Sandy Beach Resort

“5 star Tonga adventure”

Thank you to Michelle and Marcus for being such amazing hosts on our first visit to Tonga! We loved how relaxing and quiet the resort was - it helps that we were off season. We were referred there by friends who recommended the reefs for snorkeling - there were some very nice areas of healthy coral… lisää

Thank you to Michelle and Marcus for being such amazing hosts on our first visit to Tonga! We loved how relaxing and quiet the resort was - it helps that we were off season. We were referred there by friends who recommended the reefs for snorkeling - there were some very nice areas of healthy coral but we ended up really enjoying the kayaks. We could paddle out and spend hours circumnavigating the nearby island, with breaks for exploring the reefs, and then swim back snorkeling as we pulled the boats along with us. There are many kilometers of reefs, beaches and kayak routes to explore. Back at the cafe, the food was really great. Dinners especially - Marcus is an amazing chef. Thank you also to Peta for the meticulous communication in planning our visit. The room was clean and comfortable,beaches empty, bikes were a bonus for getting around, and everyone was so nice. We booked 4 nights but ended up staying 6 - I would recommend a longer stay as we had some of our best kayaks over that weekend at the end, when we had really gotten a feel for the place. Would definitely love to return to experience whale season - and to get the M&Ms back together xx

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“The Best Part Of The Island !”

We just spent two weeks at Sandy Beach Resort and had a lovely time. The Fales are rustic, clean and comfortable, a solid 3 star. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The food was very good . Plenty for breakfast and the dinners were very good . Different seafood options most nights with … lisää

We just spent two weeks at Sandy Beach Resort and had a lovely time. The Fales are rustic, clean and comfortable, a solid 3 star. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The food was very good . Plenty for breakfast and the dinners were very good . Different seafood options most nights with a vegetarian option as well . Also they have a pizza oven and the pizza at lunch was very good , also liked the burgers as well . The beach was lovely and if you like to swim , you can swim out for hundreds of meters . Did see a few turtles on a few of my swims. The snorkelling up the beach in the channel at Matafonua Lodge was very good. They have some resident leopard sharks and lots of colourful fish . We kayaked over to the island across from the lodge and enjoyed some nice beach walks. There was not much else on the island to see. We took the bikes and rode 15 km to the other end. The beach there was okay but there was quite a bit of garbage in the area . You can also walk to secret beach from Sandy Beach in about 30 minutes . It’s only pretty a high tide and also here sadly , there was a lot of garbage spread around . That would be my only criticism that the island needs to address the island garbage situation before it gets out of control. Overall , our stay was really nice.

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“Buy travel insurance”

The best reason to visit the Haʻapai islands is to get a chance to swim with humpback whales during their birthing season. We stayed with the Sandy Beach Resort for its full service approach complete with whale experiences. They did not disappoint. The guides and pilots were fantastic, experts a… lisää

The best reason to visit the Haʻapai islands is to get a chance to swim with humpback whales during their birthing season. We stayed with the Sandy Beach Resort for its full service approach complete with whale experiences. They did not disappoint. The guides and pilots were fantastic, experts at getting us up close and in the water with mothers and calves, wile following best practices for whale interaction and our safety. We took two trips, spending more than 4 hours on the zodiac each time. Exceptional experience all around. As far as the resort is concerned, all the staff were great and made every effort made our stay comfortable. While the resort was nice (great location along the beach) the resort is not quite living up to some of of marketing promises. Some maintenance and new upgrades are in order to make it as compelling as promised. Food was hit or miss depending on the menu. Finally, the resort did make a passive recommendation for trip cancellation insurance, but perhaps they could have been more demonstrative in explaining how unreliable the local airline can be. Definitely get trip insurance like many other resorts require. Lulurai airlines is totally unreliable. And although it is not Sandy Beach‘s fault that the airline cannot fly to the island, they will not provide any refunds, even though they are able to rebook the room for those that are unable to leave the island because of the flights.

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“beautiful setting but...”

Tonga is beautiful, and the setting resort is no different than any of the other beautiful resorts. Unfortunately, that is where the comparison ends. They bring in staff from other parts of the world, many of whom were very arrogant and made negative comments about Tonga and the Tongan people. We … lisää

Tonga is beautiful, and the setting resort is no different than any of the other beautiful resorts. Unfortunately, that is where the comparison ends. They bring in staff from other parts of the world, many of whom were very arrogant and made negative comments about Tonga and the Tongan people. We found this very unfortunate. There were just few Tongan people on staff and they were much friendlier. The location itself is beautiful, but if you walk off the property just a little bit, there is lots of trash in the woods near the beach. Other than that, the food is mediocre and some of the activities mentioned when we booked didn't seem to exist. Sunsets are beautiful.

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