Resorts with Restaurants and Self-catering Accommodation in Vava’u
Foodies have different styles when it comes to travel, do you stay in a resort with its own restaurant or accommodation where you can make your own meals and be in control of your own diet? Well, both options are available in Vava’u, whether you wish to stay in the main town, Neiafu, or prefer to be on a far-flung island. We’ll go through your options in this list of accommodation in Vava’u for foodies.
Note that Tonga is an ever-evolving country, especially when it comes to accommodation. With that in mind, some of the services accommodations provide are known to change without notice. If there is any information needing an update in the listings below, feel free to reach out!
While you’re here, you might also be interested in The Foodie Guide to Vava’u.
1. The Beach House (Shell Garden)
Get the best of both worlds at The Beach House, also known as Shell Garden, on Fofoa Island. The boutique island resort with two cottages offers a gourmet meal plan in the whale season (July-October) where guests are treated to grand breakfasts, a two-course lunch and a three-course dinner each day. Self-catering in your own modern kitchen is available between November and May. For breakfast, you’ll be left homemade granola, fresh fruit, free-range eggs, organic jams, tea, coffee and more in your kitchen. Lunch and dinner is all fresh food from seasonal produce and fresh fish caught in the Vava’auan waters.
Check The Beach House out:
(c) tongapocketguide.com
2. The Reef Resort
Part of the reason to stay at this boutique resort on Kapa Island is the food! Seafood reigns supreme where you’ll experience fresh catch of the day, whether it’s Tuna, Mahimahi, Parrotfish, Snapper or Lobster. Other produce is fresh from the market. The resort prides itself on hiring international decorated chefs to prepare the ingredients of the Pacific in creative ways. Your stay here will be in one of the Deluxe Bungalows or Honeymoon Villas, with some options on the beachfront and others nestled in tropical gardens. Find out more in 10 Best Honeymoon Accommodation in Vava’u.
Check The Reef Resort out:
(c) Tonga Ministry of Tourism
3. Beautiful Ofu Island Backpackers
Get the resort experience on a budget when you stay at the Beautiful Ofu Island Backpackers. You’re free to bring food from the mainland and cook it up in the resort’s communal kitchen. Otherwise, they prepare a mean Tongan feast on a Sunday, with food cooked in an underground oven called an “umu”. The resort also offers popular island tours which you can learn more about in the 10 Best Boat Tours of Vava’u.
(c) Pxhere.com
4. Mystic Sands
Self-catering accommodation in a quiet beachfront setting can be found at Mystic Sands. Each unit has a kitchenette should you want to spruce up some of your own meals. Otherwise, meals can be arranged with your hosts if given notice. There’s a range of double rooms with a view, as well as a couple of options for groups or families. Guests can also make use of the complimentary kayaks, snorkelling gear and beach games. Mystic Sands can also organise vanilla plantation tours, a foodie experience, which you can read more about in the 7 Things to Do in Vava’u for Foodies.
Check Mystic Sands out:
(c) Mystic Sands
5. Flying Annie Moa Bed & Breakfast
Offering guests free breakfast and a convenient location near Neiafu’s array of restaurants, Flying Annie Moa Bed & Breakfast could be the perfect choice for some foodies. The budget accommodation, which has private rooms with shared bathrooms and ensuite rooms, also has a kitchen should you want to try cooking something you’ve picked up from the Neiafu Market or the Falaleu Deli.
Check Flying Annie Moa out:
(c) tongapocketguide.com
6. Jia Heng Holiday Hotel
Another well-located self-catering accommodation in the centre of Neiafu, the Jia Heng Holiday Hotel offers double, twin and family rooms. The hotel is located on top of a supermarket, making cooking in the guest kitchen easier than planned! Additionally, you’re just a short walk from Neiafu’s offering of restaurants, where you can get recommendations in the Guide to the Best Eats & Restaurants in Vava’u.
Check Jia Heng Holiday Hotel out:
(c) Jia Heng Holiday Hotel
7. Mandala Resort
The closest thing to fine dining in Vava’u can be found at the Mandala Resort. The private island resort has a lavish open-air restaurant where guests are treated to an international fare where fresh artisan bread is baked daily and vegetables and freshwater fish are harvested from the resort’s Aquaponic system. Accommodation is in the form of luxurious treehouses and airy bungalows. Learn more in the 8 Best Luxury Accommodation in Vava’u.
Check Mandala Resort out:
(c) Pixabay
8. Tongan Beach Resort
A resort boasting an excellent on-site restaurant with an a la carte menu, the Tongan Beach Resort is well worth popping in for food whether you’re staying there or not. If you are, you’ll have a choice of one of the double of family beachfront accommodations where kayaks are complimentary and there are plenty of places to relax between daybeds on the sand and the jetty stretching across the water where you’ll find amazing snorkelling.
Check Tongan Beach Resort out:
(c) tongapocketguide.com
[UPDATE] The Basque Tavern
[Update: The Basque Tavern is no longer running accommodation. The restaurant is still open].
Finally, this accommodation is better known for its food than its beds, but The Basque Tavern is worth considering if you’re on a tight budget and want to stay in Neiafu. They offer private rooms for solo travellers and couples with shared bathroom facilities. Downstairs is a Spanish tapas bar boasting magnificent views of the Neiafu Harbour.
(c) tongapocketguide.com[CLOSED] Tapana Island Resort
A budget resort owned by a Spanish couple on Tapana Island, the resort offers guests the chance to self-cater in a basic kitchen. However, it’ll be hard to resist the Spanish dishes served at the on-site La Paella Restaurant, an attraction in itself on the island that brings in the day-trippers to sample a bit of Spain in the South Pacific. As for the accommodation, stays are in basic fales (beach huts), which you can learn more about in the 5 Best Eco Resorts in Vava’u.
(c) tongapocketguide.comMore About Accommodation in Vava’u for Foodies
