Vanuatu Travel Forum

Hi,
we are planning to go to Vanuatu for our honeymoon this December, can anyone recommend an isalnd, a hotel and things to do while we are there.

We are looking for a boutique hotel that overlooks the beach...preferably with a swimup bar....

Also what is the weather like that time of year?
thanks

Yea for sure, I have been to Vanuatu 3 times and as a travel agent we had to visit many of the properties around port vila

By the sounds of what you are looking for I would recommend Breakas Beach resort. It is ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL, pretty quiet, boutique and private...

All accommodation are bungalows and you can either chose from beachfront or garden, however even the garden bures are very close to the beach, it has an infinity pool, swim up bar and the retaurant is around the pool, however its never busy... No children are allowed either so thats a plus if its for your honeymoon..
However the rooms have no TV, clocks, phones etc but that is what makes it so nice that you are disconnected from the world and dont want to sit around watching TV all day...

Its located right on the beach (the best surf break in Vila) and lots of snorkling etc

You are only about 10 mins from Vila and the B buses go past all the time and its only about $1 per person into town. Good option, that way you can go and eat out in town or visit other resorts for lunch or dinner etc

There are no bad seasons for Vanuatu, at that time tho it is going into summer so it might rain a lil at night

For tours I recommend 'vanuatu eco tours' they have awsome tours that I did, my fav was river cascades, you trek through the river and the scenerty is so beautiful and expecially nice on a hot day.. at the end you get to swim in the blue lagoon

Another good one I did with them was the kayaking, if you dont like too much phyical actiovity probably dont do this one as I found it a lil hard

Make sure you go to Hideaway island for the day (the only underwater post office in the world) you can pay $30 - 50 to go there with tour or just jump on a B bus and ask them to take you there (much cheaper)

If you wnat to know anything else let me know as iv seen most of vila and the hotels/resorts etc

Thanks

We have stayed at Irriki Island resort. This place now caters for kids but they are on the back of the island and the original sidce which fronts Villa has bures which are for two only. Harbourview rooms have excellent views. The resort has a poll and they will serrve you while you are in it. It has a lovely pool dewck which overlooks the harbour and the water around the island is so clear you can snorkel or swim and see lots of fish. To get to the mainland there is a shuttle boat run by the resort which will take you there in about 3 minutes for free. Would recommend for honeymoon. Stay in harbour view (great views fron the balcony)or ocean front bures (they are over the water)
The cascades are a must and so is Hideaway island.

"There are no bad seasons for Vanuatu, at that time tho it is going into summer so it might rain a lil at night"

I would disagree with this statement from the travel agent above. December is in the midst of cyclone season, and while you are not apt to experience a full-blown cyclone, you need to be aware that this is also the rainy season. That being said, it might also mean that your hotel rates are lower.

In Vila, the capital, I have always stayed at the Iririki Island Resort, as per the previous poster. This is a nice place, with a very convenient water shuttle across the short bay to the town of Vila. Other resorts around the perimeters of Vila are isolated, although you might want to consider them, too, if you want more isolation.

I would suggest taking at least one side trip by air to discover more of the "real" Vanuatu. I'd suggest these islands for a few days: Tanna, Ambrym, or Espiritu Santo. You will not find 5-star accommodation anywhere, but you'll experience more of the authentic Vanuatu than just spending all your time in Vila, which tends to be more of an ex-patriot place for British and French.

Good luck, and I hope you have a wonderful time!

We stayed at Iririki Resort last December for our wedding and honeymoon. It was beautiful, the staff were very friendly and nothing was too much trouble. You can get some good package deals, I think we paid $1900 for 10 nights which included breakfast every day. It is only a 5 minute ferry ride (ferries operate all day and til late) and it has it's own beach and a pool overlooking the sea and a separate swim up bar.
We had a great time there and I highly reccommend it to anyone wishing to travel to Vanuatu who want to stay in luxury accommodation.

Thanks for the good follow-up, and glad you had a great time at the Iririki!