Introduction
These comments are the result of an extended – eight week – stay in the hotel in an Orchid Room facing the pool.
Room
The room was large and well equipped – TV (fair selection of channels); ‘fridge; kettle; iron and ironing board. The satellite TV freezes and vanishes from time to time.
Laundry service is good and cheap – VT800 for 8 items special deal being especially good value.
As the hotel brochure honestly admits – the internet in the rooms is a bit hit and miss. Mostly miss, it was never possible to handle large files and the quality of the Skype calls was poor – but ordinary e-mails usually worked OK – although patience is required. It was off altogether for the last full weekend I was there.
Food
The buffet breakfast is not very good and never changes. If it is included in your room rate fair enough - but paying extra for it is not good value-for-money.
All food, whether in the Melanesian or not, is expensive in Vanuatu – expect to pay what you do at home. However, for breakfast you would be better of using the nearby supermarket.
Also, when the hotel has large groups it is impossible to get anywhere near the food at times – mostly when I needed to eat before going to work – so, even though I had paid for it, I used my room instead.
Unless you eat in the Thai/Pizza restaurant, you will be eating outside. Not so good when it rains as you still get wet walking to the limited sheltered spots. Also, you sometimes share your breakfast with the local fly population.
Location
The hotel is a 20 minute walk away from the town centre – downhill on the way there! There is a very good supermarket five minutes walk away and several restaurants very close – including the Le Rendez Vous with excellent harbour views.
Noise
The rooms themselves are well built and, apart from in the bathroom, you do not hear you neighbours. However, if you have one of the rooms around the pool you will hear the thrice weekly cultural performances and the weekly singers. These usually finish around 8pm and are not that intrusive and worth watching/listening to anyway.
The problem is at the weekends if there are groups of young people staying in the hotel or coming for a birthday party - for example. They generate considerable noise around the pool area making it difficult to concentrate on work or reading or anything else in the rooms.
My room was on the South side of the complex – with other hotels behind it. The facing rooms back onto a side road – however, I would not think would cause a problem.
However, the ones on the East side back onto a fairly busy road.
Staff and Management
The staff are very friendly if not very efficient. Complaints about anything rarely resulting in any change. Management could be improved.
- Melanesian Port Vila
- Melanesian Hotel Port Vila
