| Pub Crawl: HONIARA’S WATERING HOLES |
Evan Wasuka
Friday night is the hot night out in dusty Honiara when the young and not-so-young burn the midnight oil.
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Service with a smile... King Solomon’s bar manager, Melai Leong.
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In downtown Honiara, the King Solomon Hotel’s bar and restaurant is striking gold, pulling in local punters and expatriates alike.
For Honiara’s party-goers, the mahogany furnishings of the Hibiscus Bar is the first port of call on a Friday night in the capital.
The King Solomon Hotel is on Hibiscus Avenue, opposite the Australian High Commission, near the centre of Honiara’s main business district and a two-minute walk from almost all points in the city.
Built and christened the Blum’s Hometel in 1966, the hotel later changed its name to Hibiscus Hotel. Now, it is called or known as King Solomon Hotel.
It has however, retained much of its earlier charm but with a new modern island-style decor.
By 5pm, the air is buzzing as activities at the Hibiscus Bar, a remnant of the hotel’s past life, picks up with the after-work crowd making the most of the S$10 Solbrew happy-hour price.
Bar manageress Melai Leong says the local beer, Solbrew, is the drink of choice but there are plenty of other beverages on offer at the King Solomon Hotel's bar.
Drinks aside, it’s the conversation that dominates the scene—with music a discrete second.
Friday evenings and familiar faces reappear. Each week the crowd seems to grow as word of mouth spreads.
By 9pm, the crowd moves under the thatched roof of the restaurant as karaoke, the main Friday night attraction, kicks into gear with the first brave souls taking on the challenge of entertaining the night’s lot of party-goers.
“Two Saratoga is what you’ll get,” says Friday night MC—Allan—hoping to coax any would-be performer to the stage.
It is the brand of the local pre-mix drink sponsoring the night’s event.
The music which clamours down Hibiscus Avenue ranges from Frank Sinatra’s New York, New York, entertainingly performed by a quartet of lawyers to a dentist’s rendition of Billy Ray Cyrus’ Achy Breaky Heart.
As the clock ticks and the Saratogas pile up, the need for enticement diminishes.
The music is reflective of the crowd on hand. And tonight—a mix of Honiara’s forever growing expatriate populace, locals, tourists and hotel guests who fill the restaurant area.
Good security and a fun crowd with the restaurant closing down at around 11:30pm, karaoke night makes a great launching pad for a foray into Honiara’s other watering holes.
The next stop is a S$10 taxi ride across town over the Old Mataniko Bridge and into Chinatown to Honiara Hotel’s Flamingo bar and nightclub.
The hotel, built in 1960 by Honiara businessman Sir Thomas (Tommy) Chan, was the setting of a local crime novel Murder on the Mataniko Bridge by Anne Kengalu. Overtime it has undergone impressive upgrades in its new wing.
Built on the side of the main hotel building, Flamingo encompasses a large lounge area, a dance floor and bar setting.
Enclosed in the hotel’s secure compound, is a team of security guards who provides a round-the-clock watch of the premises and vehicles in the parking area.
Despite its S$25 entrance fee—free entry for house guests—this club is not short of patrons and be warned it can get absolutely choc-a-block.
The party only gets moving after midnight and the pace is fast with the dance floor play-list identical to nightclubs in Suva or other regional outposts.
At S$15 per Solbrew, the price of drinks at Flamingo’s on par with the rest of the town’s nightspots.
Outside Honiara, the Bula Bar is another happening place for a Friday night out.
Located at the Airport Motel, next to Honiara International Airport, the bar’s main attraction is live music.
The live band starts at around 9pm but the regulars say the party really picks up between 11pm and midnight.
House band member Brian Maesulia says the music mix ranges from hip-hop, rock, island to country music.
Any island music or local song is a definite crowd pleaser, he says.
“But after midnight any music will get everybody on the dance floor,” says Maesulia.
Downstairs, the drink prices are the same as other Honiara establishments. They are served from the expansive main bar or from the Bunker Bar—decorated with World War II memorabilia—at the back in the beer garden.
Upstairs, the airy VIP Lounge contains comfortable couches, pool tables and a large television screen beaming live sporting events from around the world.
The Bula Bar closes between 2am and 3am, although a distance from town, taxis are usually available outside the nightclub at around closing time.
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