Simon's Place

The staff were incredibly kind and helpful, always smiling and willing to do anything. The location is very central, and the included breakfast was basic but had what we needed: cereal, toast, fruit, hot drinks, and juice. Our room was a good size but tired. It had a good-sized fridge, though there were no cooking facilities despite Expedia advertising them. Communication before the trip was slow and difficult. We arranged a shuttle for arrival, but it never showed, so we took a taxi. A few things were frustrating. The solar-powered shower had no hot water after several rainy days. There was a kettle and tea and coffee in the room, but the kettle wouldn't fit under the tap, so it was pretty useless. You can't drink the tap water either. Simon's Place was particularly bad for this, though we didn't find tap water anywhere in Tonga that was good to drink. Rooms near the restaurant or cafe can be noisy.

The room was clean and had a fridge and kettle, but no drinking water was provided, so I couldn't make a hot drink. During my stay, the nights were cool from the rain, and there was only a thin sheet, no blanket. That might be fine on warm days, but not then, even in the Tongan winter. It's an okay place to stay, but 305 TOP per night for a double room is overpriced.

The owner was very friendly and took good care of guests' needs. The room had adequate facilities, though the Wi-Fi wasn't working during my stay because of technical problems. I spent two nights at Simon's Place Motel in April 2023. Its location is strategic and within walking distance of the city centre, including Friends Cafe, Royal Palace, The National Museum, Post Office, and Tonga Tourism Authority Visitor Center. I recommend staying here when visiting Nuku'alofa.

The room was very basic for the price, and you'd be lucky to get a warm shower. The water pressure was low too. It was a noisy spot, with people across the road playing a boom box at all hours, the usual dog fights, and the security guard outside the room talking on his phone all night.