Getting Active In Laid Back Santo

More and more of us have turned to armchair travel during the Coronavirus pandemic. It’s a great escape from the mundane of lockdown and talk of a Trans-Tasman / Pacific Bubble has resulted in higher interest in holidays to one of the world’s most beautiful areas – the islands of the South Pacific.

Fiji recently declared themselves Coronavirus-free after containing and limiting their confirmed cases to just 19. At present, their borders are planning to open with their own “Bula Bubble”.

Samoa and Solomon Islands have not had any confirmed cases with both countries ensuring the protection of their citizens with border restrictions in place.

Vanuatu is doing it tougher than most at the moment. The borders are closed, athough the head of the Vanuatu Tourism Office has said they hope to re-open in September and whilst they remain Covid-19 free with no suspected or confirmed cases, some of the Vanuatu islands were also recently been hit by the category five cyclone Harold.

The main tourist area of Port Vila and its neighbouring southern islands were fortunately untouched by the cyclone. The central islands were devastated and Vanuatu’s second most populous island Santo suffered terrible damage to local housing, infrastructure and some resorts.

As a former resident of that island, one thing I know for sure about Vanuatu and its people is they are resilient and the community is strong. Before the Coronavirus pandemic is over, you can be assured Santo will be up and running again, ready to welcome visitors to this truly magical island.

Santo is a sleepy hollow, a bucolic sort of place. The main township of Luganville is a haphazard sort of place with a wide, long main street. Shops blatantly turn their backs on the view of the Segond Channel and neighbouring islands.

Some Ni-Vanuatu go about their business in grass skirts with Diana, Princess of Wales t-shirts. Others are more Rastafarian. Many locals look like they’d be perfectly well at home in outback Australia, complete with Moleskins and Akubra hats. It certainly has an ‘anything goes’, casual , frontier town feel to it. It’s probably why most people love Santo.

How to get to Santo

The island of Espiritu Santo is a 45-minute flight north of the capital Port Vila. Air Vanuatu flies twice daily from Vila to Santo on their ATR72 aircraft, a very comfortable twin-engine plane complete with cabin crew. They do have island hopper flights via smaller islands such as Malekula for the more adventurous traveller on the workhorse of smaller commercial aircraft, the Twin Otter. Flight prices are in the vicinity of $350 return but Air Vanuatu international passengers are eligible for a discount on these prices so check their website www.airvanuatu.com for details.

Where to stay in Santo

There are a range of small, boutique properties on the island of Santo, ranging from very basic bungalow style accommodation, even treehouses, to motels in the main town of Luganville and island luxury beachfront resorts away from town and on neighbouring islands of Bokissa, Aore and Ratua.

On the main island of Santo, I have stayed at Coral Quays Fish and Dive Resort www.coralquays.com where my daughter learnt to SCUBA dive and I got to laze by the pool set amongst the most stunning tropical gardens.

Coral Quays is located in the San Michel area of Santo, about 11km from Santo’s international airport and about a seven-minute drive from Luganville’s main shopping area.

Coral Quays’ rooms range from shared fan-cooled bungalows to private air-conditioned bungalows. The restaurant is fantastic, serving well priced home-cooked food with regular themed buffet nights during the week Coral Quays was hit hard by cyclone Harold and the owners’ first priority was to assist their staff with their own home rebuilds. This kind of altruism is common in Vanuatu, I’ve never known another country with such a strong sense of community. Coral Quays is busy rebuilding and cleaning up, replanting their beautiful tropical gardens and getting ready to welcome guests again.

Another good option is Beachfront Resort in Santo. This long-established resort is where the locals hangout to take in the sunset, collect their take-away pizza and moor their tinnies. It offers private and shared accommodation in large rooms, a great sized swimming pool and deck, friendly local service and great information on local tours on Santo and the neighbouring islands.

What to do in Santo

When I first visited Santo the only other tourists on the island were avid SCUBA divers, there to experience the world’s largest, most accessible shipwreck, the SS President Coolidge. This magnificent former first class cruiser-turnedtroop carrier in World War Two hit friendly mines and sunk just off shore over 70 years ago.

She has been a Mecca for divers from all around the world, offering a plethora of dive options from 18 to 60 metres. Coral Quays offers a range of dive courses from complete beginner to expert specialist courses including Nitrox.

Since that time, more and more tour and adventure options have opened up in Santo. Some of my favourites include visiting Santo’s amazing Blue Holes – freshwater swimming spots scattered along the east coast of Santo that are truly stunning. Dive into crystal clear, iridescent blue water that rivals any location in the world. Most are surrounded by lush jungle and slightly off the beaten track, the closest to Santo is a mere 15-minute drive, however.

Local tour operators can arrange for day trips to visit one or a few. I recommend Santo Heritage Tours and Wrecks to Rainforest for information.

Champagne Beach

Champagne Beach has long been touted as one of the world’s most beautiful and it really is. What sets it apart from Whitehaven in Australia, Boracay in the Philippines or any of those in the 10 top list is the lack of crowds. You have a better chance of having Champagne Beach entirely to yourself than at any of the world’s other most beautiful beaches.

The sand is powder-soft, pure white and the water a mix of aquamarine hues. Soft gentle waves ripple at the shoreline of this perfect half moon bay. Local cattle come down to drink from the freshwater inlets and you look around mesmerised by the overwhelming beauty of the location. It is truly one of life’s most memorable experiences to visit such a special, untouched place of beauty.