Jacquie's Holiday Diary

Jacquie Carson is familiar to many in the travel trade, being Vanuatu Tourism's New Zealand representative for well over a decade. Vanuatu is like a second home for Jacquie, and during summer, she made a long-awaited return to the islands for a family holiday. She shared her journey with us and it was great to hear that Vanuatu is bouncing back.

During my recent trip to Vanuatu, my family and I stayed at the Asana Beach House - an easy 25-minute drive from Port Vila.

The house was exactly what we were looking for, with private bedroom pavilions and a large living space complete with a fully equipped kitchen. The best part was the stunning view of the beach and ocean from the living room.

We were also lucky enough to have amazing house staff who provided full service daily, taking care of the beds, dishes, and laundry.

One of the highlights of the house was the ocean pool, which we all enjoyed during early mornings and late afternoons.

On New Year's Eve, we dined at the Tamanu on the Beach Resort, located just along the beach. After dinner, we even had a bonfire on the beach with marshmallows. We also enjoyed many stunning sunsets on this coast.

We always like to hire a car when we travel so that we can easily get around. We were able to pop into town to get supplies when staying at the house and had a fun day exploring the Blue Lagoon, Eton Beach, and the gorgeous coast.

Lunch at Eratap Resort was another highlight, as the spot was stunning and the food was incredible.

For the last few nights of our trip, we stayed at the Mangoes Resort in Port Vila. The resort had a new chef who curated a special birthday meal for me, which was honestly one of the best meals I've ever had!

My daughter and her boyfriend did a full-day Coongoola Cruise, which included incredible snorkelling over untouched reefs, a visit to the turtle sanctuary, and a beach BBQ lunch.

Although we did have a couple of rainy days during our trip, we made the most of it by visiting the local Mama's Market to explore the locally made baskets, carvings, paintings, and homewares.

We also picked up some local perfume at the Noa Noa Health and Beauty Shop and enjoyed some delicious iced chocolate at the Gaston Chocolate Café. Lastly, we watched a movie at Tana Cine Cinema at the Tana Russet Plaza, which also had a great food court, an amazing French bakery, a café, and shops. The rainy days didn't bother us too much as we still had a great time exploring!