Guest User
November 23, 2022
“Off the Grid” was the sole brief from my fast burning-out wife when we made a last-minute choice to book a flight anywhere with ‘guaranteed good weather and away from utterly everything’. Perhaps I took the brief a little too literally when I came across the Serenity Beaches Resort on Uoleva Island, a tiny almost uninhabited atoll in the Ha'apai Group of Islands from the Kingdom of Tonga. Two days later and we were on our way. Let me start by saying Serenity Beaches is not a resort, it’s really a retreat. It is not easy to travel to but persistence pays and so four cars, two flights, an overnight and a boat later we were greeted on the sands by the age defying owner Patti and her partner, Semi. Patti has spent 16 years building, (and rebuilding post tsunamis!), a very special place in a very special part of the world. It’s where you go when you want to return right back to basics, enjoy the isolation, question why we do what we do and re-connect with each other. We stayed for 3 nights and were the only guests. The accommodation is basic, private, under the canopy to keep cool and 10 seconds walk into the ocean. They are open to the elements, but have cold running water, outdoor showers and a toilet. Expect to sleep with nature and play guess the animal noise from under the security of your mosquito net, (hermit crabs, geckos, flying foxes, roosters, spiders and pigs may well visit), but truly this just adds to the experience! The island has white soft sand the whole way round, surrounded by stunning coral and amazing fish life. We just missed the whale season, but we snorkeled for hours around the reefs and saw literally hundreds of different species. We walked around the whole island (about 3 hours) in total isolation, not difficult when there are actually only 4 inhabitants on Uoleva! We kayaked, read books, napped, drank wine under shooting stars and eventually forgot we owned mobile phones. Patti and Semi are the most wonderful hosts and the meals they produce in their basic kitchen is honestly some of the best food you will eat anywhere. If you love seafood especially you are in for a treat. Don’t expect a menu, do expect to ask for more it’s that good! Like I said, getting there is not plain sailing so here is some useful stuff: If you are lucky there is one, maybe two flights from the mainland to Ha'apai a day, weather depending and subject to if they can actually be bothered. Lulutai airlines don’t have a website, they have a Facebook page which posts the flight schedule the day before so you can’t easily plan it. They don’t answer messages either. The best option is to call them on +676 26 488, then ask them to send you their bank details so you can pre-pay or they will just cancel your flight! We actually had our return cancelled as they didn’t have enough passengers to justify sending a plane and had to wait four hours for another one. Once you do land in Ha'apai, Patti will arrange for a local to collect you