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An island paradise in the Pacific?
An island paradise in the Pacific?
Vanuatu, a stunning archipelago in the South Pacific, is made up of 83 islands, each offering its own unique charm and adventure. This tropical paradise is renowned for its crystal-clear waters, vibrant coral reefs, and lush rainforests.
The capital, Port Vila, located on the island of Efate, is the cultural and economic hub of Vanuatu, featuring a blend of Melanesian traditions and French influences. It’s a bustling town with vibrant markets, local crafts, and an array of dining options.
Port Vila is also home to some of the most popular resorts in Vanuatu, including luxury escapes like Iririki Island Resort and Warwick Le Lagon. Beyond Port Vila, you can explore stunning attractions like the blue holes of Espiritu Santo, the active volcano on Tanna Island, and pristine beaches across the archipelago, making Vanuatu a premier destination for relaxation, adventure, and unforgettable experiences.
Now that the tourist literature. I'll continue with .... however......anyone heading to Vanuatu thinking it will be an inexpensive holiday, think again. The island is expensive, including the fruit and craft markets. also the tourist attractions such as the beaches. The majority of the land is privately owned by the locals, which is great and I like they are charging visitors to use their property, they should charge us for the privileges' but its expensive. I also question the value for money.
Eton Beach - 2000 VUV ($25) to swim or 500 VUV to walk on it for five minutes
Blue Lagoon - 2000 VUV
Mele Cascades Waterfall - 2000 VUV
Also bargain for cab prices - for example the 2km trip from the casino to StoneGrill can vary from 600VUV to 2000VUV ($7 to $24)
For those that enjoy Chinese food, and I am one of them, there is a large Chinese presence on Vanuatu. Significant city building infrastructure is being developed with loans and courtesy of the Chinese Government, including the Conference Centre. This will make a difference to the islands facilities and offerings. It would help even more so if they assisted with the pot-holes that are present on the road that is the main route around the island. There was some car killers on that road!
An island destruction.
In 2020, Vanuatu was struck by the devastating Category 5 Cyclone Harold, one of the most powerful storms to ever hit the South Pacific. The cyclone caused widespread destruction across the island chain, with winds exceeding 200 km/h and torrential rains leading to severe flooding. Communities were left without homes as thousands of buildings were damaged or destroyed, including schools, medical centers, and critical infrastructure. The cyclone also decimated crops and agricultural land, severely impacting food security and livelihoods. Recovery efforts have been ongoing, with local and international aid working to rebuild and strengthen the resilience of Vanuatu's communities.
Iririki Island Resort & Spa is a reasonably luxurious tropical escape nestled on its own private island in the heart of Port Vila, Vanuatu. I say reasonably as the resort is tired but it’s clean, very clean and the new owners are continually improving. Something you can see clearly; there is a great deal of upgrades being undertaken. The staff are great too, they couldn't be friendlier.
It offers some breathtaking views of the sparkling turquoise waters and lush landscapes from one side, and unfortunately views of the fugly side of the city of Port Vila from the other.
The accommodation is interesting as the luxury overwater bungalows, which are closer to the reception, spa, restaurant and infinity pool are great but they are the ones that overlook the town. So these more expensive accommodations get the town noise of the Cava enhanced street party and associated movements and the closely located, Club Lit after about 10pm.
The newer apartment complexes on the island, some with spa baths on the veranda, have great views of either the pool or open ocean but are a fair hike away from all the other amenities. If the pool restaurant was open down the far end and offered a breakfast solution it would be hard to leave that area, as it was pretty awesome.
The resort does provide a blend of tranquility and adventure. If you're seeking a romantic getaway, a family vacation, or a relaxing retreat, Iririki Island caters to every need with its attempt at world-class amenities. It includes the overwater bungalows, an onsite spa with some pretty bloody nice spa treatments, and a variety of dining experiences.
Dining was more limited down the resort-pool end of the island as the restaurant was closed maybe due to the cyclone a few years ago. It looks like it's being rebuilt, but the pool bar is still there with great drinks and a limited food offering.
Now value for money wise, the resort was expensive for food and drink. It wasn’t horrific but at $25AUD for a cocktail, it’s more than Sydney prices. Same with dining, especially the weekly buffets. On our arrival there was a 5500 VUV or $60AUD change pp for the buffet. This would be okay if the offerings were more….more….worth $60 pp – but not for chicken madras or fried sausage and onion. In saying that, this was offset to a large extent with a credit $$ as part of the package. As was two tours and a massage. Breakfast was also included and was always amazing.
