When it comes to hotels in Funafuti and Tuvalu in general your choices are not exactly huge in the 3rd least visited country on the planet. The best though of the three, or so is the Funafuti Lagoon Hotel “the” place to stay on the capital atoll.
Yet while it is indeed the best, again we need a little context, less than 500 people visit each year and there are just 3 hotels in the capital.
What the Funafuti?
Funafuti is the capital island/atoll of Tuvalu an independent country and member of the British Commonwealth. It was originally part of the Gilbert and Ellis Islands, but when the Republic of Kiribati was formed they went their own way.
Funafuti itself is a cute town shaped like an L that you can drive, walk, or run around, as well as drive down the airport runway. The place is fairly Christian (which will come in useful later), and even has 15 minutes of prayer at 18.45 everyday…….
Oh and on New Years, which kinda messed with our partying.
Where is the Funafuti Lagoon Hotel
Funafuti Lagoon Hotel address;
F5GV+GVR, Vaiaku, Tuvalu
Quite literally 2 whole minutes walk from the runway…….
Rooms at the Funafuti Lagoon Hotel
They come in at about $100 AUD per night, which is fairly standard for the area, with the rooms being simple and not always that clean. Technically there’s hot water, but it does not always work.
Next to the main rooms and the hotel are some beachside bungalows which are slightly more well kept and larger. Rooms in the whole place are limited, which might mean putting some people elsewhere, which is pretty much what happened to me…..
More about my hotel later….
You can read our Tuvalu Guide here.
What to do at the Funafuti Lagoon Hotel
The bar at8 the hotel is now centrally located in a hut type thing just outside of the back, which is also where the functions are held as well as breakfast had.
Regarding functions this is the nexus of Funafuti and this means you will often see wedding, or Christmas parties when you stay here, with the people of Tuvalu always being welcoming to guests. There are though a lot of adventists and Mormons, so a drink is not always on the menu.
The bar here though can be a savior, particularly at “religious” times, with its hotel status giving guests something to drink. Aside from this you are new to the bay for island hopping, as well as the beach.
Oh and you can rent a motorbike here, pretty much the best thing you cam do when visiting Tuvalu.
Food at the Funafuti Lagoon Hotel
Genuinely one of the best restaurants in Funafuti, but again if you have read my Tuvalu street food article you’ll know there’s also not all that much choice.
The menu here is western and overall pretty good, certainly providing some variety for travelers to Tuvalu.
So, overall? Pretty much your best bet when you visit Funafuti, particularly when you travel as part of a group tour.
You can check out the Least Visited Countries Tour here.