Vanuatu Beachfront Apartments

This really is a great place to stay in Efate. A beautiful, quiet, sandy beach stretches in both directions and the water is very safe for swimming. Only a few minutes walk to the Beach Bar (good for dinner, Friday fire show and Sunday circus), and the snorkelling on Hideaway Island is well worth the 2000 vat island fee. Tanna Coffee is only about 30 walk up the beach, good for coffee and a meal or snack. We bought tasty pawpaws and local cakes from nearby shops and roadside stalls. Easy to catch one of the local busses to town (300 vat). Our unit was beside the deck, where we ate breakfast and dinner, and had a beer while the sun set. Comfortable and clean room. Bus on site for airport transfers and tours.

Before our arrival here we read few reviews and decided this might be the right place to stay. Our experience goes far beyond our expectation. This little hotel is run by the kindest staff on Earth. Juliette is the leader of the team which is discrete, polite and efficient. At check-in she provided us the room upgrade because of the minor issue with the celling fan. She give us a little Christmas tree to decorate saying simply "It's Christmas time". She gave us her phone to place important calls abroad. Whatever we asked for, Juliette and her team accomplished instantly. If you add to this that the hotel is located in a beautiful and calm Mele bay, that we shared the beach with only few other guests, we can resume the whole experience in one word: perfect! If there is a downside aspect of this stay than we would mention the accses road which is in a pretty bad condition. Also, ordering breakfast is little confusing because you get the basics (coffee, toast jam, cereals) for free, but all the extras (eggs, ssusage etc.), we had to pay.

Firstly the staff are lovely and from the local village and do anything and everything to help but unfortunately they can’t help what they don’t have control over. Apart from the amazing staff, this place was unlike anything we’ve stayed at before and first time I’ve ever left a review like this but considering I picked this place on all the great reviews previously left I felt I need to be honest as none of this has been mentioned. It was a complete nightmare from start to leaving early to get home. The pictures and advertisements are not what you get. The whole premises is very outdated and run down. Paid for ocean view room and as you can see in attached photo it’s a stretch at that. Several broken things and stains/cracks throughout the whole villa and complex. Just to name a few… No bikes as advertised. They were broken. Dryer didn’t work. Brown water from shower. Pool deck chairs are wooden and broken. Given mouldy thin sponge to go on top to cover it. Pool and bath towels are all stained and holes. They smell bad and feel like sand paper. Pool was so murky you can’t see bottom and much smaller than looks in photos. Pool decking and surrounding furniture worn and faded unlike the advertised pictures. Next door neighbours play music from 5am till late at night. Villas are very dark and not much lighting. Meals are very expensive for what you get and fair way away from nearest town.