Was I upset that it wasn’t completely as luxurious as was promised and a little tired? Not really, did you see the package offering!
Iririki Island Resort & Spa provided a lovely and unforgettable stay. It's a perfect location, has great potential and is safe, friendly and simply easy to get everywhere. The spa, pools and bars are great and there is an accommodation choice for everyone. Any you can enjoy a wide range of activities, from snorkeling in the coral reefs to exploring the local culture. It's an easy place to love and it keeps you away from cruise ship tourism on those alongside days.
Hats off also to the large solar farm on the island. A huge step forward on self sustainability.
Things to do
Efate is the main island of Vanuatu and is home to the capital city, Port Vila. It offers a variety of activities, from cultural experiences to natural wonders. Here’s a list of must-do activities and places to explore on Efate Island:
1. Port Vila
- Local Markets: Visit the Port Vila market for fresh produce, local crafts, and souvenirs. Again see my comments on cost. I'm still very Scottish!
- Waterfront Restaurants: Lots of waterfront restaurants have stunning views of the harbour.
- Vanuatu National Museum: With the history, culture, and traditional artifacts of Vanuatu.
2. Blue Lagoon
- A beautiful, natural swimming spot with crystal-clear blue waters surrounded by lush greenery. Great for a relaxing swim and a picnic. Its fabulous. Rope swings and dodgy constructed platforms are a WHS persons nightmare, but swimming here was bliss.
3. Eton Beach
- Advertised as one of the most picturesque beaches on the island. White sand and turquoise water. It’s a perfect spot for swimming, snorkeling, and sunbathing. It’s great if the tide is right and there isn’t an on-shore breeze. Wear some type of water shoes and be careful with the tides. I needed to be rescued by my friend as I couldn’t get my feet back down under me due depth, current and jagged-ass rocks.
4. Mele Cascades Waterfall
- A stunning waterfall located about 10 km from Port Vila. You can take a guided tour, swim in the natural pools, and enjoy the lush rainforest surroundings. Don’t plan this as a day event, it’s 20-minutes both ways without the swim.
5. Hideaway Island
- A short boat ride from Port Vila, this small island offers great snorkelling and diving opportunities. I did a week diving and snorkelling here about 20 years ago and loved it. Now, you’d need to avoid cruise ship days.
6. Cultural Village
- Experience traditional Melanesian culture with dance performances, local food tastings, and demonstrations of traditional skills like fire-making and weaving. We visited the island behind Iririki for our cultural visit. Ifira Island with David our guide. It was lovely. There is a restaurant being built on this Island and will be worth a visit when it’s complete.
7. Snorkelling and Diving
- Efate has several excellent snorkelling and diving spots, and we had a couple of reasonable dips in from the boat. As mentioned, I did a diving vacation at Hideaway as few years ago and that was great. Today – I’d like to have see it again, but time….
8. Rent a Car and Drive the Island or get a driver (car and driver our choice)
- The island's ring road (130 km) offers scenic views of the coastline, rainforests, and local villages. We stopped at small beaches, viewpoints, and cafes along the way, it was bliss. This was the expensive day. Our car and driver was about $250 AUS, which wasn’t bad. However, our driver turned a little surly when we didn’t want to visit places where he would get a % of the admission fees. Add an addition $100+ for fees at Eton, Blue Lagoon, waterfall, hot springs (which is unusable after the cyclone) and a few other visit spots. The roads are also atrocious with pot-holes.
9. The 93 Islands Distillery
- This is a rum, vodka and gin distillery. Tastings are around $30 Aus pp with no food, only the selection of produce. Bottle prices are reasonable and is again sent to the airport for you flight home. I obviously needed gin!
We didn’t do any turtle feeding. Our choice on that one.
Duty Free Shopping
Duty free is my favourite part of shopping. In Port Vila there are a couple of duty free shops.
One is Paris and the other, who's name escpaes me is in a massive canary yellow building on the waterfront. Paris has great choices and is a great price.
The one in the yellow building, and I really do mean YELLOW, has magnificent choices but is $1-$3 more expensive per bottle. However still very reasonable.
So both are great value and worth a visit. They will send your purchases to the airport for pick up just prior to your flight.
Places to eat
There are a lot of very good places to eat in Port Vila and we picked our selections from Trip Advisor, with one exception. The casino restaurant. It's not well advertised at all and has an amazing menu selection and great views. We also hit on nights where they had entertainment. Such a great night.
Others we enjoyed were:
StoneGrill - this was amazing
Waterfront - again divine
Chilli - yep, more good
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