Resorts around Luganville
We had a lumpy 7-hour downwind sail north to Michener Bay on
Malo Island. The bay is lovely and we explored in the dinghy, snorkelled and
paddleboarded.
After two days, we left for Ratua Island and anchored next
to SV Roxanne in a clear, turtle and coral-filled bay. We had planned to enjoy
the spa, horseback riding and restaurant at the Ratua Resort for Dina’s
birthday. Unfortunately, the Kiwi manager has a strong dislike for cruisers and
was very unwelcoming when we went ashore to make reservations. His opinion is
that cruisers are lowly, riff-raff, “sea gypsies,” and very unlike his wealthy,
fly-in, resort guests. The local Vanuatuan staff was very kind and welcoming to
cruisers; it was just our bad luck that it was the manager who met us at the
dock.
So, instead of going to the resort, we had a wonderful
birthday dinner for Dina onboard SV Roxanne with Lynn and Tom.
Next stop was a two hour motor around the island to the
yacht-friendly Aore Resort. Dina and Lynn went for a long walk on Aore Island.
Then the four of us went for cocktails at the resort and then enjoyed the
famous Santo steak dinner. It was probably the best steak we’ve ever eaten.
Aore Resort is just across the bay from Luganville, the
second largest city in Vanuatu. We went across to town and did some
provisioning and exploring. Our plan is to keep going north to other islands in
Vanuatu, but it will be difficult to buy provisions in the small remote
locations on the northern islands of Vanuatu. So, Malcolm tried to figure out
what we’d need to be fully stocked for 2-3 months. Before doing a big
provisioning, we thought we’d explore some nearby anchorages.