This beautifully located 'resort' is actually a collection of eight thatched bungalows situated on the edge of a beautiful bay. The bungalows are immaculately maintained and have double or single beds (each with the requisite mosquito netting). Lighting is provided by kerosene hurricane lanterns and everyone shares a common outhouse. Warm showers are available thanks to a small water pump that is turned on each morning.
The resort is situated on a bluff overlooking Resolution Bay, which was discovered and named by Captain Cook and is home to a rather large dugong (Pacific cousin to the manatee) that you can swim with. The sound of Mt Yasur, the island's active volcano, rumbling in the distance, and the sight of its lava glowing at night, adds to the spectacular setting. The resort can arrange an evening excursion up the volcano for a truly unforgettable (and not all together safe) experience.
The staff are members of the local village who all speak english (along with French and Bislama, which is a form of pidgen english). Apparantly, members of the village take turns staffing the resort. Our hosts were Willie and Nelson (really!) and they were terrific. Willie, whose father is the chief of the village, was our escort on our day excursions and spoke flawless, if heavily accented, english.
Meals are prepared from the village's gardens and are often very simple; fish from the bay, coconuts chopped from area trees and the most delicious fruit imaginable. What the service may lack in terms of sophisticated service, they more than make up for in genuine hospitatlity. We sat around the hurricane lantern late into the night talking about their life (and ours) and enjoying each other's companionship. Our group of 5 had the resort to ourselves during our visit, which made the personal attention that much greater. One of the most gratifying aspects of our visit was learning that the resort provides much-needed funding for the village; enabling kids to go to Port Vila or Fiji for college, funding occassional medical evacs to the Vila hospital as well as day to day living expenses. The resort was not inexpensive, but this information certainly made the cost that much easier to swallow.
The irony in the resort's name becomes obvious the longer you stay here. This place is not luxurious by western standards, but it is utterly comfortable with a level of tranquility that is hard to describe and a genuinely hospitable staff that means it when they say that they want you to feel at home.
In our opinion, no trip to Vanuatu is complete without a few days at the Port Resolution Yacht Club as base camp to explore the island of Tanna.