Le Meridien Port Vila Resort and Casino
Written: Nov 17 '04 (Updated Nov 17 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Beautiful setting
Cons: Not enough air conditioning provided.
The Bottom Line: A friendly atmosphere and lovely surroundings made this a relaxing visit.
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| hollynz's Full Review: Hotel Le Meridien Port Vila Res. Port Vila |
This review was originally posted under the general Le Meridien category but now that Le Meridien Port Vila Hotel has been added, I have republished in the correct category
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Hubby wanted to attend a seminar being held in Vanuatu and of course, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to come along and have a holiday.We chose to stay at this resort for two reasons ~
# 1. This is where my hubbys seminar was being held.
# 2. There was a great inclusive package deal on offer at the travel agents which included airport transfers, 7 nights accommodation, continental breakfast and $100 room credit as well as flights for $1125 (NZ) per person
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The resort is set on 50 acres with lagoon frontage and a small island. A pedestrian swing bridge accesses the island and this is where the over-water bungalows ~ fales ~ are. It is 5 kilometres from downtown Port Vila.
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ARRIVAL
We were greeted on arrival with a cold fruit juice cocktail which was very refreshing. A separate registration desk is set up for new arrivals and it was all a bit muddled but we got sorted eventually and escorted to our room.
The lobby is spectacular. The whole area is open air with the most amazing Melanesian style thatched roof. With a tiled floor, cane furniture and subdued lighting it is an extremely welcoming sight. As it is an open building there is no air conditioning, which makes it a very hot and humid place, well it was when we were there in late Feb/ early March.
ACCOMMODATION
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There is a variety of accommodation available with garden and lagoon view rooms in four different categories. Standard, Executive, Deluxe and one or two bedroom suites.
Also available on a private island are 10 exclusive over- water bungalows.
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Our room - 316
Once registration was completed a porter showed us to our room. Room 316 is a Standard Garden View room on the top level of a three-story Banyan Wing. The small standing room only balcony overlooks the manicured lawn with big trees and the sweeping driveway. The driveway is hidden amongst lots of greenery and is unobtrusive and quiet.
On entering the room my impressions were of a typical hotel room, not overly roomy but not too small and pokie either. It seemed bright and breezy with nice tropical furnishings.
A roomy wardrobe and floor to ceiling shelves for storage was immediately to my left on entering. Next to this is the kitchenette alcove with an electric jug, tea and coffee, powder milk, sugar, cups & saucers and two tall glasses. Hidden behind slatted doors is a small fridge.
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Word to the wise …. Do Not and I repeat Do Not drink the water . Blech!!
If possible bring some water with you on the plane till you can get into Port Vila to stock up on supplies.
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The Bathroom had a combination bath and shower set up, toilet, hand basin and large vanity area. There is ample storage place with three deep shelves on the wall and a big shelf underneath the vanity unit. Over the vanity unit is a huge wall mirror with good overhead lighting for those who like to apply makeup ~ how anyone could wear makeup in this humidity amazed me.
A ready supply of towels, face cloths, hand towels was supplied along with shampoo/conditioner, shower gel, body moisturiser, two good sized cakes of soap, shower cap, cotton wool, nail file and cotton tips, tissues and two glasses.
Back to the room and there were two beds, one queen, one double. We used both beds as it was just too damned hot to share a bed, even with the air conditioning on full blast we found that it was still hot after the initial cool down phase.
The beds each had interesting wall lamps above the headboard with two bedside tables and a clock radio. We tuned the radio to the BBC, as this was the only way of keeping up with what was happening in the big wide world.
There was a wall unit running along one wall with four big drawers, luggage racks and a TV. The TV had a couple of Aussie channels and 4 hotel movie channels. There was a programme guide with the week’s movies and times but I found it was a hit and miss affair. With the casualness I had come to expect here, they didn’t stick to schedules at all.
To complete the picture there was a lovely glass table and two cane chairs. The only problem was there was only enough room for one cane chair so the other one was squashed between the balcony doors and the bed. It was a bit of a hassle to close the curtain at night but if you were late back to your room, housekeeping would fold down the beds and pull the curtains for you.
The balcony is too small for a table and chairs (other rooms had these but not the standard) and it was always uncomfortably humid outdoors. With the room being one of the few air-conditioned areas of the whole complex it rather defeated the purpose to be on the balcony. It was a handy place to drape the wet towels and swimsuits though.
BARS / RESTAURANT
The Lobby Bar
This was an informal area where guests would sit in the huge cane armchairs and sofas and read, chat etc. Newspapers were provided but they were about a week old and weren’t changed at all. I have a feeling we were reading the papers guests had left behind. I imagine the week old New Zealand Herald I left in our room will be a well-read tattered affair by now.
The bar was open from 10 am to midnight and you could get cocktails, coffee and tea, alcohol, soft drinks and iced water any time.
Happy Hour took place from 5pm – 6pm daily. Buy one get one free but make sure you remind the bar staff you have a free one coming.
There is a casual menu available at any time of day. Burgers, B L T, fries, and all sorts of other such treats could be bought here. This area opened on to a large balcony with seating and tables shaded by umbrellas. If a breeze blew in it was a pleasant place to spend the evening.
