Book Efate hotels

Dreaming of a tropical holiday in Vanuatu? Look no further than our Efate hotels to enjoy the balmy climate and laid back atmosphere of the island where the locals are known as "the happiest people on Earth".

History

It's believed that Solomon Islanders and Papua New Guineans first settled in the islands of Vanuatu over 3,000 years ago. In the 1600s, the islands were spotted by the Portuguese and charted by Captain Cook in the late 1700s, when he named Efate "Sandwich Island". After this, the British and the French competed to colonise the islands, and eventually decided in 1906 that a joint French-British colony was the way to go. Despite this, the locals' strong Polynesian cultural traditions still remained and in 1980, Vanuatu gained its independence.

These days, you can still see aspects of the French influence around the islands, and you can learn more about the country's heritage at the National Museum of Vanuatu in the Vanuatu Cultural Centre on Efate Island.

Things to do

When you arrive, your plane will touch down in the capital city of Port Vila, so make sure you take a look around the vibrant city before hitting the Great Outdoors.

There's so much more to Efate than just white sandy beaches (not that there's anything wrong with lazing around on postcard-perfect beaches). There are also lagoons, waterfalls, jungles, remote villages and rivers to explore.

Take the five minute ferry ride from the island to the Hideaway Island Marine Sanctuary and enter a diving and snorkelling paradise. You can even take a glass-bottomed boat around the marine sanctuary. The most unique thing about the sanctuary is that it's home to the only Underwater Post Office in the world! Yes, you read that right. Buy a waterproof postcard and stamp on the island and then dive down three metres the surface to mail it! Now that's a story to write home about!

If you're all dived and snorkeled out, why not try kayaking, parasailing, cave diving, surfing or deep sea fishing? Then again, you could always swim in the waters at the bottom of Mele Cascades waterfall or climb to the top of the falls, enjoy the view and then abseil back down again.

The Summit Gardens are also well worth visiting! Located 200 metres above sea level, they’re the South Pacific's largest tropical gardens and have incredible views of Mele Bay and the rest of the island.

If you've soaked up everything Efate has to offer, why not go island-hopping? Efate is the gateway to the other tropical islands of Vanuatu, after all.

Shopping and dining

Lini Highway, the main street in Port Vila, is a shopper's paradise with designer labels, tribal prints, sarongs, duty-free products and locally handmade jewellery available for purchase. The main street is also home to a market on weekdays and Saturday mornings. Here you can try some traditional cuisine and local delicacies, like laplap – root vegetables and meat cooked in coconut milk and served in a banana leaf.

Besides laplap, you'll find that much of the Ni-Vanuatu cuisine consists of fresh seafood, root vegetables and tropical fruits. There are also heaps of French restaurants, thanks to the French influence of days gone by.

A specialty on the island is a traditional Ni-Vanuatu drink, which happens to be made from the world's only legal narcotic! It's brewed from a native tree root and was used medicinally in the past, but if you'd like to try some, just ask for "kava". If you'd rather sip on a regular old cocktail, there are plenty of those here, too.

Getting here and around

To get to Efate, it's as simple as booking a seat on one of these cheap flights to Port Vila. Once you arrive, you can get around by bicycle, minivan or hire car.

The tropical haven of Vanuatu is calling – will you answer? Book your Efate accommodation with us now and live every lastminute!