There is very limited budget accommodation on Efate. Most people travelling to Efate (Port Vila) go for the resorts and to relax, rather than for adventure tourism. As a result, accommodation here is rather expensive. 

Budget Accommodation in Efate: 

Bluepango Guest House

• • Cost: 4000 vatu for private room, 1500 vatu for dormitory (if you book direct)

  • +678 775 0085 

  • Regular public busses go to Port Vila town for 150 vatu - 5 minute drive

  • 30 minute walk to Port Vila 

  • Right next to the beach 

  • Kitchen available where you can cook your own food 

  • Aesthetically, it's a budget accommodation, not a fancy or necessarily super clean hotel

City Lodge Port Vila

• • +678 26826

  • Right in the centre of Port Vila

  • Directly in front of the market where you can get a 500 vatu local meal 

  • Easy access to public busses and shops

  • Aesthetically, it's a budget accommodation, not a fancy or necessarily super clean hotel

Resort Accommodation in Efate

I rarely stay in resorts, although this was one exception. I met a few other budget travellers and we realised that rather than staying in City Lodge and all renting beds in their dormitory room, we could chip in and split a bungalow in Warwick Le Lagoon. If you're travelling with a group, this is something you could consider!

Warwick Le Lagoon

• Phone: +678 22 313

• Email: info.lelagon@warwickhotels.com

There is very limited accommodation on Tanna. When visiting Tanna you must decide between luxury and hot water - but logistically very difficult, or budget, village living with direct access to the volcano. 

There are three main resorts, all of which are located next to the airport. These are popular for fly-in-fly-out travellers who just come to see the volcano once, and then fly off to another island group. It takes around an hour and a half to drive to the volcano from these resorts - meaning that you have to be on the road by 2:30am for the morning tour, so most people do the evening option. But you do have hot water, options for dinner, and the luxuries that come with a resort. These resorts also organise tours to the Blue Cave, although we have information on our Tanna page on how to contact the indigenous owners of the Blue Cave directly to organise your visit through them. 

These three resorts are: 

• Rockwater Resort

• White Grass Ocean Resort & Spa

• Tanna Evergreen Resort & Tours

If you don't mind forgoing luxury and living like a local, you can experience what life is like for the villages by staying in one of the Bungalows next to the volcano entrance. Whilst there are bungalows all around the volcano base, I recommend staying at one of the treehouses right at the entrance to the volcano, and I strongly recommend staying here. Proximity to the volcano means that you're more likely to go up more than once. You're also within walking distance of several other places, including cultural villages, cannibal tour, Sulphur Bay Hot Spring River & Waterfall, white sands beach and snorkelling, and several other tours that you can check out here. You'll also be staying with a local family, and every cent you spend will go directly towards this family sending their children to school and building a better life for their kids. 

There are four treehouses at the foot of the volcano that you can stay with. Each of these is right next to the volcano entrance and all of their properties are connected. Please note, each of these properties have limited rooms inside their treehouses, so guests will usually stay one night in the treehouse and then move into the ground floor bungalows on the second night. The owners of the treehouses do this so that all guests who visit can stay in a treehouse and experience this. Amusingly, you may see online that some reviews say one treehouse option is better than the other, or that one owner is more reliable than others. These treehouses are owned by four brothers. They share resources, and if one is overbooked, they will pass the booking on to another brother. The brothers have a car that they share although also hire friends from a local village to help transport tourists around when there are multiple guests staying concurrently. They share the responsibilities of taking visitors on tours, doing airport transfers, and looking after their families. Daniel's treehouse is the newest one, although he is very proactive around organising tours and guides - he only charged 500 vatu per person as a commission for organising your tours and for accompanying you as a guide. 

Tanna Tours & Treehouse - Daniel

• +678 774 7697

Tanna Volcano View Tree House - Robert

• +678 776 5627 

Yasur View Lodge - Thomas

• +678 568 6025

• +678 779 5634

Yasur Backpackers - Philip

• +678 776 4626

There are a few resort-style accommodations on Espiritu Santo, mostly near Matevulu and Riri Blue Holes, but I'd strongly suggest staying in a homestay/beachfront bungalow! Hitchhiking is pretty easy as a mode of transport as most locals do this too, although it is expected on Santo that you'll pay 150 vatu for a lift. There's only one main road up and down the east cost of the island, so any car going this way will give you a lift to where you need to go. 

When looking at the bungalows, most have running water and include breakfast in the accommodation price. They will have one or two options for dinner, depending on what meats and vegetables are available at the current time. Many of the accommodations have canoes or kayaks that you can borrow while exploring the pristine shoreline. Some have limited wifi, but wifi reception is patchy everywhere in Santo. Each has varying sizes of bungalows - some with multiple rooms for groups of friends, and most accept campers for a reduced fee. 

Hideaway Paradise Beach Bungalows

• +678 597 2472

Lonnoc Eco Beach Bungalows

• +678 590 6863

Port Orly Beach Resort - Little Paradise

• +678 542 4893

Lonnoc Beach Lodge

• +678 597 8199