Tongan Beach Resort, Vava'u, Tonga
My wife and I had the opportunity to spend 7 nights at the Tongan Beach Resort in late July. Our goal with traveling to Tonga was to swim with the humpback whales. Over the course of 5 days out looking for the humpback whales, we had to opportunity to swim with ~15 whales, including a mom and playful baby and a singing male. The male was singing so loudly that I could feel the sound resonate in my chest. Quite an amazing experience.
The very nice people at the Tongan Beach Resort helped us coordinate with the companies that picked us up for the whale watching. Right in front of the hotel is the dock that the boats come to pick you up in, so this becomes a very easy spot to quickly get out on the water.
They also have kayaks that you can take out to find your own snorkeling spots, which are all over the place. On our snorkels, we saw starfish, lion-fish, sea snakes, stripped eels, giant (ish) clams and many other beautiful fish.
The resort was small and cozy with the dining hall being right on the beach. The arrangement makes it such that you end up seeing many of the same people from the hotel multiple times and can choose to chat with them about their travels, life etc... We made some friends over our 7 days. The rooms are cozy and open right to the beach, which is nice. The only downside is that some of the walls between rooms are a bit thin, so if someone is noisy early, it may wake you. However, most people are in bed early and up early, to take advantage of the sea. The views of the stars are also incredible.
The food was well prepared and tasty. The only downside with eating at the same place for breakfast and dinner is that you get a bit bored of the food after a few days. Talk to the cook and ask if he can mix it up...he did for me and his creations were delicious.
You will see a few pigs running around the resort as well, but they stay far away from humans...
All in all, totally worth it.