Accomodation & Eating out in Vanuatu

Hi,

My partner and i are travelling to Vanuatu for the first time in November and were just looking for any feeback in regards to accomodation and eating out.
We are planning to stay in Efate for a few days and also in Tanna.

Can any one recomend the best places to stay? We are deciding between Le Lagoon and Iririki.

Also if any one has stayed at the White Grass Ocean Resort would you recomend it?

"Tripadvisor" has a lot of mixed reviews about eating out. Is there anywhere anyone can recomend?

I have heard that some places in Vanuatu are not so great to eat out but others have been brilliant.

Any suggestions on where to go and what to do would also be greatly appreciated.

Any feedback on any of these topics would be great, thanks!

Try L'houstalet restaurant, we had a fantastic night there and the menu is wonderful. There are pool tables, a bar area and a big restaurant area too. The staff are very friendly, the waiter was giving my husband glasses of karva on the quiet. We tried the local fare of coconut crab and flying fox which was delicious - Flying fox tasted a bit like rabbit and the Coconut crab tasted of well coconut. If your not interested in going exotic then there is plenty on the menu (its a French influence). The food at the Sebel is also excellent although it is expensive - but very tasty.

We had a couple of good pizzas at a place called Chill. Chill is easy to find as it is on top of Bon Marche. the prices in Vila are pretty much on par with Sydney, so its not cheap.

We didn't go out to Le Lagon but had a look around Iririki - its in a great location, just a short boat trip across the harbour into town. It definitely is a resort and seems to have a large number of honeymooners.

We had a great day out sailing with an American guy called Harry. He has a sailing trip called "Sail like a Pirate", don't be put off by the name. He takes you out on his Schooner and you go snorkelling and get to help sail (or if you don't want that then just chill out on board). You sail with sails and he definitely doesn't use the motor (as opposed to a couple of other boats we saw).

We had an interesting experience with a trip that involved going across to an island for the day. The trip was supposed to be one hour trip through villages onto a boat across to an island, spend the day snorkelling, village tour, bbq, etc. Unfortunately we had a very scary experience when our boat capsized about 25 mins into the trip and we were all thrown into the ocean. It is then we realised there were no radios, flares or torches. Fortunately we were rescued about 30 mins later but it could have ended disastrously. If you want the name of the trip then PM and I will tell you.

Enjoy Vanuatu - it is a great little place. Don't be put off by the town when you first arrive, Port Vila itself is not the prettiest of places but the surrounding areas are lovely. The locals are very friendly and helpful, no tipping is expected and is discouraged, so when they are friendly its because they are just nice people.

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>I have heard that some places in Vanuatu are not so great to eat out but others have been brilliant<hr></blockquote>

yes, like anywhere.

We also liked L'houstalet. Also the cafe om Irriki, Jills in town was a favorite of the kids.

Can't comment on Vanuatu as a whole, but my parents stayed at White Grass Resort in Tanna and thought it was wonderful. They had a great time. if you are after night life then it is probably not the place to find it, but they said the rooms were comfortable and clean, the beach was amazing and the food excellent. They mostly went to see the volcano.

I would go for Le Lagon rather than Irriki, as it is quieter, out of town and more laid back. It depends what you are looking for. Irriki is definitely more "resorty".

I stayed on Iririki recently and had a great time. We stayed in the new studio apartments which had a great view over the harbour. The apartments are set up for self catering plus washer/dryer but we didn't bother cooking, eating at the restaurants on the Island or going into town. Had a good meal at Chilli and at the Waterfront. That is where the short ferry ride is great. The older part of the resort is for 12 anad up but families are allowed in the newer part.

Overall found the resort very quiet where we were lots of watersports to do. snorkelling off the island was good, lots of fish but the coral was a poor. Had great snorkelling on a day trip to Lelepa island. People all very friendly would go back in an instant to see the other islands.

If you are looking for a top resort in Port Vila, Breakas is great, no kids under 15. Romantic fares and the food is wonderful too.
Drinks are expensive (they are expensive everywhere) so stock up on your duty free on the way in.

Whitegrass at Tanna is also beautiful, very picturesque. I have stayed there and would recommend it. They do a great tour to the volcano, don't miss it, it's spectacular! The pool is great too, constructed with volcanic black sand which is interesting. The snorkelling is supposed to be fabulous but unfortunately when we were there, so was a cyclone so it was too rough for ocean swimming.

Eating out in Vila ... I ate at L'Houstalet, thought it was Ok but not sure if I'd rank it as highly as Breakas or Tillys at Chantillys which has a top location, eating on the verandah, watching the sunset over the harbour and hearing the waves lap. If you like steak the Flaming Bull Steakhouse is rumoured to be very good.

Happy travels!

Jo

I have stayed at Whitegrass. It is magic. I think it is one of the more upmarket places to stay on Tanna. The huts are cute, I felt like I was staying in one of the huts on Gilligan's Island. The couple running the resort were Australian and were very friendly and gracious. Snorkelling near the resort is quite good, providing the weather is calm.

We initially booked for 2 nights, but on arrival found that we liked it so much we stayed an extra night. I could have stayed a week.

ozjo2001 mentions the pool - this was not there 2 years ago.