After visiting the Friendly Islander again on my upteenth trip, it's now like staying at home. Papiloa (the owner) is great and has always been very helpful to me. The place was full when I was there and she still remembered my name after many months away. I highly recommend this place. Like any place in Tonga and in the... more

I CANNOT DISCOURAGE PEOPLE STRONGLY ENOUGH TO AVOID THIS HOTEL. IT IS THE ABSOLUTE LAST PLACE I WOULD RECOMMEND TO STAY IN TONGA. The potential accommodations themselves are all relatively nice - A/C, refrigerator, bed, potentially hot water. Unfortunately, the power is too spotty to run the amenities. We showed this to the Owner, who said "They work just fine.... more

My wife and I have now stayed at Papiloa's Place three times. We have to say that Papiloa is such a wonderdful woman, so easy to lend a helping hand. Our stays have been more than comfortable, and we have been received with such grace, and have been made to feel very welcome,. Please visit here, you will not be... more

Oh my, nothing could have prepared us for this terrible experience. After communicating with the hotel, reading reviews and checking their website, we felt we were well educated on where we were going and staying. Not so...the restaurant and bar that the website claims this place had closed down 3 years ago and are no longer there, the linens were... more

I came in very late and was met graciously and given a room instantly! Everything was clean and comfy! I needed an alarm clock and it was waiting for me and worked! I needed a water boiler and it was waiting and worked! Everything I could've wanted and at a good price....kudos all round! Thank You! more

OK- a good place to start out to expore the main drag of nuku'alofa. The fales are small but clean althogh hot and a bit stuffy - yuo will need the fans! It was a short 3k walk into town, which we did every day - and it was a good starting place - once of the better places in... more

We stayed a the Friendly Islander for 6 days and thoroughly enjoyed our time there. Papiloa was fantastic. She was very friendly and helpful. Nothing was a problem. She likes to teach you a few Tongan words and really gets a kick out of you greeting her in her native tongue. She was able to advise us on things to... more

[---] What better way to truly experience Tonga than have staff and family of "The Friendly Islander Hotel" open their doors and hearts to travellers wanting a little more than a tropical island retreat. The hotel has a number of individual bungalows/fale set amidst private tropical gardens. The gentle waft of fragrant frangipani adds a hint of romance to a... more

Not a bad place to choose to stay for budget accommodation. Nice that the fales are quite seperate and private from each other. They are set in nice gardens. Fales could be a bit cleaner. Apparently there is hot water but we didn't seem to have any nor did any of the other guests we spoke to. This was'nt a... more