Airways Hotel

The Airways is Papua New Guinea's most celebrated hotel, and its setting explains much of the legend: a secure, self-contained hillside compound perched directly above Jacksons International Airport, with terraces gazing across the runway to the Owen Stanley foothills. A restored vintage aircraft mounted at the entrance sets the aviation theme, and for the steady flow of resource-industry executives, diplomats and expedition travellers passing through PNG, the hotel's blend of security, service and style has no local rival.

Rooms climb the hillside in tiers, from smart deluxe categories to genuinely plush suites and apartments, most with valley or runway views and all fed by the hotel's own reliable infrastructure. The pool deck, framed by frangipani and that famous panorama, is Port Moresby's best, and the gym and day spa are kept to international standard.

Dining is a genuine strength—the elegant Vue restaurant pairs its lookout with the city's most ambitious kitchen, backed by a deli-café and bars—and the five-minute shuttle to the terminals makes the hotel the natural bookend for trips to the Highlands, Sepik or the dive resorts of Milne Bay and Kimbe. Within its walls, the Airways delivers a polish that continually surprises first-time visitors to PNG.