The Pool Bar
The bar is set outdoors by the big pool with a swim up bar set up. The small bar area is under a thatch roof with open walls on three sides. Along with bar facilities you can get snacks here as well. The outdoor seating is lovely as groups of tables and chairs are scattered under palm trees and for those seeking a place of refuge from the sun, this is a great spot.
La Verandah
This open-air restaurant was straight out of paradise. The restaurant was open air except for a heavily carved wall to hide one accommodation wing. Seating was arranged with tables for 2 along the outside, tables for 4 & 6 were in the inner section. We were shown to an outside table every morning and there was no greater way to start the day then a leisurely breakfast while gazing at paradise.
Food
The food was lovely but somewhat overpriced.
Continental breakfast was buffet style with enough choices to sink a battleship.
Do you you want cereal?
- The cereals had an old stale type of taste which I guess it was due to the high humidity. There were about six different varieties to choose from though.
Do you fancy jam on your toast?
- choose from 8 different flavours with exciting names like tomato and vanilla, wild raspberry, lemon ginger.
Feel like a glass of juice?
- do you want coconut & pineapple cream, guava, tropical blend or straight orange juice .
Do you just want fruit and yoghurt ?
- Stewed plums, pears, peaches, fresh mangos, melons, bananas, coconut, grapefruits and a whole list of fruits I have never heard of before. One I did try and wouldn’t recommend was the star fruit. Unless your taste buds like bitter, and I mean face bending bitter, steer clear of this one.
You might feel like something else, would you like muffins, croissants, bagels, and doughnuts, French toast?
Those having The American Breakfast were treated to heaped platefuls of eggs, bacon etc served directly to the table.
We did have a couple of meals here and they were delicious with generous helpings. The restaurant is renowned for it’s a-la-carte and buffet dining.
WARNING ---- Always check your food for ants, they were everywhere!
CASINO & SHOPS
I spent NO time in the casino but I did walk around and have a look. The one big thing going for it was the air-conditioning, which is the best in the whole hotel. They must try to encourage people to stay and gamble rather then be outside in the heat. The first section is all slot machines; downstairs are a few tables and another bar.
There is a teensy shopping arcade with four shops, three of which sell clothes, souvenirs and general goods and an Internet place. I spent NO time here either after a quick look.
TOUR DESK & CAR RENTAL
These facilities were set up in between the lobby and the restaurant. If you wanted to book a tour, hire a car or see what was on offer, this was the place to come to. You could charge tours to your room, which came in handy, if you didn’t have enough Vatu on hand.
POOLS
There are two pools, the big one with the bar down at the games end of the resort, and a small kidney shaped pool atr the quiet end of the complex. The small pool also had a shallow child’s pool. We spent most of our time in the small pool as it was a lot deeper and slightly cooler never mind the fact that it was a lot less crowed and sedate. We would set ourselves up on the lifebuoy rings, lean back and just float for an hour or so. We spent a good part of our morning, and most of our evenings before bed trying to cool our body temperature by floating around for a few hours. It must be hot when the water in the pool is at warm bath temperature.
If you are sneaking down to the pool for a late night swim, watch out for the HUGE red crabs that will scuttle away along the pathways.
ENTERTAINMENT
Evenings
Every night in the lobby bar, a band played from 7pm to 9 pm. The music was an interesting style of easy listening pacific flavour. The music changed slightly every night along with the outfits but it was always the same guys. The best music we heard was the night we arrived, they were doing a sort of Cajun style that was rocking away quite nicely. Quizz nights, fashion parades and themed Buffet nights were also organised.
Day Time.
Activities were arranged everyday down by the big pool. Petanque tournaments, swimming races, tennis matches, volleyball games. I was way too uncomfortable with the heat to even try anything so physical.
You could use the catamarans, kayaks, rowboats etc and explore the lagoon or just find a nice spot under the palms and enjoy the scenic beach.
Every night a newsletter was delivered to the room with a What’s on Tomorrow section.
A 9 hole golf course is there whenever you fancy a game.
CHILDREN
The hotel provides childcare with THE PENGUIN VILLAGE KIDS CLUB. This facility was well used by the guests and the children always seemed eager to head to the ‘club house’. This was situated next to the small pool and had good fencing and child proof gates. There was always lots of laughter coming from there when I was in the pool so the kids must have been well looked after.
SERVICE
The staff were very slow but that must be to do with the climate as everyone seemed quite slow in Vanuatu. The overall approach was friendly and amenable. Nothing was too much bother and everyone seemed ready with a broad smile.
The house-keeping crew did a great job and they figured out our morning swimming schedule quite fast and got our room sorted for us while we were out.
The language barrier caused a few slight misunderstandings as the locals speak a form of Pidgin English with some French and English thrown in the mix.
LOCATION
The resort is about 5 kilometres from the main town area and is as quiet as can be. Getting to town was easy as pie with ample taxis and Red Buses on call constantly.
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~WEBSITES ~
www.meridien.com.vu
www.lemeridien-portvila.com
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VANUATU - http://www.epinions.com/content_58136301188
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
hollynz
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 in Hotels & Travel |
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Member: Christine
Location: New Zealand
Reviews written: 144
Trusted by: 191 members
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~ In memory of Barbara ~
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