And there are many islands. The Solomons are a string of six major islands plus about 900 more - some small, some big, some historically important, like Kennedy Island, six kilometres from the island of Gizo. That's where, in 1943, a young John F. Kennedy and 10 crew members were marooned for a week after their PT-109 boat was rammed by a Japanese destroyer. Diving and snorkelling in the Solomons is world-class. But the Solomons, extending northeast from Australia into the Coral Sea, are a travel destination of exceptional beauty and diversity.
Prices here are also more reasonable than elsewhere in the South Pacific.
English, in this former British colony, is widely spoken. The Solomons have been independent since 1978 but its coins still bear the image of Queen Elizabeth. To get there from Canada you can fly from Vancouver to Fiji, then three hours to the Solomon capital of Honiara. A day in Honiara is enough to see the national museum, municipal market and handicraft shops. Then take a spectacular one-hour flight to Gizo, over green islands, speckled reefs and turquoise lagoons.