to pay $50 SBD (£5) per hour using the only computer available to the country at the main Solomon Telekom Branch in Honiara. These days most people own a mobile phone with amazingly cheap pay-as-you-go options from the local mobile Telekom and B-Mobile (by Vodaphone). 

Prepaid Sim Cards are available at 

• Telekom at Panatina Plaza ( half-way drive into town)
• Telekom at Telekom Main Branch in Honiara town opposite Heritage Park Hotel.
• B-Mobile ( Vodaphone) at the Main Branch in Honiara.

To recharge, simply pay for a top-up receipt at any retailer. There are hundreds of them all over town and in little corner shops too. 

Transport

Taxis are available at the airport on arrival should you need one. If you have a connecting flight to the other islands, Solomon Airlines will be able to transfer you on their shuttle service on arrival. If you miss your connection, it helps to make a complaint as Solomon Airlines is very good at compensating. Taxis are also available through town and reliable. Most of the hotels have their preferred provider they trust and use regularly.

Car rental options are available at the airport on arrival. The Henderson International Airport is very small so this is hard to miss. The local car rental companies are Budget and Budget. Car rental is expensive here in this tiny nation so be prepared to pay higher rates than what you are used to. 

Buses are available and extremely reliable throughout Honiara and nearby townships. They are usually in mini-van and mini-bud forms with destination names on their dashboards. They are very safe to catch and more reliable than taxis in my opinion.

Flying

Flying is the easiest way to travel around the islands. There are local shipping companies that provide a service to the islands supplying cargo and regular passenger trips but it takes too long to get around this way, so best stick to flying. The only airline provider is Solomon Airlines. You can book domestic flights with them directly through their website or their local office in Honiara town. 

The Best Coffee Shops in Honiara

• The Breakwater Cafe – A contemporary cafe overlooking the sea. They serve a mix of Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan, and Gluten Free options also. (Best place for coffee lovers)
• Lime Lounge – A quirky and cool Arty-cafe in Honiara that serves amazing coffees and meals. (Best place for coffee lovers)
• Heritage Park Hotel Lobby Cafe – Great food and decor. 
• The Coffee Bar – Great coffee and food inside a super-cool and rustic cafe (Best place for coffee lovers). This place reminds me of the best coffee shop in ( The Sum of Us) Dubai. Their layout and decor is exactly like this. 
• Bamboo Cafe – at King Solomons Hotel in Honiara – a very tropical cafe with cool bamboo walls and natural interior. 

The Best Hotels in Honiara

• Coral Sea Resort & Casino – 4*Rating
• Heritage Park Hotel – 4*Rating
• King Solomons Hotel – 3*Rating
• Solomon Kitano Mentana Hotel – 4* Rating
• Prestige Apartments – Self-Catering

Local Supermarkets/ Grocery / Butchery/ Bakery / General Shops

• Bulk Store – For Fresh Baking ingredients – Located at King George, Chinatown, Honiara Town and Rove.
• Bakery – Hot Bread Kitchen – Located at Vura, Chinatown and Honiara town.
• Panatina Plaza Supermarket – For general food groceries
• Butchers – Meat Lovers is the best option in Honiara with the finest cuts of meat from Vanuatu, New Zealand and Australia flown in weekly. 
• Alcohol – Sullivans at the local Port. 
• General Chinese Stores – For all general supplies, there are lots of shops scattered around town. They all sell the same things more or less from kitchen supplies to home basics like bread and soap. They are hard to miss and all have funny names!

Local Farmers Market

The Main Central Market is open every day from 6am – 6pm. This market has to be the best one for fresh and organic local produce i have ever been to in my life. The local vendors start selling from 6am so I recommend getting there early , especially on a Saturday as this is the busiest day of the week with my sellers and selection of fruits and vegetables to choose from too. 

Continue on the next page….