After months of rain and wind, there is no denying an island escape is the best way to shake off winter and re set for the silly season ahead. But where to go? Somewhere far enough away to make it an adventure but close enough to make it easy. Right? Vanuatu was not somewhere I knew much about, to be honest, I didn’t even realise it was only 3 hours away but what really struck me was how safe and friendly it was, which I’m sure you will agree, is incredibly important when you just want to truly relax without a care in the world. Needless to say, I did backflips of excitement when The Havannah Vanuatu invited me along with my husband aka photographer to stay for a few days!
The excitement of a tropical holiday starts with the packing, just looking at a bikini for the first time since last summer had me a bit giddy. These are a few of my current summer holiday must-haves. From left to right, my hands down favourite sun care Coola, it’s a spray on SPF 30 that feels like heaven on your skin, Osmosis powder which also has a SPF in it and is the perfect light coverage for holiday, Tigerlily Bottoms, Billabong kini top, Grin an awesome new all-natural toothpaste, some epic jewels from Love & Object, a few favourite lip and cheek shades which give of a ‘no make up make up’ vibe, my Pumas of course, Olive Leaf tablets to keep the body happy and this killer Japanese picnic bag by Cult Gala. (if you want to know any more info about my travel favs just flick me a message in the comments below)
We got in late the first day, long story but we went to watch a friend’s legendary nephew play football , NZ vs Vanuatu, NZ smashed it so we needed a few celebratory drinks! But of course arriving in the dark meant this view was hidden, so the morning was like Christmas! I got up before for the sun just to look around, such a breathtaking way to watch the world wake up.
As you can see the private villa came with all the necessities one might need, an outside dining space with a fan and BBQ, a pool, lounge chairs and access to your own private beach below.. amazing! Breakfast was our first introduction to the resort, as I mentioned above, we arrived late so this was all a fabulous surprise for us. The restaurant sits just behind their perfect white sandy beach which is drenched in sunshine all day and gets a front row seat to what has to be one of the most stunning sunsets in the world. It’s an incredible way to start the day made even better by their amazing coffee and delicious breakfast menu.
You know it’s peaceful if you can get this guy to relax. It usually takes my husband a few days to wind down and get into holiday mode but I snapped this on our first morning. Blissed out
One awesome perk about having a private villa decked out with everything you might possibly need, you can decide it’s champagne o’clock whenever you want!
The Havannah also has a very inviting resort pool.. it’s super quiet because everyone mostly sticks to their own private pool but I’m a lady that likes to have options
Speaking of options, we spent a day exploring Port Villa. The complimentary resort shuttle dropped us outside the markets I’d heard so much about. The fruit and flowers were all so vibrant it was lovely to just wander around for a while
But we were on a mission to find the Blue Lagoon, a crystal clear water hole that I’d seen on instagram. It looked incredible AND had a rope swing so I knew I’d get buy in from the husband
I think it was about a 20minute taxi ride with the return trip coming to roughly $50nz and it was worth every penny, we had an absolute ball. With only 5 – 6 other people, there was plenty of space and actually, the rope swing was an icebreaker between us all so we ended having a whole lot of lols together. Seriously a good time, I popped a video on my instagram here
We are both so thankful for our Vanuatu experience, the Havannah was the perfect oasis and the staff were absolutely outstanding. The level of detail they provided and always with a big warm smile made everything feel special. We came back fully recharged for what will be a very busy few months for both of us.
Thank you Havannah !!!!
