Serah's Lagoon Hideaway

Serah and her niece cooked wonderfully, including some special Langa Langa dishes, so I’d recommend having them cook rather than bringing your own food. Serah can arrange a shell money demonstration or a boat ride to a beach for snorkelling. The place is simple, as you’d expect somewhere so remote, but tidy and cute, with everything we needed, including solar powered fans for nighttime. The lagoon setting is idyllic. Getting there from Honiara on the Auki Express was easy, and Serah picked us up from Auki town by boat.

The resort is beautifully looked after, and Serah made the best food from local ingredients. We ate lobster tails, fish cooked three ways, oysters and squid. If you’re coming to Honiara, spend three nights at Serah's Lagoon Hideaway to get a feel for the real Solomon Islands.

The shell money demonstration was a real highlight, such a unique thing to see. We spent the rest of the long weekend relaxing on the big new covered deck, reading, lounging and playing board games, with plenty of rain and sun. The rooms are basic but sit right over the water, so we could watch fish and birds in the early morning or enjoy a sunset Gin & Tonic. Serah cooked for us, and the fish, squid, local vegetables and freshly laid eggs were delicious. Some of the best cooking I’ve had in the Solomons. We also jumped off the jetty, snorkelled and swam. Serah's place is about a 45 minute boat trip from Auki, an easy ride with her experienced skipper, and getting there from Honiara on the Auki Express was straightforward. A perfectly relaxing weekend.

Serah and her family are lovely, and they’ve built a beautiful place. The cultural side made the weekend special, from learning how they built the artificial islands and make shell money to paddling around to see the traditional boat. A lovely weekend, I recommend staying at Serah's place in Malaita.