Tropicana Lagoon Apartments

Tired and in need of refurb and a lick of paint (which apparently is happening soon under new management)...Old school, fan and airconed high-ceilinged rooms with kitchenette, wooden floors and balconies overlooking the polluted (not (exclusively) this hotel's fault) lagoon (unswimmable-in)...WiFi and hot water issues, average pool, understocked bar and a competent chef who's doing his best with limited resources. That said, it's quiet and rustic and good vfm. I wouldn't NOT go back...if that makes sense 😏 However don't go if you're very picky...

On going maintenance is constantly needed due to climate and age of buildings. We had a comfortable stay though. Staff were helpful and provided the few items missing from our room. Only a short walk from a big supermarket and a local produce market.

I loved my time staying at the Tropicana ,the staff were super friendly and very accommodating to our needs, food was fantastic and so peaceful, spent my days by the pool and relaxing in the tranquil garden, will differently return next year, looking forward to seeing the staff that I become so fond of❤️

Great holiday place, people were beautiful and friendly. Chef was the best I have ever tasted. Was beautiful sitting at the restaurant looking on to the lagoon and sitting back and relaxing. Will definitely come back again and bring family as well. Pool was excellent to swim in and cool down. Love you people as you are friendly and easy going.

Get away from stress and town this is a beautiful place, Ideal surrounded by beautiful trees and flowers breakfast, lunch and dinner served on deck near waterfront such a beautiful scenery across lagoon and sunset I loved the place and will come back again. Thank you Tina for your hospitality and your staff willing to help at odd times with a smile

Very mixed feelings about our stay at Tropicana Lagoon 'Resort'. When my husband and I arrived we were disappointed with the initial impression of the room. It was very dated, compared to the glossy photos, which we understand are many years old. There were little faults: uncomfortable & creaky bed. Dusty floors, mould & cracks in the shower tiles. A hole in the bathroom wall, revealing the wire to the light switch. Pollen or dust was blown down onto our clothes & floor in the spare bedroom from the ceiling fan. Wardrobes difficult or impossible to open. Taps in the shower needed to be turned off extremely tightly to stop the water running. But we were there to unwind so we decided to make light of it all and not move rooms, as we were situated with a nice outlook to the pool & lagoon, so we didn't mention anything to the staff. We had a very nice meal on the first night. the second, was very ordinary. Again, we just laughed, and thought ‘oh well, we are not hungry now’ The lagoon & pool were very pleasant. In the first three days, the bedding was pulled up, the dishes washed the towels replaced, only after we asked for fresh ones, as ours were still damp. That was the extend of the room upkeep. It was not swept, the bathroom was not cleaned, the dishes not put away. There was only one key for the room – the management did not even have a spare key. Again, we thought 'they're very cruisy over here, what's the big deal’. We were very unlucky to experience two cyclones in three days on this trip. The 1st one on our second-last booked day at Tropicana. The power went out, there was no running water, all understandable. Staff had lost their homes, and there was devastation all around, so we didn't expect staff to come to work. However for the onsite manager to not be prepared with torches, or bottled water was very disappointing. After pleading with them to obtain something they did return with some candles. To not check on our wellbeing after the first cyclone was disappointing. To sit across from our room & drink kava and chat past 2am was very disappointing. All flights were grounded, we didn't know how long until we could leave Vanuatu, but we knew we did not want to remain at this property. We relocated the next day, on the morning of the second cyclone. We found excellent accommodation in Port Vila, on the bay, for the equivalent of only $20 AUD more per night than Tropicana. The management of the new hotel had water and food for us, they checked on us and had the pool cleaned up the next morning. They also had no power, but cooked for their guests under torchlight. It was in stark contrast to Tropicana. There is no way it should be called a resort, nor should it be a 4 star accommodation. That rating may have been awarded at the time the photos were taken. In 2023 the property should immediately be downgraded to a 3 star at best, and the tariff should reflect the current state and poor value.

I am not one to complain or make negative comments about our stays however I feel I need to mention a few items. From the moment we arrived we felt very awkward, like we had interrupted a family gathering. There were more workers than guests. The Resort was neat, tidy and crisply painted white-looked appealing. Colonial style rooms wooden floorboards high ceiling with fan and nice balcony overlooking the river from the lagoon-wouldn’t recommend swimming in there. No hot water and only one towel between us, despite asking management twice to review, never got fixed. Beers were warm and not well stocked- we went and bought cold beers from the supermarket. The vibe of the place was totally off-despite us both trying to convince each other it would be relaxing we couldn’t quite shake off the feeling. The chef cooked an amazing dinner one of the best meals we had in Vanuatu-what an asset to the Resort. We had booked 4 nights and only stayed one. The Manager had no insight when we checked out even when we mentioned having no hot water was an issue. He asked us where we were going to stay which we replied back in town. He just shrugged his shoulders like it wasn’t the first time he had had this conversation or interaction with guests. We did not ask for our money back just clocked it up to an experience!! Would I recommend people to stay…no however if you are just wanting a home base and you venture out all day and come back for dinner I would recommend, hopefully you get to have a hot shower.

We stayed at Tropicana Lagoon Apartments for 3 wonderful weeks. The staff are great and the place is serene and relaxing and has a lovely pool and onsite restaurant. We had a 2 bedroom apartment with generous space and a lovely balcony. We could choose to self cater (there is cooking facilities in the apartment) or go to the onsite restaurant. The restaurant served quality food and drinks all available at a reasonable price and was a great standard. It was lovely to have the option to do either. The apartments are well located with a supermarket just up the road. It is also has easy access to Port Vila town by either local bus (just out the front of the entrance) or by car. Kim, the onsite Manager is lovely and is always happy to assist with any bookings for tours etc. Tina, the owner was just wonderful to deal with and always responded quickly to any questions we had and ensured the booking process went smoothly. We are happy to recommend Tropicana Lagoon Apartments and will look forward to staying there again when we next visit Vanuatu.