Marovo Lagoon, Uepi, Solomon Islands

5Chantal V 5:00 PM Nov 26, 2015

Stay in the lagoon at Marovo Sea Lodge!
We went to the Marovo Lagoon to do a tour around. But Maravo Sea Lodge appeared to be in the lagoon! So we arrived at Marovo Sea lodge with the intention to stay 1 night, but we ended up staying here our whole holiday. In one word, it's paradise! The water-bungalow with its view at the lagoon, the beautiful flowers and fish surrounding the place and the many activities here made it an unforgettable experience! Our highlights were swimming with the manta rays, snorkeling between the amazing coral at Charapoana Island and the daytrip to Buchi when we saw Dolphins on our way and hiked to the waterfall. However, just relaxing at the resort was also great. We played with the kids in the lagoon for hours, visited the local village just 5 minutes away from the lodge and did a nice hike to the garden where the family grows their own food. We loved the time we spent with the family. Jeremiah, his son Dixon and his wife Grace were excellent hosts. They learned us a lot about the local life (how to make food covers or bowls from leaves) and did everything to give us a comfortable stay. Next, the food was superior, it really deserves a Michelin star. It was very divers and it was all biological and locally grown. When we left, it felt like I left my own family. I really hope some more people are going to visit this place. I made a daytrip to Uepi and they have the same facilities except the fact that your supporting a whole village with your stay at Sea Lodge. Also, you will get to see way more of the real Solomon life since it's owned by locals. I would highly recommend it to everyone! Contact details/prices: You can make a booking by sending a message to Dixon on 677 750 37 32 or Jeremiah 677 775 74 19 or by emailing them on [email protected]. The rooms are S$220 per person and breakfast is S$35, lunch S$50 and dinner S$65. At the moment they have 3 rooms in the water-bungalow, but Jeremiah was building two extra bungalows. So there might be some more options when you visit this place. Transport: It is easy to get there. Once in Seghe you can just ask someone at the jetty to bring you if you don't want to book in advance. They charge S$270 for the boat trip. However if you book, Jeremiah will pick you up of course. Activities: Many activities are offered and all reasonably priced. You usually just have to pay the boatrent, driver and petrol which is S$18 per liter plus a fee for the activity. For example, Charapoana and Uepi Island are just a 10 minute boat-drive away and you need about 15 liter (S$270) for a return trip. Seeing the manta ray was also 15 liter plus S$80 per person for the guide. Kayak rent was S$25 per person. However, you don't have to spend money for all activities. Snorkeling around the water-bungalow, learn how to cook a traditional meal, swimming in the river, visiting the village, learning how to make leaf bowls, visiting the church/school, feeding the fish and hiking up to the plantation are all free. Hopefully I've convinced you to go there. If you do go, please send the family our regards and have fun! Michael and Chantal from the Nethertlands

4HooverDoc 5:00 PM Aug 13, 2016

Review of Sea Lodge
We stayed at the locally owned Sea Lodge resort near Chunchulu in Marovo Lagoon. The location is fantastic and the views over the lagoon are great. The accommodation is small and traditional but the owner has big plans for expansion- I'm still unsure whether this is a good or a bad thing. We kayaked to the mindi mindi Islands- went on a snorkelling trip around uepi (the steep coral gorges are incredible) walked through the rainforest to the waterfall and tried fishing from a local canoe. The trips were enjoyable and the food was fantastic! No complaints there. Unfortunately there were a lot of hidden costs and some prices were astronomically different than discussed with the owners. This led to us having to travel to Uepi to withdraw more money just to pay the bill (there are no ATMs anywhere near the lagoon) without the last day negotiations over hidden costs the trip would have been one of the best but unfortunately I left with a slightly sour taste in my mouth. I'd like to think it was an honest mistake as otherwise the hosts were fantastic but I can't help but feel overcharging guests could be a regular occurrence. That said I'd recommend a stay just be careful you know what the prices of things are before you do them- everything will cost- even if you're led to believe it won't.