If you want to escape to a place that doesn’t just offer relaxation but utter respite, Espiritu Santo needs to be your next holiday. A mere blink from Australia, anyone flying from Brisbane or Sydney can be in paradise before the sun sets. And trust me, you won't want to miss that sunset!
Actually a sunrise, but you get the idea.
Your first taste of Santo will be Santo Pekoa Airport, which will set the flavour of your days to come. Hardly the bustling micro-city of Changi or Heathrow, you’re lucky if its ceiling fans are working and there’s more than one person manning the immigration desk. You’ve come to Vanuatu to disconnect, and Vanuatu is nothing if not accommodating!
I told you there was a ceiling fan.
Once you’ve had your fill of Santo Pekoa Airport’s rustic charm, you’ll be greeted by a convoy of transfer shuttles and their enthusiastic local drivers. These drivers are really closet tour guides who love to share anything and everything about the landscape beyond your car window. From the coconut trees to the locals ambling along the road, your driver will have something to say about them.
But where should you stay? While there are several beautiful hotels in Santo, I’m going to rave about just one: Barrier Beach Resort. It’s a misleading name really, because this is not a hotel, this is a home away from home. Only this one comes without alarms, mortgages, or pants. In fact, as you journey down its hidden side road hugged by lush, tropical forest, you can feel the claws of your life back home loosen their grip already. And when you arrive on Barrier Beach Resort’s doorstep, step out of your shuttle, and hear absolutely nothing but the nearby lapping of waves, those claws will disappear into memory.
Barrier Beach Resort is owned by Aussies, Julie and Calvin, who prefer a barefoot and stubby shorts approach to hotel management.
With only six fares (villas) in the whole establishment, you’ll only be sharing the Barrier Beach Resort with eleven other guests even at its maximum capacity. On the rare chance there’s a family staying, they will be the only one. Barrier Beach Resort has a one-family-at-a-time policy. You've come here to unwind, and kids are as windy as life comes.
There are two choices of fares here: beachfront with optional, paid air-conditioning, or garden with free air-conditioning and a plunge pool. If you don't go beachfront, you're doing it wrong. You don't need a plunge pool in Shangri La, and the floor-to-ceiling shutters in your bedroom make air-conditioning unnecessary. Besides, who wants to choke on dry, recycled air when you can enjoy a crisp sea breeze even from the comfort of your bed?
Insider Tip: Don't sing in the shower unless you want the whole resort to hear your performance of 'Part of Your World'
The true jewel of your experience is, of course, the beach. An ombré of blue to turquoise to green, I found myself dazzled by that water more than once. That's high praise when you hail from the Land of Beach Snobs. Even if you're not a beach person, the water is so clear, inviting, and downright magical that you'll fall under its spell. Better still, it's private! You could spend hours swimming around and you might never see another soul in the water.
I'm pretty sure that's Calvin out there on Official and Super Important hotel business
Now, if you expend energy on just one activity during this gloriously lazy holiday, make it snorkelling. The full-face snorkels Barrier Beach Resort provide make for a comfortable swim, and the waters of Vanuatu are teeming with life. You will find Nemo... and his parents, siblings, and sixth cousin twice-removed.
Beautiful as the hotel's private beach is, it's worth hiring a driver for the day so you can experience the different waters of this gorgeous island. If you're also hurting for adventure, you'll get your fix during the drive alone – with more pot holes than road under your wheels, you're really getting a tour and roller coaster in one.
For snorkelling, Million Dollar Point should be your first stop... lacklustre as it appears. This poor beach is covered in litter and rocks to the point where you won't feel safe to take your shoes off, but cross that hazardous wasteland to the deep, clear water and you will be rewarded. There are wreckages just below the surface, which are now home to an extraordinary marine ecosystem. You will lose time chasing your new friends as they dart in and out of iron hidey-holes, never mind the enormous schools of fish glittering by on all sides. If you're lucky enough, you might even see a turtle or two.
It's time to relax again by this point, which means heading up to the northern cape of Port Olry, where you will find stunning Champagne Bay. Even the most assuming aqua aesthete will fall in love with that white sand and crystalline water. Shallow and warm, this cape is the perfect place to just float into oblivion.
As blue as the tears I shed when I had to leave.
Once you're mellowed out, jump back in that shuttle and head down to one of Santo's blue holes. These pockets of chilly, fresh water are hidden within Santo's rainforests and are famous for their striking blue hue. Finish your day by washing off that salty beach and practising your bomb dives.
I stole this one. Thanks, Vanuatu.com.
However you wish to spend your time on your vacation, be it on a sun chair or riding horses down the beach, one thing remains constant: Espiritu Santo is an escape. It is a cocoon of relaxation, protecting you from all the stress and responsibility of your life back home. It has the power to wash away the grit you carry day-to-day and leave you fresh and new.
If you want TVs, reliable Wi-Fi, or Snapchatting by a swim-up bar, try Bali.
If you want to breathe again, go to Espiritu Santo.
I don't work for Air Vanuatu, I swear.
**Excepting the blue hole, all images belong to me.
