Opposite the cricket field (to the west), big-smiling widow Cindy and her daughter Janet have opened their home to visitors. The small house has two bedrooms, sleeps three or four, and is the heart of her extended family's compound.
You can arrange village stays yourself by speaking with the chief of the village that you'd like to stay. Friendly Emanuel Tosieru runs three traditional-style rooms on stilts at Kaibola Beach.
It would be difficult to find more basic accommodation than these five single rooms that are a five-minute walk from Losuia. All rooms are ultrabasic and, without a fan, can be pretty warm.
Located near the airport, on either side of an abandoned WWII-era airstrip, Butia Lodge is the cleanest and most comfortable accommodation on the island.
Butia Lodge arranges village stays at Kaibola and Mweuya, including basic food, and will transport you to and from the village. The transport and having an English-language speaker is an advantage here.
You can arrange village stays yourself by speaking with the chief of the village that you'd like to stay. Contact K Nimrod Tutumla at Okaiboma to spend the night in one of the basic beach huts there.
The owner, John Kasaipwalova, is the chief of Bweka and consequently, has access to a large local network. He is an eloquent conversationalist, explaining local protocols and is skilled at dovetailing his tours into village festivals.
When we visited, the rooms were being given a lick of paint but still seemed overpriced, decaying and uninviting. However the lodge does have its own double cab truck and is a better position than most to transport you around the island.
Subscribe now and receive a 20% discount on your next guidebook purchase
© 2013 Lonely Planet. All rights reserved. No part of this site may be reproduced without our written permission.