Accommodation: Tongatapu 

The Benefits of Booking Via Text and Paying Cash on Arrival

For all accommodation in the Pacific, I recommend to contact the accommodation directly. They will usually give you a cheaper price than booking.com or agoda, as these websites take 10-25% for themselves. In the Pacific, small budget accommodations are usually locally owned, and these hosts usually are very happy to organise your booking via WhatsApp, text, for Facebook Messenger in order to save money on the booking platform commission. In addition, some parts of the Pacific are very remote and it is hard to get regular ATM access. For these communities especially, paying cash on arrival is drastically preferred over online purchases.

In addition, by booking via online messages, you do not have to pay a deposit beforehand and this gives you the freedom to cancel or request to change room if what you had booked wasn't up to standard. I have only booked online via Agoda twice in the Pacific, and both times I regretted it. The Pacific is home to the most welcoming and interpersonal people you will ever find. By booking via text, your accommodation host can also recommend you transport options, local guides, or local secrets of their own before you arrive. When staying somewhere particularly remote, I will always ask if the host needs me to pick something up in town for them (as remote areas can be hours away from shops). Usually, they request either rice, fresh vegetables, or meats, which they then deduct off the cost of my stay. In offering to collect groceries for them, you may be saving a member of the family potentially hours of travel, demonstrating yourself as someone who shares their community values, and securing fresh produce for their family to enjoy a healthy dinner that night. 

The Village Backpackers

‘Oholei Beach Resort 

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