Studio (Hibiscus)
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The Melanesian Port Vila Hotel
3.0 out of 5.0
77% based on 291 reviews
TripAdvisor Traveler Rating
Recent guest reviews
Nice and clean room, but breakfast quality can be improved further. Staff is nice and friendly as rest of the people in Vanuatu. Hotel has swimming pool but no gym. WiFi quality is average, but is available free in the lobby. Overall, a good experience.
Spent close to a week here n rooms are nice spacy n clean. Wed n sunday night entertainment is pretty awesome with the local string bands performing. Staff too are very welcoming. Also is a 7minute walk to town so is ideally situated.
This hotel is a Port Vila landmark and is an oldie but a goodie. The rooms are spacious clean and well equipped. The staff are exceptional. One of the reception staff used her own vehicle to transport me around when I had urgent visa issues. Her kindness was incredible. The breakfast was good in lovely surroundings by the pool. The cultural dancing was very entertaining in the evening. It is unbelievably quiet at night because it is out of the hustle and bustle of town but only a short walk to CBD.
We spent a week in this hotel in May 2017, It is a well located, easy access hotel, a short stroll to the city centre. I would recommend second or third level rooms to be away from the pool area, Staff are very friendly and nice. Rooms are very comfortable.
The Melanesian is well located for the businessperson in Port Vila. A short walk from the capital's main business district and convention center, a car isn't needed, but both rentals and taxis are available through the front desk and tourism service center in the lobby. The rooms look out on either the water or the pool area, and are comfortable; most importantly to the businessperson, there are plenty of sockets to charge devices. Wifi is free in the spacious lobby, small charge for wifi in rooms. Breakfasts, which reflect the French influence on the island, are outstanding, with properly prepared eggs and fresh breads available. Not to be missed are the Vanuatu grapefruits, which are sinfully good. A friendly staff, well trained housekeeping crew and reasonable prices round out a well-above average island business retreat.
I usually stay at the Melanesian Port Vila whenever visiting Vanuatu for work. It is convenient, not far away from CBD and access to several eating places in town. Very friendly staff and rooms are large, comfortable. And not very pricey too.
We were here for 10 nights due to being bumped out of our preferred choice Moorings Hotel. They overbooked and bounced us out. There are no water views here, which is why I booked Moorings. So obviously no water activities such as kayaking which is why I booked Moorings. We were offered and given no compensation for this, only being told "we will honour the Moorings price and the Melanesian is a better hotel." We went to Moorings to have a look, was Melanesian better....no it wasn't. Rooms: We had a room overlooking pool and other rooms opposite. Room was very tidy, clean and cleaning staff did a fantastic job. The bed was rock hard and quite uncomfortable. There are a few austar/foxtel channels for the rainy days, however the reception is affected by heavy rain so you end up with one or two channels only when you need it the most. Wifi is in lobby only and worked very well. They changed log in details weekly, so just ask, no one will tell you. Rooms are non smoking, but balconies are ok to smoke on. So, if the balcony door is open then rooms are actually smoking. Ours stunk like cigarettes the whole time. Food: Australian chef and staff are 5 star. Food was beautiful! Lunch special for 1000 vt ($12 aus) Top quality. Absolutely no complaints regarding lunch or dinner. There are no dinner specials however, so looking at aus $20-35 approx each dinner meal. They have bbq all you can eat couple times a week for 2800 vt ($32) Bit pricey, unless you eat plenty I suppose. Curry night Friday, can't comment as they didn't have it when we were there. Dinner kind of disappeared that night, couldn't even get room service. No menu in room and reception desk had no menu either, told me to go to bar. Noone there? That was just one night though. Breakfast: Included in stay. 3 cereals, bread, toast and pancakes is all. You can buy hot meals. Pancakes were cooked all at once early, so were cold by 8am, so never had them. Stuck with vegemite on toast. Due to heavy rain, meals and dining gets moved to a room down the driveway. We were here for 5 days at least. No espresso coffee available as the only machine is at bar near pool where meals usually are. Happy hour is 4-6pm, where drinks are then a reasonable price. When bar closed due to rain though, no happy hour, no cocktails. Smoking: They allow smoking, be warned!! We had to move several times with our meals due to jerks smoking right next to us. It makes my wife physically ill. They promote it by offering ash trays. It wasn't busy when we were there, so that probably saved a few extra moves. They need to make it non smoking or at least one side of the pool area. Getting there: The only service offered by hotel to get from airport was a shuttle for 1500 vt each way per person. ($18 each) It is common knowledge from all locals that taxis are readily available each way for 1800 vt ($22). This is for the whole taxi. As hotel never gave us other options we ended up sharing a taxi with 2 others, but still charged 1800 for 2 of us. Got ripped off, but still a cheaper option than 3000 vt hotel was going to charge. You can walk out of airport and grab a bus (van) for 150vt each, but it won't be as quick as others will be hopping on/off locally. Another option however. South Pacific Travel Agency: I was told by Japanese lady this was separate to hotel. The Japanese owner often walked in and was behind desk doing stuff which looked like it was very much connected to the hotel. They have a few tours they look after which were good. All the rest are from other operators, so they are effectively a 3rd party. For the best prices, best to contact other places directly to negotiate. This place never went out of their way to promote themselves or give suggestions. I had to do all the lead up work and may as well have gone down town directly to the companies. Good potential, but very lacking presently. So overall, very friendly staff. Just don't expect communication unless you initiate. Location is good for near town. Not sure if I would stay again. Defenitely will be good to ask if any peace corp organizations will be staying if you plan to go. These group of young louts kept us awake 3 nights in a row, drunk, noisy and slamming doors until 3am. Peace corp?? More like no peace! Finally: 5 percent added if paying by any card. Cheaper to withdraw cash and pay that way. For every $1,000 will cop an extra $50 otherwise, plus overseas transaction fee from credit card company up to $50. They do provide receipts for your meals/drinks etc so you can keep tab of your expenditures during the stay. That was helpful.
