fiji? vanautu?

My son is spending a year in Melbourne and I'm hoping to visit in July/August but I'll need to get a blast of sun while I'm there. Any suggestions - fiji? vanautu? My budget negates golf resorts and rats- other than that I'm flexible.

Fiji is cheaper and offers a wider range of accomodation and activities.

Vanuatu (away from Vila) is less developed, more traditional, friendly and "unspoilt".
However prices are much higher than in Fiji.

You should really do more research or pick yur priorities to decide between them.

have all the books but know from experience that sites like this offer up to date info and often little gems you won't find elsewhere. If we did choose Fiji or Vanuatu have you any suggestions for accommodation?

It's not really possible to recommend accomodation without you specifying more exactly what you want.
Facilities, price-range, etc.
But lots of accomodation recommendations for various budgets have already been posted here - browse through the existing posts on the Fiji and Vanuatu branches for a start.

Keep an eye out for specials on VirginBlue. They often have deals to Nadi and/or Vils.