Finding Accommodation As You Go

I'd like to stay mainly near the beach in pretty basic accommodation and I'm wondering how easy it is to find accommodation as you go?. Any islands or times of year when it is especially difficult to do this?

I've just spent 6 weeks in Vanuatu island hopping and finding budget accommodation as I went. Never once had any problems. If you find yourself in a place with no accommodation, there will always be someone happy to let you sleep in their house.

Eddy,

It is great to hear you can find accommodation without booking anything ahead, this is the way I like travelling. I read Vanuatu was expensive in comparison places such as Fiji or Tonga. Was would be the cost for basic accommodation, i.e fan as opposed to air-con and cold shower ? We also would travel with our 5 year old and 10 year old children, who are "experienced" backpackers ( Bali last year, Fiji the year before).

Cheers,

laurent

hehe basic accommodation may not have either a fan or a cold shower unless you're in Luganville (Santo) or Port Vila! These are the only 2 "towns" - population 35,000 and 10,000 and everywhere else is just small villages and the accommodation limited to huts or bungalows. Some of these on the more visited islands have a cold shower. On the less visited islands they don't and if you go off the beaten track your only accommodation option will be staying with locals. Budget accommodation can be found in Vila or Luganville for 1500. In Vila Treestops let me put up my tent in their garden for 1000. Elsewhere I found budget accommodation prices to vary enormously - anything from 500 - 4000. If the local bungalows / guest house was too expensive though I never had any problems finding someone's house to stay in. They usually don't ask for money but its nice to leave them some food or 500 vatu. In 6 weeks traveling in Efate, Malekula, Santo, Pentecost and Ambrym, the most I ever paid for accommodation was 1500 and that was only one night!