The golf buggy whizzed along the narrow winding pathways flanked by villas and palm trees swaying in the night breeze. We arrived at our destination and, shrouded in the blackest of nights, gingerly stepped off the buggy, making sure to mind our step so we didn’t trip over whatever may be laying on the ground. When we looked up we both audibly gasped in unison. In front of our very eyes were millions of stars sparkling in the sky, and the illuminating smudge of the strikingly magical Milky Way. We had arrived in paradise, Warwick Le Lagon in Vanuatu – a tiny Melanesian island in the South Pacific – and were already impressed despite being yet to see the place in the daylight.
It had been a long day with a late night flight, and as it was gone midnight we didn’t take much notice of the villa other than the large bed covered in the cutest welcome message and flowers! The next morning when we awoke from our 10-hour sleep (yes, the bed was THAT comfortable), I padded down to the doors onto the terrace balcony, and flung them open to see the most beautiful sight before me. I called for Laura to hurry up and come and see it, and we both stood there in awe. The lagoon floor was covered in large starfish and colourful tropical fish.
With the shutters open and the sun streaming in we were able to see the villa a little clearer, and we practically ran around the villa shrieking in excitement from how incredible it was! There are just four over-water villas in the resort, each one with a prime view over the breathtaking Erakon Lagoon. Each one has just had a complete refurbishment, transforming them from the tired old-fashioned resort-style villas into a chic and stylish interior that wouldn’t look out of place on an Interior Design Pinterest board. The colour-scheme is beautiful and in keeping with the oceanic theme; soft blues, plenty of light wood, and colourful cushions adorning the bed and sofa!
There’s a beautiful open plan living area and bedroom (complete with plug points right next to each side of the bed!) on a raised mezzanine level, and then a stunning bathroom behind the bedroom. I must warn you though that the bathroom is all open plan, so if you’re staying with a friend like I was, you’ll have to take it in turns to chill out on the balcony while the other showers and gets ready etc, haha. The toilet is private behind a sliding door though!
The bathroom is super dreamy, with a huge bath tub, a large shower with the most beautiful sparkling green tiles, metallic gold sinks, and a large area for your luggage and getting dressed. Also I’m usually not a fan of hotel hair products (who is?!), however, the shampoo and conditioner at Warwick Le Lagon is AMAZING. Usually hotel conditioners dry my hair out, but even my fine bleached hair loved the conditioner and it felt silky soft after every wash! I have no idea what they put in the stuff, but my hair was very happy.
Another thing I loved about the bathroom was the ability to lay in the bath and stare at this view…just magical!
Outside on the large terrace that overhangs the water, there’s a four-seater table, and two sun loungers for relaxing in the tropical sunshine.
The hotel itself has a large swimming pool, swim-up bar (they do the BEST Mojitos), tranquil spa, a gym, a fancy bar, and two restaurants. We loved the Wild Ginger restaurant, where they had a fabulous selection of traditional fresh seafood, Japanese options, and Teppanyaki!
There’s also plenty of water sports activities available, and we took a boat trip across the lagoon to Erakor Island for lunch, where I tried Samoan Oka (very similar to Hawaiian Poke, and South American Ceviche) for the first time and fell in love with it! We spent an hour or so laying in the warm waters, before getting the boat back to the resort.
The two nights we spent in Warwick Le Lagon’s Overwater Villa were a blissful welcome to the South Pacific, and we experienced the friendly but slow-paced Melanesian hospitality. Everything was very much on ‘island time’, and coming from a large city it was a welcome change to see staff that were so relaxed rather than rushing here there and everywhere. It forced me to relax and really reminded me that it doesn’t matter if you’re 5 minutes behind schedule, you’ll get there in the end, and the most important thing is to enjoy the moment.
The only thing lacking was complimentary WiFi throughout the resort (it costs $30AUD for 24 hours), but that’s really the only complaint I have! Everything else about our stay was completely and utterly perfect.
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Catherine Lux is a veteran travel blogger by night and the Head of Content Marketing at Amazon by day. Originally from Surrey, she spent four years living in Australia (2007-2009, and 2016-2018), and now lives in London. An ex-party girl sometimes prone to relapses, she loves nothing more than sharing her fine dining and luxury travel experiences with her loyal readers.
