Vanuatu Hotel Tips by ollyf

If you want to stay with other Europeans and Australians in total, sanitised comfort with imported beers and satellite TV, then by all means head for one of the upmarket resorts in Port Vila. But if you want a more authentic Vanuatu experience - and more importantly see your tourist dollars go in to local pockets instead of the coffers of rich multi-nationals - then book into one of the capital's many independent guesthouses.

I stayed at Luron Guesthouse, which is essentially just a normal island house in which the owner rents bedrooms. The owner is Fr Luke Dini, a well-known local figure due to being a former boxer, politician and preacher. He is spending his retirement with his modest guesthouse concern.; he also has facilities in Lugainville and the Banks and Torres islands.

His business (such as it is, he obviously doesn't make much money) was relatively new when I went there in September 2003. I paid VT2000 per night for a private room (shared bathroom) and I saw my money being put to direct use as Father Luke used it to buy improvements for the property, namely materials to build garden furniture.

There was no air con, no fan and very low wattage electricity. It's very hot, dogs bark and fight outside and a cockerel starts going off at about 2am. Sounds terrible, right? Well admittedly I had trouble getting to sleep a few times, but as it was my virgin South Pacific experience, I actually found it very exciting and authentic. It was essentially how islanders lived there and I was just sharing their experience. The fact I was paying for it didn't change the fact it was just a normal house.

Unique Qualities: As I said above, the attraction for me was that this was just a normal, local house, despite being a financial concern, and I enjoyed the experience of staying there. I got a lot more out of it than I would have done if I had stayed in a better class hotel.

There is a garden which includes a banana tree, from which you can help yourself. The price of the room includes a fresh breakfast of bread, eggs, fruit etc prepared by Father Luke or his children which you eat outside in the dazzling morning sunshine.

The rooms are basic but comfortable (if you can stand the heat). You can have a private room or stay in the main room which has four or five beds (I can't remember exactly). Father Luke sleeps in there too. There is a shared bathroom with a flushing Western-style toilet and a cold shower. Trust me, this is actually a good thing! Tap water is safe to drink.

Father Luke himself took it as a personal responsibility to not only be my host but my friend too. We had many long and interesting conversations about all manner of things. He is a charming old gent who bent over backwards to make me comfortable, so much so that at times I felt quite humbled. On my day of arrival, I arrived at his guesthouse at 1am due to being on a late flight. As my stay with him was pre-arranged, he had stayed up for me, then talked with me until about 2am before going to bed, then getting up as normal the next day at 4am! I was also surprised when he said it was a "true honour" that a "rich Western man" such as myself had chosen to stay with him!

Above and beyond all the above, Luron Guesthouse also happens to be the cheapest accommodation in Port Vila.

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Directions: I can't remember the address, but ask any taxi or mini bus driver to take you to "Father Luke's place" and they'll know exactly what you mean.