Where to buy a small gas canister in Santo (Vanuatu)?

Hi

We're off to Santo this weekend and hear the rooms at Coral Quays resort have no tea/coffee or cooking facilities at all, so we're planning on taking our little gas cooker.

Can anyone tell us please whether it is possible to buy a gas cooking canister in or near Santo, and if so, from where? We're flying from Port Vila so won't be able to buy one there as can't take it on the inter-island flight.

Thanks :-)

You might need to check that the systems are compatible before taking something with you. Gas afittings in Solomon Islands are the reverse of Australian ones, for example. It may be easier to take a hotplate or kettle, as power outlets are compatible with Australian and New Zealand appliances.
And don't forget, many hotels do not allow cooking in rooms, for safety reasons.

Why not take an electric jug ?

As an alternative go to the main street of Vila, half way along beside the Spar supermarket and look for the gas shop on the uphill side at the back of the car park. They sell the butane cans that look like fly spray and the green LPG camping cans. Stuff the canister inside your bags. No one will check on a domestic flight.

If you get really desperate you can use a tin can on an iron to heat the water for tea or instant coffee. For more ideas on creative ways to cook food in hotel rooms with no food-cooking facilities just google up "dorm cooking" or "cooking with an iron."

Then the challenge might be locating an iron!

Thanks everyone for your advice. Love the iron and tin can idea :-) Perhaps we'll end up putting a lightweight kettle in our luggage.

Thanks again

Heh, this thread made me laugh. I even googled the resort - though I've heard crazier stories of what folks do when staying in the $600 night and up F.rench P.olynesia resorts.

I must admit that I bought a nice ceramic coffee cup from home and one of those heating coils to boil water because my hotel on B.ora B.ora had no coffee maker.

Periods in place names to avoid creepy spam links.

Wish I'd thought of one of these ideas when I went to Europe last year. My Athens hotel, where I ended up staing for 11 days, (planned for 4) had a fridge but no way of heating water, and the kitchen where they served breakfast closed at 10am, though the information had said you could access coffee all day, in fact you couldn't.

I also take a small heating coil with me, easy to pack, dual voltage so all you need is a light-weight adapter socket plug but I take a tin mug for boiling water in (won't break).

Hoorah! We have been advised by the hotel that we can get a kettle 'on request', so no problems now :-) We've enjoyed your suggestions though, thanks