Vanuatu Family Holiday at The Warwick Review
On Friday morning we started our journey to Vanuatu as a group of ten. In consists of two grandparents, and their sons’ two families that include four children. We flew from Sydney to Brisbane, then got on a connecting flight to Vanuatu for the annual family holiday.
If you’ve never flown with a large group of people before I wouldn’t recommend it. After doing it three times now, it’s time that I have a kind chat with the family. We need to be a little more independent at the airport so that everyone isn’t taking on each others anxiety.
We arrived late in the afternoon to warm and pleasant temperatures, with time for the kids to swim before getting ready to have dinner at the resort.
Our First Dinner on Holiday in Vanuatu
The first night dinner at The Warwick in Vanuatu left nothing to be desired. We were told that we didn’t need to make a reservation, to which we questioned because there are ten of us. We were assured it would be fine. At 18:30 we arrived at the restaurant with hungry children to be told that we would have to wait for 30 minutes.
We suggested having a table of six for the adults and a table of four for the children to solve the problem. I could see tables that made this possible, but we were asked to sit outside and wait. This was not a great first impression, especially with hungry children who had been travelling all day.
I quickly went into solution mode and set up some tables outside for all of us, and sent the kids inside to get the kids buffet which was included. Hoping, that with the children fed and happy that the rest of the family would relax a little. The kids buffet consisted of “overcooked chicken nuggets” and a spaghetti bolognaise bai maree that was empty. So my brother-in-law lined up for 40 minutes with his six year old to get him some spaghetti bolognaise from the cooking station since it was Italian night.
It quickly became apparent that there were not enough chefs or front of house staff for how many guests there were.
Buffet at The Warwick Vanuatu
After having two breakfasts at the resort the lack of food and lack of service made our group pretty miserable. The general feeling at breakfast was that no-one wanted to be there but they had to eat something. It wasn’t a great way to start the day-so we ventured out for breakfast and dinners after that.
Sadly Vanuatu does not have the French food influence that we were expecting and looking forward to.
Cafe Villa for Breakfast
A quick google search of cafes with reviews said that Cafe Villa was the best place for breakfast in Vanuatu. This Cafe is attached to the resort next store so they will ask if you are an inhouse guest, but everyone is welcome.
The menu there was great and three out of four of us enjoyed every meal. Sadly Livy is a bacon snob and whilst she appreciated that the chef cooked the bacon properly, she ended up crying that she wanted to go home to eat real bacon.
One of the big take aways from this holiday was how fortunate we are to live where we do. Whilst there wasn’t a bacon and egg roll on the menu we ended up being able to order one for Livs, much to her delight. I think they might be added it to the menu soon.
On one morning Lara wasn’t feeling very hungry, so she ordered a fruit salad. I was concerned that she would be hungry again in an hour after eating it. However, I was pleasantly surprised that it came with a piece of toast, which made it a perfect light breakfast.
The Warwick La Lagoon Vanuatu Resort
The resort is dated and needs lots of maintenance and upgrades. However, the general feel is enjoyable. We got to check out three different room styles since the grandparents were staying in a room for two and we were staying in a family room. Also, the grandparents room for the first night was double booked, so they stayed a night in an overwater villa which was also a lot of fun.
You can watch a video I created of the resort and rooms if you’re curious-I can’t be bothered writing about them 😛 We also look at the room service menu if you need some info to help you with your holiday budgeting.
This morning I was woke up very early, so after having a cold shower (not by choice, there was no hot water), I wanted a coffee to reset. Breakfast service is meant to start at 7am, and at 7:05am we joined the que of people outside the closed buffet doors. Needless to say, when the doors did finally open at 7:15 there was a mad rush to the buffet.
I left Mark and the girls to hold our space in the que whilst I went and informed reception of our cold water issue. I was told that management wasn’t here yet and they would make a note for them. The room next door to us also didn’t have hot water the day before.
Whilst Mark and the girls were queuing to be let in to the restaurant I ordered our coffees.
