Papatura Island Retreat
Your Retreat
Enjoy Papatura Island Retreat, Solomon's newest holiday destination and Santa Isabel's first world standard tourism project. Relax in your beachfront bungalow with warm tropical waters lapping the white sand beach metres from your deck.
Papatura boasts excellent fishing and awesome surfing, world class reefs for snorkelling, some great tropical rainforest walks and a true culture experience unspoilt by mass to ...
Your Retreat
Enjoy Papatura Island Retreat, Solomon's newest holiday destination and Santa Isabel's first world standard tourism project. Relax in your beachfront bungalow with warm tropical waters lapping the white sand beach metres from your deck.
Papatura boasts excellent fishing and awesome surfing, world class reefs for snorkelling, some great tropical rainforest walks and a true culture experience unspoilt by mass tourism. Papatura Island Retreat is your island getaway and is quickly being known as one of the Pacific's most sought after secret spots to step off the map and leave behind the worries of the modern world. Pure isolation.
Your Bungalow
We have 4 types of bungalows. Each is located on or near the beachfront and have gorgeous views of the beach, the wide bay out the front and Isabel Mountain range with wild sunsets at dust. They are tucked away between the coco palms, orchids and local plants and there’s no better way to fall asleep than to hear the gentle lapping of waves on the beach.
They are all constructed using traditional materials like sago leaf and wild beetle nut. All have large decks and are fitted out using LED lighting, inner spring mattresses and mossie nets. Bath towels are supplied but please bring your own toiletries. We have 1 porta cot available for those with babies so please reserve when booking.
Beachfront Bungalow
We have 2 x twin room beach bungalows which can sleep up to 3 people in each room. The 2 rooms share a large common deck with hammocks and table and chairs. The beach bungalows are linked with raised timber walk ways to shared bathroom facilities. There are 2 showers with rainforest views and 2 composting toilets for 4 bungalows.
Family Bungalow
This is our newest bungalow which can sleep up to 6 guests with a queen bed, and 4 singles. Made traditionally with local material, it has a very cute and private indoor/outdoor bathroom, huge deck area and is ideal for couples, groups or families with young kids.
Loft Bungalows
Our 2 loft bungalows can accommodate up to six people (ideal for 4 – 5), with a queen bed upstairs and singles placed accordingly. They are slightly more private being located on the point area of the bay and have our main jetty strung out between them where it is ideal to watch the sunset with a cool drink. They have a private outdoor bamboo shower with toilet and vanity basins inside.
Sunset Bungalow
Our most private bungalow located on the western end of the island with a queen size four posted bed and small fridge for your champagne… The perfect honeymooners' getaway? It has a private deck with outdoor lounges, day beds, a private out door shower and a indoor bathroom with hot water shower, toilet and vanity basin inside.
Your Wave or Mine
No Crowds guaranteed with a maximum of 12 surfers for the majority of your stay. Solomon's premier surf retreat with 10 + waves, quality boats with safety gear and trained guides to put you in the right spot. Our local breaks vary on tides but all turn on when the conditions are right. There are waves to suit all standards of surfers and we have plenty of surfboards and long boards available for use if you're not travelling with one. Surfing in the Solomon Islands is all about getting away from the crowds. We guarantee it.
Exceptional Fishing
Papatura is geared up to offer all types of fishing. Bottom and reef fishing, trolling, popping and there's some great river fishing in the area. In the short time we've been there we have landed sail fish, shark, sweet lip, coral trout and cod, job fish, king fish, trevally, wahoo, mackerel, barracuda, wrasse and some big snapper. The rivers boast huge mangrove jacks, spot tail bass and ox eye herring. Please come over and add to the list.
Rainforests and Walks
Papatura Island is approx 270 hectares and with a small mountain ridge through the middle that is thick with tropical rainforest, this makes for some great walks. We are happy to send a guide with you to point out things that you might miss, Dora's knowledge on bush foods and plants is great. You will be amazed at what you can eat or use for medical purposes. See cycads that are 100s of years old, huge tropical palms, strangler figs, exotic birds and unusual lizards and insects. There are plenty of small rock pools to soak in and waterfalls to cool off from the mid day summer heat. We also have some long beaches on the other side of the island to stroll along.
Village Tours
We do our best to ensure all guests experience a village tour and dance. To see the rawness of the Solomons and the way the locals live, visit the school, church, and see traditional haus and cook haus. This includes a 30 minute boat trip to Kolompasa Village, local village walk around tour, and plenty of time to chat with the locals and kids. For those who wish to experience more village life, extra trips can be arranged from Papatura.
We encourage guests to bring an educational or sporting gift to be left at the school or given to a villager.
