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Located on the eastern end of the Melanesian archipelago, these enchanting islands, once known as the New Hebrides, have a long indigenous past and a more recent French and English colonial history. |
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The 83 islands that make up Vanuatu offer dramatic volcanic landscapes, pristine white sand beaches, and flourishing traditional cultures. The capital Port Vila, on the island of Efate, is a charming, low-key city with duty-free shops, a range of hotels, resorts and restaurants. The more remote islands of Vanuatu are a contrast, with traditional villages and low-key towns and villages offering only basic services.
Accommodation in Vanuatu
The long-established Erakor Island Resort & Spa, on unspoilt Erakor Island (just a 4-minute ferry ride from Efate) is surrounded by sandy beaches and crystal clear water. Le Lagon Resort, set in 75 acres of tropical gardens has 140 guest rooms and bungalows, and a 12-hole golf course. Just opened is The Sebel Vanuatu with a stunning waterfront position overlooking Vila Harbour.
On the island of Tanna, Tanna Evergreen Bungalows offers comfortable basic accommodation in traditional handcrafted bungalows and runs 4WD tours to the island’s active volcano, traditional villages, hidden caves and waterfalls. On Espiritu Santo, Coral Quays Resort San Michel Bay is also an excellent place to stay as is the more basic Hotel Santo.
Dining and nightlife
 Port Vila has a French-influenced cuisine to suit all tastes and budgets, and local specialties include nautou (ground pigeon), rousette (flying fox or fruit bat), mangrove oysters, and nems (spring rolls). The national dish, laplap, is made from mashed taro or yam roots, combined with pork, beef, chicken, wrapped in leaves and cooked in an underground oven. There are over 50 restaurants serving European, Asian and traditional Pacific cuisine. On the other islands there are fewer restaurants independent of the resorts, and dishes are based on chicken and rice or island-style dishes such as laplap, rice and yams.
A “shell” of the local drink, kava, is an evening ritual and Villa has more than 100 kava bars, including Ronnie’s Nakamal, in Nambatu, and Crow's Nest Nakamal. Resorts and hotels organise Melanesian nights with custom dancing, kava drinking, string bands and local food. Nightspots include the Port Vila Pub, Mamu Bar, the Imperial, Sunset Bar at the Melanesian, and Benjor Beach Club. The Palms Casino at Le Meridien Resort offers blackjack, roulette and poker machines.
Attractions in Vanuatu
 Vanuatu has a hot and wet with a rainy season from November to April and southeast trade winds blow year-round. May to September are the optimum months for a visit. Apart from Port Vila, and the diving mecca of Espiritu Santo in the north, Vanuatu’s biggest attraction is the live volcano, Yasur, on the southern island of Tanna. On Tanna, as on other outer islands, you’ll find people living in traditional ways, their culture an interesting blend of old customs and cargo cult. Vanuatu's coral reefs and famed wrecks, such as the SS President Coolidge on Espiritu Santo, attract scuba divers from around the world. From Port Vila you can take a game fishing expedition and hire charter yachts. Golfers will find two major 18-hole courses on Efate and Espiritu Santo also has a golf course. Finally, hiking and bird watching along the many mountain trails is very popular.
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