Hi everyone,

I'm a longtime reader, first time poster, hoping any Aussies or well-travelled folk out there can help me with my Pacific Island conundrum.

I'd like to get away for a couple of weeks in late Nov/early Dec. I've had a stressful year of work and really want to find somewhere as quiet and isolated as possible. All I need is a beach, a hut and some sort of food nearby (preferably food that I don't need to cook myself). I just want to swim, read, eat and sleep. I'm not looking for 5-star luxury: location is key. That said, I have a bit of money to throw at this trip. For those who've done Carribean travelling, I'm thinking of somewhere like Dominica.

I haven't lived in Australia long so I haven't done much travelling around the South Pacific. Top of my list at the moment is the Cook Islands, but flights are a bit pricey -- it's cheaper for me to get to Vanuatu, New Caledonia or Fiji. Anyone know of a gorgeous, out-of-the-way place in one of those countries, or anywhere else (PNG)?

Many thanks in advance,

Dan

Vanuatu!
I loved Vanuatu. I've only been to 2 of it's 83 islands, but I'm sure you could find your own perfect paradise...easily too! We stayed on Efate for about a week and a week on Epi island. I'm not sure if you're looking to meet up with other travellers at all as well, or just complete isolation, but Epi island is quite isolated (with only 2 flights a week). There are 2 hotels, one is about 10 minutes down the beach from the Lamen Bay airport, and the other is about 6-8 hours hike through the jungle. Both are great! There is also a friendly dugong in Lamen Bay that apparently even lets you rub his belly. We also saw dozens of dolphin, sea turtles, sting rays, plenty of fish and puffers. We also were the only travellers on the island except for 2 peace corps volunteers who live inland. Anyway, I'm sure you could find even more isolated than this. Just FYI it was $30/ day for 2-3 meals, and a bedroom/bungalow. I LOVED VANUATU....100x more than Fiji!

Thank you Ben! I've heard that Nov/Dec can be oppressively humid and mosquito-ridden in Van, but I think I'll be encountering that problem in most places at this time of year. Epi definitely sounds like it's worth further investigation.

Huahine, near Tahiti. Sounds just right for you.

Or ..

Aranui freighter cruise through French Polynesia

I don't know how the country is now after the Tsunami, but I was in Samoa in May 2009 and loved it. If you can, make it to Savai'i, the other island, you can find some real nice secluded beaches. Falealupo on the North West tip was a great place. Very secluded, so getting there may be a problem, but an awesome beach with a few places to explore, such as the old church ruins. And like most places, you get a free (albeit meager) breakfast and dinner (though the owner is a great man, he's fishese for dinner every night). Samoa was a lot more expensive than I had planned and I did stay there for three weeks, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Yeah, I've been thinking about Samoa/American Samoa a lot. There have been several reports in the Australian media about how keen both countries are for tourists right now. Yes, the tsunami damage is substantial -- but they need tourist dollars to rebuild.

Thanks for the tips!

Fiji, Ovalau or Nananu-I-ra.

Ovalau is relaxed and sooooo chilled and Nananu has beaches and nothing else. I stayed here and loved it. For more on Fiji, this website is wicked.

Ignore anything you here in the press about "dictatorships" etc. The last time there was a military coup, people didn't even know it had happened until they saw the news that night.

I've got a few picces on my blog if you're interested...

Just curious what you finally decided???

I fly to Apia on Friday! I'll spend a few days in Independent Samoa before heading to US Samoa for a week on the Manau Islands.