Activities at The Warwick La Lagoon
The activities list always had something on it for adults and children, but we didn’t really get involved in these as much as we have on other holidays. We did attend the Fire Dancing show after dinner and thoroughly enjoyed it….particularly the complete lack of safety officers that meant the kids and big kids got a turn fire twirling. I’ll admit I don’t drink alcohol much these days and I was very tipsy in this video, I want another turn.
Naturally we went sailing whenever we could. Whilst there are four catamarans sitting on the beach only two are operational so sailing time was limited. I’m also sad to say that safety wasn’t a concern at all since the water is only shoulder deep at the deepest part of the lagoon. However, this doesn’t excuse letting parents take their children out on boats without life jackets/PFDs on.
Room Service Lunch for The Win
After waiting an hour to be fed in an almost empty restaurant at lunch ton the first day we decided to order room service. We ordered around 11am to see if we could get fed before everyone was hangry (hungry angry) and without feeling trapped at the restaurant for an hour.
Luckily the Grandparents had a lovely room, so we got lunch delivered there. Our room for four only had beds inside, there is nowhere to sit. On the ample balcony outside there were only two chairs, which is a shame because there is room for relaxing there.
We only ever got room service delivered to the Grandparents suite which got better service on all accounts. So, I can’t tell you that it’s the solution for everyone. Plus the finished, dirty lunch dishes sat on the lawn outside the suite for more than 24 hours.
Local Thai Restaurant in Vanuatu
On one night we walked up the hill to restaurant Pad Thai. The service and food was considerably better than the resort, and it’s an easy walk. Since we are super lucky to have a great Thai restaurant just up the road from home we didn’t think the food there was great, but it was acceptable.
Three Pigs Restaurant Port Vila Vanuatu
The first evening I was inline at the buffet a father and son struck up conversation with me, and suggested that Three Pigs Restaurant was a good place to go for dinner. They also casually mentioned that they had been at the resort for a week and that was only their second dinner there.
We ended up having many meals as a family of ten at Three Pigs. The majority of them had slow but friendly service, and the food was tasty so we could justify the wait. The environment was also nice and relaxing to sit in.
Livy’s standard go to were the loaded fries. In my opinion, Mark and my sister later backed me up on this, the vegetable nachos is the best meal on the menu.
On our last dinner there it quickly became apparent that our meals were being served in the order that they were taken, regardless if two people sitting apart from one another had ordered the same thing. This would have been fine, only as I was patiently waiting for my meal and drink to be the last to arrive it became apparent that my order wasn’t put in, so it pays to follow up on things even when you are trying not to be demanding.
Coffee in Vanuatu
Barista coffee at the resort is available to order in the reception building, which is separate to the buffet. I tried drinking the complimentary coffee at the buffet, took one sip and couldn’t take another, it smelt like ass, so we factored in barista coffee to the holiday budget. It is not the place for self declared coffee snobs, unlike the delicious coffees we enjoyed at Castaway Island Resort in Fiji.
Walking with hot coffee back to breakfast is an anxious walk with little kids running around outside joyfully.
On the coffee note, if you usually have sugar in your coffee you may want to taste it first. The milk here is sweeter than at home and it tastes like there is 1/2 teaspoon of sugar in your coffee already. Yesterday I had a flat white, and today I had a long black which was drinkable-the barista this morning wasn’t very happy, so I’m hoping that tomorrow there will be a happier and more skillful barista on the machine.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that coffee without milk is cheaper than milky coffee here, something that isn’t the case back home in Australia and annoys me. There’s less ingredients and less time spent making a black coffee than a milky coffee, it just doesn’t make sense that we get charged the same at home.
Despite the fact that coffee is grown and processed in Vanuatu we were unable to find a good barista to make us a good coffee whilst we were there. This was another moment that made us appreciate how good we have things at home.
There are lots of opportunities here for things to be done better.
House Keeping and Water Supply
On arrival we were told that housekeeping would refresh our water bottles every day. That did not happened. After a few days I called reception and asked that house keeping bring us fresh water bottles- since we didn’t receive them for days. I was later told that they only allocate three bottles of water per room, even if there are four guests staying in that room.
We ended up going to what the locals call the “Chinese shop” which is a corner store in walking distance and stocked up on bottled water.
