Ramada Resort by Wyndham Port Vila

Picture a resort set along the cliffs of Erakor Lagoon, with the lagoon in front of you and Port Vila within easy reach. Ramada Resort by Wyndham Port Vila is built for a stay that can carry both halves of a Vanuatu trip: time in the water and time doing very little at all. The beachfront setting gives you somewhere to sit, swim or simply watch the light change across the lagoon.

You can keep the day as active or idle as you like. Start with breakfast, take to the water, return to an air-conditioned room, then move towards the pool bar rather than pretending you still have the energy for a grand expedition. The resort also suits couples and families, with larger apartments available when two people and their luggage are not the same thing as two people travelling light.

You are in Port Vila, Vanuatu, on the island of Efate, directly beside Erakor Lagoon. This is a proper waterfront address rather than a hotel that borrows the word “beach” for a view from the car park: the resort has direct access to the water and a private beach area.

Port Vila town centre is a six-minute drive away, so markets, shops and the seafront remain within practical reach without putting you in the middle of town. Saralana Park is about 600 metres away, while the Seafront Area is roughly 1.5 miles from the resort. For a meal away from the hotel, The Retreat Seaside is about 300 metres away, and Emily’s Takeaway is around 800 metres away.

Bauerfield International Airport is about 5 miles by road, with a drive of roughly twelve minutes. Breakas Beach is around 3 miles away by car and Mele Beach about 4 miles. If you want to trade the lagoon for an inland outing, the Cascades Waterfalls are about 7 miles away by road.

The room choice is really about how much space you want around your dive kit, your travelling companion and the inevitable collection of damp clothes. A Studio suits a couple who want a straightforward base, with a super-king bed, air conditioning, a refrigerator, microwave, kettle and stovetop. You also have a flat-screen television, walk-in shower, hairdryer and bathrobes for the part of the evening when dressing properly feels ambitious.

For a couple who want the lagoon to be part of the room rather than merely somewhere nearby, the Lagoon Suite is the natural step up. Several room categories face the lagoon, while others look towards the garden; the balcony option gives you an outdoor perch for the first coffee of the day or the last drink before bed. The soundproof-room option is useful when sleep matters more than a lively corridor, particularly if the next morning involves an early start.

Travelling as a family or simply refusing to live out of two suitcases at once? The Two-Bedroom Apartment gives you separate sleeping space and a more workable layout for up to four people. Family rooms are available, cots can be requested for children aged up to two, and children of any age are welcome. There are no extra beds, so choose the accommodation category for the people actually travelling rather than hoping the furniture will perform a miracle.

The main table is Akiriki Smoke & Grill, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner in an over-water setting. Breakfast is a buffet, which is exactly the sort of arrangement that works before a dive: coffee, food and no need to negotiate a complicated menu while thinking about timings and surface intervals. Breakfast can also be taken in your room.

For drinks, the Pool Bar and Sports Bar both work with cocktails. One keeps you close to the water; the other gives you somewhere to settle when the day has moved on from swimming to watching sport or comparing dive stories. There is also a snack bar for the awkward stretch between lunch and dinner, plus room service when your appetite has arrived before your enthusiasm for leaving the room.

Special-diet menus are available on request, and children’s meals are part of the food service. The hotel also runs themed dinner nights and live entertainment, so the evening can stay on site without every night becoming a formal affair.

The outdoor pool sits beside the lagoon, giving you a second place to cool off when you have had enough salt water. Sun loungers, umbrellas, pool and beach towels, a sun terrace, gardens and outdoor seating let you choose between shade, sun and the horizontal position that most divers eventually adopt. The private beach area adds an easy option for swimming, snorkelling, canoeing and kayaking without turning the afternoon into a logistical exercise.

When your shoulders need attention rather than another activity, the spa offers treatments including body treatments, facials, body scrubs and massage. Neck, back, head and full-body massages are available, as is a couples massage. That is a useful arrangement for a dive holiday: one of you can book treatment while the other makes a serious study of the loungers.

The fitness centre is on site for anyone determined to keep moving between dives. Away from the resort, you can arrange walking and bike tours, cultural tours, themed evenings and local experiences. Jet ski trips, parasailing and a zipline add more acceleration; live music, evening entertainment, board games and televised sport cover the less heroic end of the scale.

Arrival is straightforward by road from Bauerfield International Airport, around 5 miles away. An airport transfer and shuttle service are available to arrange with the hotel, either privately or as a shared service. You can also use car hire, while the concierge and tour desk can help organise outings once you have recovered from the flight. On-site public parking is free and does not require reservation.

Check-in starts from 15:00. Check-out runs from 07:00 to 11:00, which gives you a useful early departure window if your onward travel starts before the island has properly woken up. A 24-hour reception, luggage storage, currency exchange and an ATM are available, and Wi-Fi is free throughout the resort.

Children of any age are welcome, with cots available for younger children subject to the selected accommodation. Pets are not allowed, and the rooms are non-smoking. Daily housekeeping, laundry, dry cleaning and ironing services are available when salt, sand and travel clothes begin to form their own ecosystem.