Hotel Name: Fatboys Resort
Address: Babanga Island, Solomon Islands.
I stayed at Fatboys Resort in Solomon Islands. I was here with a media group from Australia as a guest of Tourism Solomons.
Fatboys is on the island of Babanga, which is one of the hundreds of little islands that make up the Solomon Islands. It’s near Gizo (on the island of Ghizo), which is the second biggest town in the country.
If you’ve never been to The Solomons then those names would not mean anything. It’s probably best to describe it as being on a remote tropical island, yet only ten minutes away by boat from the airport of Gizo – the second largest “city” in the country. I say “city” as Gizo has a population of 6000 people and feels more like a large market town. Getting here is an adventure in itself as it involves flying what must be one of the worlds most scenic commercial airline routes.
We came from Munda, which is over an hour away by boat. That was also an adventure that involved stopping off at some scenic little islands on the way.
Fatboys Resort has one main building that is set on a pier in a reef, and there are stand-alone bungalows on the waterfront.
Each bungalow has a water view, and some of the bungalows are on the water. My bungalow was the furthest away from the main building, accessible via a path that hugs the cliffs.
My bungalow looked like it was taken from a handbook of what a over-water bungalow should look like in the tropics. There was even a little stretch of sandy beach so you could wade into the water.
I had a double bed with a mosquito net adding to the charm of the room. There was air conditioning, but the fan was sufficient to keep the room comfortable.
Fancy towel art.
The bungalow has windows on three sides, so it was bright and able to catch a breeze from any side.
A spacious and modern bathroom with walk-in shower and good hot water service.
A kitchenette with a fridge and tea and coffee making facilities.
My bungalow had an outdoor deck with tables and chairs, and there is a lower deck for boats and access to swim in the water. There is also a shower here to wash off after a swim.
We had a bit of rain while we were here, but even the grey skies couldn’t obscure the magnificent blues and greens of the surrounding reef.
Back in the main reception/office building there is a common lounge area and tables for dining. They have a restaurant here where meals are served. And of course there is a bar open throughout the day.
Some of our group went out fishing and came back with a bountiful catch, so we had the fish prepared for us for dinner.
Water activities are the main thing to do here, and the resort can organise trips to the surrounding islands and reefs.
There is wifi in the main reception building, but it was patchy and kept dropping out. Needless to say there is no wifi in the bungalows. I had prepared to expect little to no wifi, so don’t come here expecting full coverage (advice that can be applied across the islands).
The view from my bungalow of the main resort building and Kennedy Island. For all the activities you can do from here, I was quite content to sit on the deck of my bungalow and enjoy the view.
Overall this was a special place to stay and highly recommended if you are travelling to the Western Province of Solomon Islands. Read more about my trip to Solomon Islands.
