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Vanuatu

Espiritu Santo still feels like a secret.

Close to Australia, but Pacific paradise still feels like a secret

Off- the-beaten-track places are harder to find than ever, particularly when you can fly straight there, but Espiritu Santo is one of them.

  • Craig Tansley
Qantas is flying to Vanuatu for the first time since carrying troops and freight during World War II.

On board Qantas’ new route to Pacific paradise

It’s the first time the Flying Kangaroo has flown to Vanuatu since carrying troops and freight during World War II.

  • Sheriden Rhodes
Mystery Island, a tiny strip of uninhabited land in Vanuatu.

This tiny strip of sand in the Pacific is what dreams are made of

More than 35 years after a failed attempt to visit Mystery Island, I finally made it – only to find it’s not so mysterious.

  • Craig Platt
Laplap wrapped with bananas leaves and cooked on coals, Tanna, Vanuatu.

The dish from a cuisine that’s unfairly ignored in Australia (and by me)

This dish comes from an overlooked region with a rich bounty of fresh produce from both land and sea, not to mention a variety of influences from countries near and far.

  • Ben Groundwater
Nearby Pele Island … a snorkelling gem.

Best short-haul holiday destinations: Port Vila, Vanuatu

Tiny Port Vila, with a population just over 61,000, has come of age. The capital of Vanuatu is home to chic restaurants, bars and gourmet produce outlets.

  • Craig Tansley
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Virgin Australia’s Economy X seats offer extra legroom.

Airline review: Virgin’s extra legroom seats are a bargain on this route

This flight to an island paradise features Virgin’s cheapest upgrade to ‘Economy X’ at just $33.

  • Angela Saurine
Port Vila Bay.

Smashed by COVID and cyclones, Pacific paradise now back with a vengeance

Vanuatu’s old experiences been given a flirty facelift and there are plenty of new ones. Here are the highlights.

  • Christine Retschlag
Don’t make the same mistake I did: check your passport stamp.

I didn’t bother looking at the stamp in my passport. It created a nightmare

A casual look at my passport while visiting a Pacific paradise resulted in a horror realisation: I had been in the country illegally for 30 days.

  • Christine Retschlag
Blue for business in Air Vanuatu’s 737-800 – no Wi-Fi or onboard entertainment.

Airline review: No entertainment, no alcohol in this business class

It’s a short flight to this Pacific island, so the shortcomings of this business class are easily overlooked.

  • Christine Retschlag
To Sua Ocean Trench, Samoa’s iconic swimming hole on Upolu island.

25 incredible South Pacific experiences you won’t find anywhere else

We don’t have to go far to escape to destinations completely unlike our own, that offer unique experiences we can’t get on the other side of the equator.

  • Craig Tansley

Original URL: https://www.theage.com.au/traveller/topic/vanuatu-gh2