Things to Do and See
At Papatura Island Retreat we are proud to boast that we offer more complementary activities than any other resort
Our complementary activities include
-Use of snorkeling gear with great reefs off the beach
-Standard fishing gear – some great catch have been landed from the jetties.
-Use of surf boards and body boards, we have the Solomon's largest range soards, fish shapes and fiberglass and firewire mals
5 x Stand up paddle boards
-canoes
-paddle board
-kayaks
-view boards – great for coral view over the reef
-sailing cat with lessons if required
-volley ball
-table tennis
-darts
-board games
-full library
-local cultural crafts for kids
Plus much more
Grab a book or magazine from our library, take a bush walk with our staff in the rain forest and learn about bush foods. Swim in the rain forest water holes, a great place to relax from the mid summer sun.
We can guarantee a special time for kids and that they leave the retreat learning great things about the way of life in the Solomon's. Local crafts, bush walks and customs stories will be shared. Baby sitting and child minding are available for your entire stay - please enquire. Kids can learn to fish, sail or collect food the Solomon way.
How We Started
Our dream started in the mid 90's with out first trip to the Solomon Islands; we fell in love with the country and its people. So for the next 15 years we travelled, enjoyed and searched for the ultimate location to build the retreat.
The 6 key factors we needed was remoteness away from any established tourism areas, a reliable water source, the availability of good consistent waves, great swimming area with quality reefs for snorkeling, location of the local air strip and local villages that were keen to be involved in tourism. On a surf reconnaissance trip to Santa Isabel in Nov 2007, we found paradise at Papatura Island. Finally, a location that ticked all the boxes, our dream started to become a reality.
After 1 year of negotiation with the provincial government and local chefs we signed a 50 year lease and started the huge effort of getting 2 full shipping containers from the Gold Coast to a small remote island in the South Pacific. What a huge effort! Eventually with the help of a few mates we drove our 2 long boats from Honiara to the island to meet the barge and man handle the containers and 17 tonnes of resort equipment and building supplies up the beach and started working on what would become the beach's little retreat in the Pacific.
Starting out the living conditions where very harsh bunkering down under tarps from the monsoonal rains, trying to keep the mosquitoes and seas ulcers away, and chasing goannas out of our temporary outdoor kitchen and living area. Pete who was 68 at the time is stuff legends are made of. He lived there with 1 worker for the first 3 months until Marg his wife joined him. With the the help of family, they oversaw the building and construction of the retreat with Darren his son flying in to help with the more technical construction details like power, plumbing and the kitchen.
After more than 12 months of hard work Papatura Island Retreat was officially opened in 2009 and is now the pride of tourism on Santa Isabel.
Your Retreat
Enjoy Papatura Island Retreat, Solomon's newest holiday destination and Santa Isabel's first world standard tourism project. Relax in your beachfront bungalow with warm tropical waters lapping the white sand beach metres from your deck.
Papatura boasts excellent fishing and awesome surfing, world class reefs for snorkelling, some great tropical rainforest walks and a true culture experience unspoilt by mass tourism. Papatura Island Retreat is your island getaway and is quickly being known as one of the Pacific's most sought after secret spots to step off the map and leave behind the worries of the modern world. Pure isolation.
Your Bungalow
We have 4 types of bungalows. Each is located on or near the beachfront and have gorgeous views of the beach, the wide bay out the front and Isabel Mountain range with wild sunsets at dust. They are tucked away between the coco palms, orchids and local plants and there’s no better way to fall asleep than to hear the gentle lapping of waves on the beach.
They are all constructed using traditional materials like sago leaf and wild beetle nut. All have large decks and are fitted out using LED lighting, inner spring mattresses and mossie nets. Bath towels are supplied but please bring your own toiletries. We have 1 porta cot available for those with babies so please reserve when booking.
Beachfront Bungalow
We have 2 x twin room beach bungalows which can sleep up to 3 people in each room. The 2 rooms share a large common deck with hammocks and table and chairs. The beach bungalows are linked with raised timber walk ways to shared bathroom facilities. There are 2 showers with rainforest views and 2 composting toilets for 4 bungalows.
Family Bungalow
This is our newest bungalow which can sleep up to 6 guests with a queen bed, and 4 singles. Made traditionally with local material, it has a very cute and private indoor/outdoor bathroom, huge deck area and is ideal for couples, groups or families with young kids.
Loft Bungalows
Our 2 loft bungalows can accommodate up to six people (ideal for 4 – 5), with a queen bed upstairs and singles placed accordingly. They are slightly more private being located on the point area of the bay and have our main jetty strung out between them where it is ideal to watch the sunset with a cool drink. They have a private outdoor bamboo shower with toilet and vanity basins inside.
