Gold Dust Inn Arawa

The Gold Dust Inn in Arawa is the second hotel, bar, restaurant and hotel of note in Bougainville’s main city of Arawa. As such this meant that we stayed here two nights.

This was part of our recent Bougainville Tour, which followed on from our tour to the Mount Hagen festival with my travel agency YPT.

Gold Dust Inn Hotel

There are for all intents just two hotels in Arawa the Bovotel and the Gold Dust Inn. Hotel wise the Biotel is the fancier of the two, but the Gold Dust Inn is better value and has a more rustic charm to it.

Layout wise it is on two floors with reception, a weird clothes shop that might be second hand on the first, with some rooms and the second consisting of the bar and restaurant.

The rooms are big enough and have AC, but are for all intents simple. The main drag here is that the bathrooms are shared. Yet as we have stated with both Island Hopping in Bougainville, as well as the cuisine of Bougainville these are the breaks in such a stunning, but unknown part of the world.

Gold Dust Inn Restaurant

A highlight here though, aside from the location is the restaurant and bar. The menu is like with most places in Bougainville simple and consists mostly of chips with stuff, such as chicken and steak. Now I will say one thing I ordered a rare steak with no chips and no salad and got the opposite. It was honestly an ordeal to eat and one which has confirmed why I like my steak very rare.

So, avoid the steak. Everything else though is great, with us even having one of our best meals here when there was lobster and chips on special at $12.

Gold Dust Inn Bar

In essence the bar and restaurant at Gold Dust Inn are as one, with it having tables, Rugby League on the TV and an open plan feel. At a push you could get 50 people in here.

Drink choices are as expected in not just Bougainville but also Papua New Guinea, with SP, Bird of Paradise and Chillers. They also have the fabulous Gold Spot range, as well as Solo’s in case you don’t drink.

There is though no liquor, although they will put up with a wee bit of Paiawara if you happen to have purchased some.

Reasons Cafe is still the best restaurant in Bougainville.