Heritage Park Hotel

Heritage Park opened in 2009 on one of Honiara's most storied sites—the former residence of the Governor General, on the waterfront in the heart of the capital—and it has held the position of the Solomon Islands' leading hotel ever since. Lawns run from the low-rise room wings down towards Iron Bottom Sound, the stretch of water named for the fleet of ships sunk during the Guadalcanal campaign, and the sea breeze does much to soften Honiara's heat.

Rooms and apartments are the most dependable in the country: modern, air-conditioned and well kept, with balconies over the gardens or the water. The pool terrace and gym cover the leisure basics, while the restaurant and waterfront bar—strong on fresh tuna and cold SolBrew—double as the meeting place for the capital's political and business life; being next door to Parliament's district and the main government offices, the hotel hosts much of it.

For travellers, the location works hard: the central market is minutes away, the war memorials of Guadalcanal an easy half-day, and flights or boats onward to dive lodges in the Western Province depart nearby. Honiara is a rough-edged capital, and Heritage Park is its polished exception.