Aore Island Resort

What People are saying

Tropical paradise

michaelrE6722QR on 21/11/2017 03:09

After a short boat trip we were greeted by the resort owners on the pier while a staff member beats the log drum. What a start to what proved to be an amazing holiday. Room registration was carried out in the nakamal while sipping from a fresh coconut and that set the pace for the rest of our stay. My wife and l were traveling with our daughter who works in port villa so we had a 2 bedroom bungalow for our stay which was really great, not that we spent much time there. Food and drink are reasonably priced and meals were excellent. The coconut crab is a must to try during your stay. Staff are so friendly and helpful with a Vanuatu smile on their faces all the time. Plenty of things to do and the tour organised to the plantation for a bat cave walk is a perfect way to see a lot of the island. The trip that we booked to champagne beach and port orly on the main island of Santo is just the best. Sadest part of this stay is the leaving. Hopefully we will be able to return soon.

Wonderfuland relaxing

Marde45 on 21/11/2017 02:33

I visited for 5 nights with my daughter and a friend, and wish it had been a lot longer visit. Brad and the Staff were extremely helpful and thoughtful of the guests. Our bungalow on the beach was fantastic, far enough away from the next one to feel like we were in our private place with access to the beach. The resort has a beautiful big pool, wonderful gardens and great food. I would certainly go back there again.

Wonderful Refreshing

Jennifer H on 15/11/2017 06:14

Just a short boat ride from Luganville.

Fabulous, good food, fresh local produce, nice clean bungalows with direct access to the clearest beautiful water. Local friendly staff.

Plenty of tours can be arranged. The Blue Holes and Champagne Beach tour was amazing.

Just the place for a quiet relaxing getaway. Loved every minute!

Great place to stay

Sarah G on 07/11/2017 05:09

We loved our stay here - lovely hosts, amazing food (the beef on the first night was the best I have ever had) wonderful staff, great snorkelling, spacious rooms, quiet and relaxing.
Only complaint is we weren’t there long enough!

So very relaxed after this visit

Emeraude8888 on 07/11/2017 00:48

It is really quite lovely getting to Aore Island Resort, after flying all that distance. I jumped onto a boat that took me to the island. As we drew up to the wharf one of the staff beat out a welcome on a tribal pole – it was really nice to have my arrival acknowledged in that way. And as my stay went on, this process repeated itself with each new arrival, so you knew someone new was on the island.

I stayed in a beach front bungalow. These are made to look like a local Melanesian hut with the palm leaf roofs and high ceilings. They are very comfortable and are serviced well. I travelled in October and found them to be quite cool with the fan running. The bungalows have a veranda with a couple of chairs overlooking the beach and sunsets – you will get great holiday snaps here.

The bungalows line the beach front but are not so close you feel like you are in each other’s pockets. You can hear your neighbours but are not obliged (by direct line of sight) to engage with them unless you want to. You can get bungalows back from the beach, but I would recommend those on the beach front as it is so easy to walk down to the water for a snorkel and swim. Take and reef shoes; these will be indispensable at the island and for any tours you may do.

The resort has a Nakamal; a large meeting area that has spaces set up to talk and/or read and accommodates the restaurant. I divided my time between the bungalow and Nakamal as I needed my own space and wanted to share with others. The staff and owners Lisa and Brad (and their grown up children) were lovely – indeed, this must rub off as I found most of the guests to be very friendly and had several conversations with them.

I liked the option of a bigger space the Nakamal afforded, I didn’t feel like I was trapped in a hotel room for the duration with the only alternative being to go “out” somewhere.

The wharf on Aore Island is worth a mention in itself. It is a magical place. The first day on the island, as I waited for the ferry, I looked through the gaps in the wharf and saw a lion fish suspended in the crystal clear water. Brown and white, its pectoral fins fanned out in a display. This was just incredible to see.
There are a massive amount of different fish, clown fish and their babies (! so cute), parrot fish, a sea snake and bright neon blue tropical fish – and many, many more. I often went to the wharf after eating at the Nakamal just to take it all in again.

The boat that ferried me to the island does several trips to Luganville and back a day - check the schedule for return trips! I got caught out the first time and took a photo of the schedule so I would get it wrong again. I understand you can pay for additional trips if you need to or would like to go to dinner at Luganville. I never felt like I was stuck on the island once I had worked out the schedule. The ride is quite calm and I was always offered a hand to get on and off.

The food was a little bit of a mixed bag.

The breakfast included in the accommodation was always lovely with fresh fruit, bread, pastries, several cereals and tea and coffee and sometimes potato cakes, egg muffins,

There is a daily lunch and dinner specials menu where, I think, you get the better quality and fresher food. The standard menu is more of a western style of food and, as the resort is kid friendly, has food orientated to them.

On the first night I was there I asked for a recommendation. Without hesitation the staff member, Eddy, said “the beef”. Santo beef has a reputation as being some of the best in the world, and it is amazing and good dish to stick with.

The specials menu has the produce that has been sourced from the market that day – so things like deep sea fish, green lipped mussels and fresh tuna. And fresh produce - the quality of the local produce is very good, - it is very fresh and tasty.

The staff cooking the food can be a bit hit and miss. The beef was always good, it was cooked well (and to the requested medium) and was served with an amazing peppercorn sauce.

But I had tuna as a main which had been overcooked to the point it was burnt and bitter. But another guest I spoke with, who had the same experience with the main, had tuna as an entrée that was divine. I also ordered an espresso coffee, once, which was not much better than a cup of warm milk.

Was this due to different chefs? Or just good days / bad days? I wonder if staff development may help get them all on the same page and produce a more consistent result.

You can ride bikes to a couple of different areas on the island. I really liked this as it gave me a better idea of the island and community.

I loved that there was free Wifi – it was enough to check emails and keep in contact with family at home. And not freak out anticipating Wifi / phone bill shock once I got home.

I loved Aore Island Resort and will definitely visit again.