Our international vacation plans were cancelled because of covid-19 border closings, so we looked for a place to go for a local holiday here on Santo. Our choices were limited to places that allow children. Matevulu Lodge was nearly the only available option that also offered self-catering. We could not have made a better choice. Edouard and Gaëlle’s hospitality was peerless. They both speak good English and Bislama in addition to their first language, which is French. They provided a continental breakfast every morning that featured Gaëlle’s delicious homemade tropical fruit jams. We cooked our own meals otherwise, including meals cooked on the grill with firewood they supplied. This allowed us to control the ingredients of the food we ate, as well as keeping our costs down. The communal kitchen is beautiful and well-equipped. The repaired and cleaned buildings and grounds are a visual respite from the hurricane damage that still exists in other parts of the island. We stayed in the Flaoa Bungalow, which comfortably accommodated the three of us—and I do mean comfortably. The mattresses were fantastic! The ensuite with shower is very spacious. We really appreciated Edouard’s efforts to try and make the water heater work perfectly. Although he was frustrated by lack of proper replacement parts on the island, we did have limited hot water at our disposal. The bungalow has full length windows on the ocean side to allow both the view and the breeze...Our international vacation plans were cancelled because of covid-19 border closings, so we looked for a place to go for a local holiday here on Santo. Our choices were limited to places that allow children. Matevulu Lodge was nearly the only available option that also offered self-catering. We could not have made a better choice. Edouard and Gaëlle’s hospitality was peerless. They both speak good English and Bislama in addition to their first language, which is French. They provided a continental breakfast every morning that featured Gaëlle’s delicious homemade tropical fruit jams. We cooked our own meals otherwise, including meals cooked on the grill with firewood they supplied. This allowed us to control the ingredients of the food we ate, as well as keeping our costs down. The communal kitchen is beautiful and well-equipped. The repaired and cleaned buildings and grounds are a visual respite from the hurricane damage that still exists in other parts of the island.
We stayed in the Flaoa Bungalow, which comfortably accommodated the three of us—and I do mean comfortably. The mattresses were fantastic! The ensuite with shower is very spacious. We really appreciated Edouard’s efforts to try and make the water heater work perfectly. Although he was frustrated by lack of proper replacement parts on the island, we did have limited hot water at our disposal. The bungalow has full length windows on the ocean side to allow both the view and the breeze to pass through. There are heavy drapes to block out the sunrise if you want to sleep in, and good flywire to make the bungalow mozzy-proof as long as the doors were closed. We burned a mosquito coil for an hour or so each night to kill the mozzies that came in the door with us, but after that we could put the coil out and breath clean ocean air. The bungalow has beautiful hardwood floors and a veranda just a few steps up from the beach.
The bay in front of the Lodge is shallow and sandy a long way out. This makes it a perfect place for kids to swim. The Matuvor River enters the bay a short distance to the right, and the mouth of the river makes another great swimming hole. A relatively short paddle up the river leads to the Riri Blue Hole. Two small islands are easily accessible in the bay between the Lodge and Oyster Island. There were so many things to do within wading or paddling distance that we never used automobile transportation between our arrival and departure. However, we know there are many more attractions just a short drive away. Our week at Matevulu Lodge was the best local vacation we have ever had during our eleven years in Vanuatu.More