Originally we were boiling the tap water to drink, but the way it settles in a water bottle makes you realise you don’t want to be drinking it. Be careful that when you request water bottles that you make it clear you are asking for the complimentary water that is meant to be delivered to your room every day, you aren’t ordering water that you will be charged for. We’ve never had to request drinking water in a resort where the tap water is not drinkable, it normally just gets replaced every day.
Calling room service and speaking to house keeping makes you feel like you’re asking for the world when in reality you’re asking for things that are a given at every other resort I’ve stayed in.
First thing this morning I reported that our water was cold, and was told that a message would be left for management to fix it. Now that it’s lunch time we haven’t had an update and we still have cold water. And, on top of that not having pool towels at the resort since they are all “at the dryers” most days.
The Pool at The Warwick
I didn’t swim in the main pool. With the smell of chlorine, and the comfortable air temperature I wasn’t tempted. The kids have been having a great time swimming and playing in both pools though. The bottom pool is set up for pool volleyball and is shallow for smaller children, and the upper pool is deeper.
After breakfast this morning I had a lovely relaxing read on a sunlounge under an umbrella whilst the kids played in the pool. It was lucky that I didn’t feel like swimming since there weren’t any beach towels left. There was a note at the desk apologising to guests that the towels were at the dryers.
I’m starting to think that we might need to pack our own quick dry towels as back ups at these more family orientated resorts that are often booked out and undersupplied and understaffed.
We were also fortunate enough to enjoy the private room pool, and as usual the majority of my swimming was in salt water with the fish.
Sunday Sail in Vanuatu
On Sunday morning we went for a sail, because that’s what we do on a Sunday. Despite putting our name down for two catamarans we ended up sharing one. My experience at the aquatic shed and spa is that scheduling isn’t a strength here.
The breeze was just right and the water temperature was so warm that getting splashed wasn’t an issue. It is extremely shallow, even out in the middle, and there’s lots of spikey starfish so shoes are recommended. We looked very trendy sailing in our Crocs 😛
Sailing the catamarans here is enjoyable with nice breezes and warm water. The water is extremely shallow, with adults being able to stand at shoulder depth even out in the middle of the lagoon. Perhaps that’s why there is no safety briefing with the Catamarans, and guests aren’t even forced to wear personal floatation devices (PFDs/lifejackets). There are four Catamarans at the resort, but only two of them are operational at the moment.
The Spa at The Warwick, Vanuatu
We arrived on Friday evening, and on Saturday I walked to the spa to try and book in a massage for myself and my husband-he clearly needed help relaxing. The earliest booking we could get was for Wednesday, so I suggest you book any treatments you want before you arrive.
Sadly we can’t provide a review on the massages at the resort spa since there was a communication failure and the booking time was wrong, so we missed out. At the time of booking I did ask if there was any paper that they should give us with the time and day on, but I was told to just turn up. Perhaps I should have asked to look at the appointments book…..or just not have complicated things by trying to get a 30 minute massage for myself sooner.
That said, had massages in town, and I surprised the girls with a manicure each for the same price as it was going to cost for two massages in the resort. My massage therapist was good, but Mark’s had fingernails-gross.
Hospitality at The Warwick La Lagoon
We need to go to another resort to see what the hospitality industry is like in Vanuatu. Our experience at The Warwick is that staff are too busy and avoid making eye contact so you can’t ask them for anything.
We’ve had multiple meals where the restaurant has run out of plates and glasses. This morning was our fifth breakfast at the buffet and there was a general feeling of melancholy from everyone eating there since it seems we’ve all been here for a few days. There is no variety in the buffet from day to day, and the service is always below average.
I truly am trying to find positives here, I’m the sort of person who tries to see the good in people and things.
Vanuatu Vibes
The people and culture of Vanuatu is lovely, and the natural beauty is breathtaking in parts. We didn’t find the snorkeling to be as good as Fiji, but we may just need to find the right places.
Now that we are home, a friend asked me how Vanuatu was and sadly my response was “I’m glad we went, but we won’t be rushing back there”. Of course that’s when they mentioned that they’ve booked. And this is where I say to get out and enjoy the natural beauty and history of places out of your resort and Port Villa.
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