My travel giudes

08/02/2022

Hotel Review: Overwater Villa at Warwick Le Lagon, Vanuatu.
The golf buggy whizzed along the narrow winding pathways flanked by villas and palm trees swaying in the night breeze. We arrived at our destination and, shrouded in the blackest of nights, gingerly stepped off the buggy, making sure to mind our step so we didn’t trip over whatever may be laying on the ground. When we looked up we both audibly gasped in unison. In front of our very eyes were millions of stars sparkling in the sky, and the illuminating smudge of the strikingly magical Milky Way. We had arrived in paradise, Warwick Le Lagon in Vanuatu – a tiny Melanesian island in the South Pacific – and were already impressed despite being yet to see the place in the daylight.

Warwick Le Lagon Overwater Villa Vanuatu

It had been a long day with a late night flight, and as it was gone midnight we didn’t take much notice of the villa other than the large bed covered in the cutest welcome message and flowers! The next morning when we awoke from our 10-hour sleep (yes, the bed was THAT comfortable), I padded down to the doors onto the terrace balcony, and flung them open to see the most beautiful sight before me. I called for Laura to hurry up and come and see it, and we both stood there in awe. The lagoon floor was covered in large starfish and colourful tropical fish.

Warwick Le Lagon Overwater Villa Vanuatu
Warwick Le Lagon Overwater Villa Vanuatu
Warwick Le Lagon Overwater Villa Vanuatu
With the shutters open and the sun streaming in we were able to see the villa a little clearer, and we practically ran around the villa shrieking in excitement from how incredible it was! There are just four over-water villas in the resort, each one with a prime view over the breathtaking Erakon Lagoon. Each one has just had a complete refurbishment, transforming them from the tired old-fashioned resort-style villas into a chic and stylish interior that wouldn’t look out of place on an Interior Design Pinterest board. The colour-scheme is beautiful and in keeping with the oceanic theme; soft blues, plenty of light wood, and colourful cushions adorning the bed and sofa!

Warwick Le Lagon Hotel Overwater Villa Vanuatu
There’s a beautiful open plan living area and bedroom (complete with plug points right next to each side of the bed!) on a raised mezzanine level, and then a stunning bathroom behind the bedroom. I must warn you though that the bathroom is all open plan, so if you’re staying with a friend like I was, you’ll have to take it in turns to chill out on the balcony while the other showers and gets ready etc, haha. The toilet is private behind a sliding door though!

Warwick Le Lagon Hotel Overwater Villa Vanuatu
Warwick Le Lagon Hotel Overwater Villa Vanuatu
Warwick Le Lagon Hotel Overwater Villa Vanuatu
The bathroom is super dreamy, with a huge bath tub, a large shower with the most beautiful sparkling green tiles, metallic gold sinks, and a large area for your luggage and getting dressed. Also I’m usually not a fan of hotel hair products (who is?!), however, the shampoo and conditioner at Warwick Le Lagon is AMAZING. Usually hotel conditioners dry my hair out, but even my fine bleached hair loved the conditioner and it felt silky soft after every wash! I have no idea what they put in the stuff, but my hair was very happy.rwick Le Lagon Hotel Overwater Villa VanuatuWarwick Le Lagon Hotel Overwater Villa VanuatuWarwick Le Lagon Hotel Overwater Villa Vanuatu
Warwick Le Lagon Hotel Overwater Villa Vanuatu
Warwick Le Lagon Hotel Overwater Villa Vanuatu
Another thing I loved about the bathroom was the ability to lay in the bath and stare at this view…just magical!

Warwick Le Lagon Hotel Overwater Villa Vanuatu
Warwick Le Lagon Hotel Overwater Villa Vanuatu
Outside on the large terrace that overhangs the water, there’s a four-seater table, and two sun loungers for relaxing in the tropical sunshine.

Warwick Le Lagon Hotel Overwater Villa Vanuatu
Warwick Le Lagon Hotel Overwater Villa Vanuatu
The hotel itself has a large swimming pool, swim-up bar (they do the BEST Mojitos), tranquil spa, a gym, a fancy bar, and two restaurants. We loved the Wild Ginger restaurant, where they had a fabulous selection of traditional fresh seafood, Japanese options, and Teppanyaki!

08/02/2022

Adventuring at Mele Cascades, Vanuatu.
We only had one full day in Vanuatu, and with Vanuatu being a collection of islands, we had to restrict ourselves to the island we were staying on, Efate. Efate is home to the capital ‘city’, Port Vila, a tiny little town made of concrete buildings. It’s not especially pretty and there isn’t much to do other than the markets, and so we chose to drive through it and on to the outer village of Mele, where the famous Mele Cascade waterfalls are located. We definitely made the right decision, and I’ve been so excited to tell you all about our adventure to the waterfalls!

Visiting Mele Cascades Vanuatu
We opted to take a bus to Mele Cascades Vanuatu rather than a taxi. Laura and I loved experiencing the local transport, and actually ended up hiring the bus driver, George, as our private driver. We offered to pay him a bit extra if he would wait for us at the falls and then take us back to the hotel (we weren’t entirely sure how easy it would be to find a bus to take us back to the hotel). It only cost us about £15/A$30 for both of us in total, for about 3 hours of his time. On the way there we passed markets, churches, and hundreds of palm trees!

The entry fee at Mele Cascades was quite pricey to be honest (£12/A$25 each), but we felt it was worth the cost due to how beautiful the falls are and the entire experience. The 15-minute walk to the falls themselves takes you past other smaller waterfalls, through the forest, and then wading through streams. We spent the entire walk giggling and squealing at the journey, especially when we had to wade through the smaller rivers and streams and hop between slippery rocks!

Eventually we arrived at the falls, and peeled off our dresses and shoved them in our bags which were then left with two random men in a hut. One word of advice: take reef shoes. We only had flip-flops so we ditched the shoes with the bags and made our way over the rocks barefoot. They were quite slippery in places and there were times when I honestly thought I may fall off the rock and down the waterfalls, smashing my head open on the way down. We all know I over-react and fear the worst though! Luckily all was ok and this didn’t happen 😉

Also soz for the onslaught of bikini photos as I don’t exactly have a *ahem* insta model body because I love chocolate and cake and steak too much, but YOLO!

08/02/2022

08/02/2022