Sunset Bungalow
Our most private bungalow located on the western end of the island with a queen size four posted bed and small fridge for your champagne… The perfect honeymooners' getaway? It has a private deck with outdoor lounges, day beds, a private out door shower and a indoor bathroom with hot water shower, toilet and vanity basin inside.
Your Wave or Mine
No Crowds guaranteed with a maximum of 12 surfers for the majority of your stay. Solomon's premier surf retreat with 10 + waves, quality boats with safety gear and trained guides to put you in the right spot. Our local breaks vary on tides but all turn on when the conditions are right. There are waves to suit all standards of surfers and we have plenty of surfboards and long boards available for use if you're not travelling with one. Surfing in the Solomon Islands is all about getting away from the crowds. We guarantee it.
Exceptional Fishing
Papatura is geared up to offer all types of fishing. Bottom and reef fishing, trolling, popping and there's some great river fishing in the area. In the short time we've been there we have landed sail fish, shark, sweet lip, coral trout and cod, job fish, king fish, trevally, wahoo, mackerel, barracuda, wrasse and some big snapper. The rivers boast huge mangrove jacks, spot tail bass and ox eye herring. Please come over and add to the list.
Rainforests and Walks
Papatura Island is approx 270 hectares and with a small mountain ridge through the middle that is thick with tropical rainforest, this makes for some great walks. We are happy to send a guide with you to point out things that you might miss, Dora's knowledge on bush foods and plants is great. You will be amazed at what you can eat or use for medical purposes. See cycads that are 100s of years old, huge tropical palms, strangler figs, exotic birds and unusual lizards and insects. There are plenty of small rock pools to soak in and waterfalls to cool off from the mid day summer heat. We also have some long beaches on the other side of the island to stroll along.
Village Tours
We do our best to ensure all guests experience a village tour and dance. To see the rawness of the Solomons and the way the locals live, visit the school, church, and see traditional haus and cook haus. This includes a 30 minute boat trip to Kolompasa Village, local village walk around tour, and plenty of time to chat with the locals and kids. For those who wish to experience more village life, extra trips can be arranged from Papatura.
We encourage guests to bring an educational or sporting gift to be left at the school or given to a villager.
Things to Do and See
At Papatura Island Retreat we are proud to boast that we offer more complementary activities than any other resort
Our complementary activities include
-Use of snorkeling gear with great reefs off the beach
-Standard fishing gear – some great catch have been landed from the jetties.
-Use of surf boards and body boards, we have the Solomon's largest range soards, fish shapes and fiberglass and firewire mals
5 x Stand up paddle boards
-canoes
-paddle board
-kayaks
-view boards – great for coral view over the reef
-sailing cat with lessons if required
-volley ball
-table tennis
-darts
-board games
-full library
-local cultural crafts for kids
Plus much more
Grab a book or magazine from our library, take a bush walk with our staff in the rain forest and learn about bush foods. Swim in the rain forest water holes, a great place to relax from the mid summer sun.
We can guarantee a special time for kids and that they leave the retreat learning great things about the way of life in the Solomon's. Local crafts, bush walks and customs stories will be shared. Baby sitting and child minding are available for your entire stay - please enquire. Kids can learn to fish, sail or collect food the Solomon way.
How We Started
Our dream started in the mid 90's with out first trip to the Solomon Islands; we fell in love with the country and its people. So for the next 15 years we travelled, enjoyed and searched for the ultimate location to build the retreat.
The 6 key factors we needed was remoteness away from any established tourism areas, a reliable water source, the availability of good consistent waves, great swimming area with quality reefs for snorkeling, location of the local air strip and local villages that were keen to be involved in tourism. On a surf reconnaissance trip to Santa Isabel in Nov 2007, we found paradise at Papatura Island. Finally, a location that ticked all the boxes, our dream started to become a reality.
After 1 year of negotiation with the provincial government and local chefs we signed a 50 year lease and started the huge effort of getting 2 full shipping containers from the Gold Coast to a small remote island in the South Pacific. What a huge effort! Eventually with the help of a few mates we drove our 2 long boats from Honiara to the island to meet the barge and man handle the containers and 17 tonnes of resort equipment and building supplies up the beach and started working on what would become the beach's little retreat in the Pacific.
Starting out the living conditions where very harsh bunkering down under tarps from the monsoonal rains, trying to keep the mosquitoes and seas ulcers away, and chasing goannas out of our temporary outdoor kitchen and living area. Pete who was 68 at the time is stuff legends are made of. He lived there with 1 worker for the first 3 months until Marg his wife joined him. With the the help of family, they oversaw the building and construction of the retreat with Darren his son flying in to help with the more technical construction details like power, plumbing and the kitchen.
After more than 12 months of hard work Papatura Island Retreat was officially opened in 2009 and is now the pride of tourism on Santa Isabel.
