We missed out on staying at one of the new bungalows due to the fact that Tarcisius forgot to make our booking. The old bungalows aren't a pinch on the new ones, they're rustic and basic, and are very tired and worn out and due for a face-lift, but it was sufficient and we got by for our 4 day stay. Bring your own towels and a top sheet if preferred to the linen provided, not the cleanest accommodation or the most comfy bed and the mozzie net didn't really keep the mozzies out at night time. And an ongoing gamet of noises coming from the local village with loud music starting at dusk, roosters crowing all day long, a multitude of chickens running amuck, cows mooing, pigs snorting, and packs of wild dogs barking and scraping most of the night. And Church bells ringing from the Village at 6am & again 10 mins later every morning, so we didn't exactly get a chance to sleep in or get a good night's sleep while staying here.
Our host Tarcisius was really lovely, very friendly and obliging, he was not always an easy man to pin down but we found his dwelling in the adjacent Village and he was always most helpful with any of our enquiries. His restaurant had a descent menu and was priced comparitive with the other 2 Cafe's nearby, although we would not recommend going to the Serenity Cafe. We went there for dinner one night and the food was awful and expensive, the chicken curry and beef dish were so overcooked that we couldn't eat them and we never went back again. Tarcisius mentioned that traditional meals were available cooked by the villagers (1,000Vt each) and delivered to our bungalow, so we thought we'd support the community and try them out. We had the local poulet fish a couple of times and it was super fresh and cooked to perfection, and my husband tried a steak meal and he was quite impressed with the quality of the meat and how tender it was, and it was cheaper than the restaurants! Complimentary breakfast consisted of fresh baked bread and a variety of fresh fruit left on a table on the front deck, mostly pineapple, papaya and bananas, and we had a treat of passionfruit from the vine in our outdoor bathroom and some lychees from one of the Nevans. Power in the form of lighting and 2 power points was only available between 6-12 and 5-9pm, so we boiled the kettle provided for a cuppa at breakfast and charged up our devices during these hours.
We started out buying bottled water and then tried drinking the local water boiled and we did not experience any adverse affects at all. There is a small Store in the Village but it doesn't stock much at all ie..bottled water, Tuska beer, crisps, sweet biscuits, lots of canned tuna or mackeral, and that's about it!
Port Olry without a doubt was one of the most stunning beaches we stayed at or saw, we went to Lonnoc Beach after staying here, and Olry was still our fav. Bungalows are located a stone's throw from the beautiful beach and Nevans were a friendly and happy lot. Lots of coral and colorful reef fish, and a nice stroll over to the nearest island when the tide was out.
This place is quite isolated and off the grid, although having said that, we bought a Digicell SIM in Louganville to use while in Vanuatu and we got the best reception here! It was reasonably peaceful during the day with the odd day trippers dropping by for lunch or a swim in the ocean, so we felt like we had the beach to ourselves most of the time. :) This is not a 5 star establishment, it only covers the bare necessities and the price is accordingly, so it may not suit many.
