vanuatu accommodation.

Hi There,
We're travelling from Australia to Vanuatu in October for 2 weeks and intend visiting the outer islands of Tanna, Santo and (maybe) Ambrym. Does anyone have any accommodation favourites? We are initially thinking of Friendly Bungalows on the east coast of Tanna and Evergreen on the west coast. In Santo we've been considering Lonnoc Beach, near Champagne beach and Luganville, where we want to dive and snorkel. Any tips would be most appreciated.
thanks,
Ray

I can certainly endorse Lonnoc, but stayed with local friends on Ambrym and Tanna.
If you can make it to Ambrym, try and visit the North, which is the culturally most interesting part.

If you prefer local-owned island bungalows, browse through Postive Earth's plentiful recommendations for Ambrym, Santo and Tanna.

And don't bother with bookings in advance - most of these places in the outer islands are kind of empty much of the time, and booking agents will only direct you towards more expensive places that pay them commissions.

We stayed at Evergreen Bungalows in September '06 and would recommend it. We had a stand alone bungalow, with private bathroom, overlooking the ocean. It was very basic, had hot water shower, mosquito net and ceiling fan. The electricity was off at night and sometimes during the day. We had breakfast included - again very basic. There were several choices for lunch and dinner that were okay but not really to our liking. The staff were very accomodating and I got the impression they were trying very hard to elevate their service and property. We enjoyed very much our trip to the volcano with David - meeting him was memorable. We walked to the nearby White Grass resort for dinner and took the minibus taxi into town.
I would suggest that you have your flight to Tanna booked and paid for before you get to Port Vila as demand is usually high and they will cancel reservations not secured.

Thanks Laszlo and newfie43,
We wanted to take the speedboat from Craig Cove to Vetmet Bungalows, then walk to Marum volcano, BUT as I've just discovered, the website indicates that you can't walk to the volcanoes from the north from Sept 1 to Dec 31 because of local superstition about yams withering. The longer volcano walks from the west would be too taxing on the kids! So we now might have to forget about Ambrym.
cheers,
Ray

You CAN walk to the volcanoes from the North even during that period - I did so.

Drop me a PM if interested in how to do it.

I second Lonnoc- I camped there over Xmas last year and spent Xmas day with the villagers that own and run Lonnoc. The friendliest, most welcoming people who even insisted we share Xmas dinner with them and spend time getting to know them.

You'll have a great time in Vanuatu- I am envious!

Thanks Guys,
We're spending the first night at Oyster Is (it's closer to the airport and has superb food apparently), only 1 at Lonnoc, unfortunately ( the flights to and from Ambrym are only on Sat & Tues - which rather compressed our 2 week schedule, which includes Tanna's Friendly & Evergreen Bungalows) and 2 at Bokissa (for a total indulgence for my wife and kids after their Ambrym volcano experience - which may turn out quite arduous for them!) I found out today that there are even taboos on fishing during the yam planting season in Nth Ambrym ( Sept - Dec). We'll see.
Ray

i can highly recommend Port Resolution Yacht club , just for its stunning location alone , but its very basic . ... but i have just come back from four wonderful nights there.
In Vila we stayed at Kaiviti , close to town , big pool , and reasonable priced but its nothing flash.
and the Lonnoc bungalows looked good but i haven't stayed there just visited the beach.

Hi Jillymac
Where is Port Resolution yacht club. Did you stay there. Do they offer accommodation.
I will be in Santo for 2 weeks in May
Thanks

Port Resolution Yacht Club

No 8 ...... Yes the Port Resolution yacht Club is on southern Tanna near the volcano , it offers several basic bungalows in a beautiful location overlooking the Resolution Bay ( named by Captain Cook )

I'll second the recommendation for Port Resolution. Had 5 nights there. Wonderful. Will return one day.

regards
Cuppa

This may be too late now, but just a thought. We stayed at Oyster Isand last year (August), great food and Jean Pierre and Anna are wonderful hosts. They can arrange visits to almost anywhere through Jimmy Stevens. Champagne Beach was a disaster as the ongoing fight between the two chiefs made it unplesant for us on a day trip. The next door beach is just as good. Kids will love snorkelling at the blue hole (ask Jean Pierre for location) near Oyster Is. Also will love snorkelling off Oyster island. JP also can arrange boat trips to other islands near by. Have a great time.