Bar Review - Sanbis Resort and Bar, Gizo, Solomon Islands

By Dirk Heinz

Nothing typifies a thirst well-earned, like a beer you need to first catch a Twin-Otter twin-prop followed by a speedboat in order to drink. Perhaps it’s something about the smell of two stroke churning through an outboard motor that really whets the appetite. Then again, it could just be the sapping heat of the tropics slowly pulling you into a deep and constant state of thirst that only a cold island beer can quench. Whatever the root cause, when you finally finish your plane journey from Honiara to Gizo airport, followed by your banana boat ride for a short final leg to Sanbis Resort, the drinks that await you are some of the coldest in the Solomon Islands if not the Pacific. And we at PLN have sampled a few.

Before we get into the bar and resort that await at Sanbis, let’s talk a little more about the journey you had to take to get here. After boarding your Solomon Airlines flight in Honiara for the 1 hour trip to Gizo, you will already have zig-zagged a flight path around the towering clouds that sit high above the Solomon Sea, sitting so close to the cockpit you are essentially flying the plane; you’ll have already been left mesmerised by the view out your window of pristine green islands dotted like emeralds as far as the eye can see; casually flown over the crater of a massive ancient volcano;  skimmed the waters of the indigo blue Vona Vona lagoon as you came into land, and ticked off your bucket list that line item that said “land on a runway on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean”. And that’s just the plane ride. Once you step off the plane and collect your bags, you’ll see a flotilla of banana boats which have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of your flight, ready to transport its passengers across the lagoon to the handful of eco-resorts scattered around Gizo and Vona Vona. This part of Solomon Islands really is one of the final frontiers. It’s almost feels surreal that an island-scape so beautiful and pristine can be so little known to the Instagram world, but in a selfish way, we kind of hope it stays a little that way. One of the little known gems hidden away in this amazing part of the world is Sanbis Bar and Resort.

Most people come to Sanbis to stay for a few nights at the resort, but it’s also possible if you have the means to just pull up in a boat, step onto the jetty and stroll up to the wooden bar and order a drink. You can even shoot a little pool as you look out over the waters of the coral clad lagoon at the mighty Kolombangara, a towering extinct volcano which looms over the lagoon with a certain majesty. If you feel like engaging with the locals, you might even have the pleasure of meeting Hans, the resort’s eccentric German owner. But just don’t talk to him if the Adelaide Crows are playing in the AFL, because he’ll be too busy abusing the umpires. If the whole quirky Gilligan’s Island meets Cheers atmosphere becomes too much for you, simmer yourself down by simply jumping off the deck into the waters of the reef right at your feet.

It’s the usuals in the beer fridge. Solbrew (the author’s drink of choice), Canoe (Brown or Blue) as well as a few Johnny Arrows and SB Platinum’s if you’re really feeling like a big session. However, the bartenders have a few wines and spirit staples stocked back there and are also happy to get a little adventurous with some cocktail making if you’re game. Finally, to the food. To be honest, I think I had too many Solbrews to remember much about it, but I do remember the tuna sashimi being some of the freshest and tastiest I’ve ever had. Followed that up with a piping hot pizza cooked in the pizza oven behind the bar, and you’ll be happy you came to Sanbis. And if swilling beers and talking trash with locals isn’t your thing, take some time to yourself and take in the lovely grounds of the island. You’ll find few more picturesque spots in the Pacific.