Kitesurf Tonga — Hotel in Haʻapai

My wife and I spent seven nights at Kitesurf for the whale swims. We’re sure that it’s a good place to get off the grid and kitesurf, but it was not our cup of tea. The reviews are all very positive, but we think that visitors to the Ha’apai group should be better informed. Accommodations We really liked the rustic cabins. Very simple and basic, and perfect for getting off the grid. Several times, we saw or heard whales from our cabin. However, dozens of seashells decorated the interior; certainly not in the spirit of sustainability. Food and drink The food was good and well presented, but we had fish only twice, lots of fried food and not much in the way of vegetables. Lots of sweets. Apparently, a lot of guests like this type of food, but we really would have appreciated more fish, vegetables and some Tongan dishes. Dining as a group in the evening was great, but our conversations were interrupted by having to go around the table introducing ourselves, saying what our highlight of the day was, and so on. On our last morning, we needed to depart at 6:30am. We were told that it was too early to serve breakfast. We asked for and received some papaya, but a cup of tea and a bowl of cereal would been minimal effort. The airport only serves snacks, so we had peanuts until late afternoon. The drinks fridge was locked and lights were shut off at 9pm. The blessing in disguise was that the oldies were also shut off. (No Tongan music here; mainly Queen, Supertramp, etc.) Whale swim trips This was our main reason for visiting Tonga. Obviously, the encounters were amazing! But with up to three groups on the boat, we could not spend much time with any one whale. We were instructed to be quiet in the water, but there was always lots of enthusiastic chatter on the surface after each encounter. In one instance, the whales were still below us while Karen and the other guests yelled about how great the encounter was (although it was far from over). On board, I mentioned this to Glenn (the owner), who then told me that we should charter a yacht next time. On the boat, the personnel was often engaged in conversation with the guests instead of scanning the water for whales. The boat stopped to watch dolphins, who swam away before the crew (!) and guests could jump in the water. This may sound petty, but we spent a lot of time and money to swim with humpback whales, not dolphins (which we can see in many places). In short, it was an overall positive experience, but we would not stay there again. By contrast, we spent the next 9 nights on Vava’u. There we had a lot of contact with the extremely hospitable Tongans, enjoyed excellent food (ota ika!) and Tongan beer. We went on more whale swim trips and found the crews to be extremely experienced and respectful to the whales. Despite the horror stories that Kitesurf had told us about Vava’u, we saw fewer boats in the water there than in the Ha’apai group. There were only four people on the boat - run by a “normal” operator - so we could spend 90 relaxed minutes with one...

I was quite nervous booking this, I am not usually one that goes on group trips, and it isn't a cheap holiday either, but seeing whales has always been a dream of mine. The off-grid location and the focus on ethical whale Encounters eventually convinced me to take the leap, and I can now say it has been one of the absolute best things I've ever done!

After a somewhat nerving ride on the tiny plane, we were picked up at the airport and transferred to the island. It was a gorgeous day, and even on the ride over, we saw multiple whales playing close to the boat.

The Fales were nice and well maintained, really everything you could wish for. Glenn took us on a little tour and explained a lot of the technical work that goes into maintaining the resort, which was very interesting.

The whale days started pretty early, and we would just drive around, chatter, and look out for whales. The group you're with can really make or break your trip to an extent, as you spend a lot of time on the boat and in the evening. I got pretty lucky as most people were very lovely, and Karen and Glenn are great at keeping spirits high. When it comes to wildlife encounters, it's always a good idea to keep expectations low. Those are wild animals, and they're not here to entertain tourists. We, however, had many magical encounters. Most days, we spotted loads of whales and got to swim with them. Encounters can be fast, and you often have to swap groups. A lot of swimming is also required. None of these things were an issue for me personally, I took each moment as it came and enjoyed it thoroughly. Many moments will forever be engraved in my memory. Besides whales, we saw much other wildlife, dolphins swimming around the boat, snorkling, etc.

The food was good, and you can tell a lot of effort went into the preparation and snacks on the boat were provided. You get very hungry being on the boat and in the water all day. This also showed at night - everyone was dead asleep by 9, and many of us took pre-dinner naps.

There are some things I would've liked to know - it's very windy there. It is a kitesurf resort, so that should've really been obvious, but I underestimated it. Also, it is winter in tonga during whale season, and chilly winds paired with some rain (we had 2 beautiful days on the water and 2 that were pretty rainy and windy) can make the boatride quite uncomfortable at times - my wetsuit was way too thin. Luckily, I was able to borrow one and be much more comfortable. A rainjacket would've been a good thing to bring.

All in all, I had a beautiful stay. It was relaxing spending time on the beach, and being on the water all day was fantastic. The whale encounters were magical and fulfilled everything I had dreamed of. Karen and Glenn are great hosts and lovely people. I would go back in...

Summary: Amazing hosts, fantastic food and some of the best reef kiting in the world.||||I traveled to Fanifo Lofa with Ozone New Zealand as part of a group of 10. ||||As soon as we arrived in Ha'Apai, our kitesurftonga experience started with Glen meeting us at the airport, arranging for all transit to the boat and bringing us a case of beer :) That set the stage for the most welcoming, friendly kite trip I've ever been on (I've been to Aitutaki, Fiji, Rarotonga, Samoa before this as well as traveling throughout New Zealand for kite adventures)||||Throughout the week, we were fed a variety of excellent meals prepared by the on site cook, who, despite being on a literal island with no groceries, managed to turn around some of the best meals I've had in the last few years, full stop. The Tuna steaks, the roast pork belly and the Thai green curry (prepped by the owner Karen) were outstanding. ||Excellent meals were also made for our Gluten Free and two Vegan friends on our trip (I opted for the vegan option a few times and was very happy)||||The facilities are as described. Self sustaining, solar powered and off grid. The composting toilets were the thing that took the longest to get used to (No smell, but paper has to go into a separate receptacle and not in the toilet). Everything was clean, well maintained and up to standards of any other kitesurf holiday i've been on. I personally found the mattresses to be on the firm side, but Karen and Glen arranged for additional cushioning and I slept very well.||||The kiting was the obvious highlight. The kite point works on any wind direction, we were lucky and despite the forecast looking dire, we got kiting 6 out of the 7 days we were there. Smooth flat water, reefs to explore, downwinders were all on offer. Lunch was a packed affair we could bring with us to the kite point. We had anywhere between 1 - 3 sessions a day, walking to the point (8-10 minutes) and back to the fales as required. I was on my bigger kites (12m) for most of the holiday, but the trip previous to us had had 25knots of wind. Look at the forecast a couple of days before and pack accordingly.||||The hosts are outstanding. Gracious, generous and friendly. The dogs deserve a special mention as well, friendly and well trained, it was nice to have them around as I was missing my pooch. ||||Honestly, the best value and the best...