Port Vila

On our way from Brisbane to Tanna, we had a layover in Port Vila, Efate, which is the capital of Vanuatu. Booked in at Le Meridien, we pushed our way onto "Le Meridien" bus, only to discover it was the wrong bus (our transfer voucher was a bit vague and there's not a lot of direction/instruction in Vila). The driver was only picking up a friend, but they were happy to transport us to the hotel, where we were greeted by Chief Sam (chief of the hotel--photo from Welcome Passport):

Once in the lobby, we were given shell necklaces, a welcome drink, and warm cloths to freshen up. Customer service everywhere we went in Vanuatu was an A+++.

We had complimentary beach-side massages and pool-side cocktails, before heading off to Tropik Bistro, a French restaurant recommended by the bartender. Though lacking in snails and frogs, the food (mine especially) was good yet expensive.

We walked around the markets, grabbed a Tusker (the local brew) at the yachting club, and caught a cab back to the hotel, where we watched a local female band play in the Lobby Bar.

Overall, Vila on a Monday night was pretty dead, though apparently we'd just missed the buzz from the fliming of Australia's Celebrity Survivor Vanuatu (more on that later).