Compared to what I would usually find in the south pacific the Melanesian offers quite a good value for what I pay for. It is definitely far from a five star but an average hotel with clean and comfortable room, functional bathroom and friendly and helpful staff. Its location which is only a less than five minute bus ride to the city center is a plus. The only complaint I had was their pillows. They were just too flat :-).
Spent 2 nights at the Melanesian as a layover stay when our flights were cancelled, rooms were pleasant and well presented, but the beds were the worst I have ever slept on, Formula One beds are far superior, even the kids complained. The food was good, the staff were lovely but not at all able to deal with anything out of the ordinary, and the final stage of our holiday overall very disappointing, not recommended at all
As many others by now, this is not a resort we would have picked. Unfortunately, we were also rescheduled by Vanuatu Airlines and thus they booked us into the Melanesian for the night. We also did not pay for our stay or meals so we could not complain about the compromise we reached with the airlines over the rescheduled flight. The place is indeed old and dated.And when we saw the restaurant we decided to have lunch elsewhere as the hustle of town is within walking distance. Town being hot, humid, nosiy and dirty (after coming from Santo) we decided to head back and relax in the room and at the pool. We were pleasantly surprised by the friendly staff at the bar, the excellent cocktails and also the room was just comfortable. Why they put us on the third floor when knowing we had to leave (with all luggage) at 04.45hrs the next morning again I do not know. Based on the staff service, we actually looked at the dinner menu and were surprised again! Italian with a twist, so we decided to have dinner and actually had a very good meal and the best in a while. So if Air Vanuatu has messed up your flights, don't worry you are welcomed here by friendly staff, good food, cocktails and cold beers. No i would not book this as a holiday resort, but the Melanesian does not pretend to be a resort or to have the best views. Fine for an overnight stay.
Hotel highlights
- Close to Port Vila Market
- Free continental breakfast
- Free WiFi in public areas
- Free parking
The Melanesian Port Vila Hotel places you within a leisurely stroll of Parliament House and National Museum. This 75-room, 3-star hotel welcomes business and leisure travelers with a full-service spa, a casino, and free breakfast. Also close to this Port Vila hotel are Port Vila Market and Pango Point.
Dining
Free continental breakfast is served each morning from 7 AM to 10 AM. Enjoy a bite to eat at Le Melanesian, the hotel's onsite restaurant. Savor a meal from the comfort of your room with room service, or get a quick energy boost at the coffee shop/café.
Rooms
The 75 rooms have an array of amenities, including furnished balconies, refrigerators, and minibars. Guests can expect WiFi and 26-inch LCD TVs with cable channels. Beds are dressed in premium bedding and bathrooms offer hair dryers and free toiletries. Other amenities include coffee makers, ceiling fans, and safes.
Property features
Guests of The Melanesian Port Vila Hotel have access to a full-service spa, a casino, and an outdoor pool. You can take advantage of free parking, along with an airport shuttle (available 24 hours) for VUV 2000 per person one way. Multilingual staff at the front desk are standing by 24/7 to help with dry cleaning/laundry, tours or tickets, and luggage storage. Other amenities at this spa hotel include a children's pool, outdoor tennis courts, and free WiFi in public areas.
Reviews from Trip Advisor
77% of guests recommend this hotel
Total of 291 reviews
