Of the hundred something islands that make up the Kingdom of Tonga, my mother seems to
believe she is the Queen of Pangaimotu Island which is only a boats ride away from
Nuku’alofa. (Seriously.) Where she came up with this idea of being displaced from her motherland into our less
tropical paradise called Florida, I’m not sure, but I decided to do some investigating in case she was trying to hint
at something. Since nothing in the family tree pointed to ancient Polynesian blood, I figure my mother has
her head in the clouds just as much as the rest of us, secretly wishing we owned islands in the
Pacific.
In any case if owning an island isn’t on your personal agenda, but paying a backpacker’s visit is,
consider this quaint little hideout in Pangaimotu. The
Pangaimotu Island Resort
is mid-range accommodation unless you opt to camp out on the beach which gets you an even better bargain ($15 a
night) and is much better if you ask me. Overlooking one of the best swimming beaches in Tonga it’s said to
be pretty popular spot for locals and budget travelers all around. For a list of other reasonably
priced backpacker retreats in Tonga click
here.