“Privacy and peace in paradise”
We stayed here for two nights in early August, and wished we could have stayed longer. Before our stay we had read numerous reviews about the resort, and were not sure what to expect, but we can honestly say there was nothing in our stay, or in any aspect, that we didn’t enjoy.
In our beachfront fare, there were beautiful ocean views and the resort’s positioning means an afternoon cocktail while watching the sunset is a must. A few metres walk and you are on lovely white sandy beach, which is swept every morning clean of leaves, and makes it so soft and ‘unspoilt’ looking. There are numerous beanbags and sunlounges with umbrellas for shade, and despite somebody’s comment about it ‘being an adult only resort and seeing the manager’s 8yo son playing on the beach’, we saw no sign of this at all – it was strictly adults only. It was a location we felt absolutely perfect for those on a honeymoon or just wanting a romantic getaway.
Those who have rated it badly because it is out of town and has no night life – well, this isn’t what the resort is for, thought we happily enjoyed the background music from the restaurant. It is about 15 minutes drive out of town, which makes it ideal. It is so quiet! There is a regular boat trip right from the restaurant into the centre of Port Vila if you do want to go shopping or other tourist activities, so it by no means is completely remote and away from civilisation.
The resort offers free wifi, with speeds that we didn’t find anywhere else in our 5 weeks of travelling around Vanuatu, which for us was a great bonus, so you can keep in touch with the real world as much or as little as you like.
The décor of the villas was superb. At times we utilised the ceiling fan, but if you feel the need there is also airconditioning available. Beach towels are provided in every room, and we were offered a daily room clean but declined as we didn’t need it. The bed was extremely comfortable, plenty of pillows, and the extra daybed is also handy to relax with a book from the reception library.
We found all staff extremely friendly from the second we arrived – we didn’t have time to think before our bags had been picked up from the bus and taken into reception and then direct to our room.
The restaurant meals were delicious – the smoked marlin was a first for us but we’d highly recommend it. There were a variety of cocktails on offer, and the chef was happy to cook anything that slightly varied or wasn’t on the menu. There isn’t a vegetarian option listed on the menu, but we didn’t have a problem in all the meals we ate there as something delicious was always created. Views from all the tables in the restaurant are superb.
Kayaks, snorkelling and stand up paddleboards are provided free of charge, and the snorkelling we can say from experience is great. We even spotted a seasnake, a first for us, which was amazing. Fish life is plentiful, as well as starfish of various sizes, and the beach is quite sheltered so there are no dumping waves making it great for any water activities. We agree that the entry into the water can be slippery, but would only be critical of the people who fault the resort for this, as you will experience that anywhere, and like anybody with common sense we were simply careful when entering this 2m stretch.
We don’t agree that the resort ‘has great potential’ – it is already a superb resort, and we would love to see future plans to expand it. We would highly recommend a stay, it is somewhere you really must experience for yourself, and we would return without any hesitation whatsoever. Future plans also include a 5-star PADI dive centre, as well as sailing trips, and we will definitely be returning to make the most of these as well – during what we will ensure is a much longer stay!!
Thankyou to all the staff for a wonderful time, we’ll see you again soon!
Room Tip: Beachfront fares are definitely the way to go!
Stayed August 2014, travelled as a couple