When you leave the central business area of Port Vila and drive up the hill with the harbour on your right, you pass many places where it's customary for people to gather on a Friday evening for a drink with friends. Since it's almost Friday evening as I write this, it seems a good time to talk about it.
Personally my wife and I like to jump on the free ferry that continuously travels the few minutes back and forth to Iririki Island Resort. It's not too deep and you can often see a lot of fish 🐠️, plus starfish on the bottom. Particularly the large red starfish are very attractive.
Although we like Iririki for it's drop-dead gorgeous view from our favourite of its 3 restaurants, we also have found other places worth being on our "relaxing Friday evening" list.
One of them is The Blue Marlin Club.
There is a view over the harbour, the cruise ship dock, and Iririki Island itself. We ALWAYS like a view, preferably of water!
The thing that struck us the first time we went there is that although it's very high up, you are on a level with the top decks of cruise ships. You suddenly realise just HOW big those things are!
Generally the cruise ships leave around dusk, so as we sat on the outdoor terrace enjoying the cool breeze, we had a grandstand seat for the unberthing and departure of a ginormous white boat. And the sunset behind it. Quite spectacular.
A weird sensation as the ship goes behind Iririki and you see the top decks apparently "driving" above the island.
We also like the food at The Blue Marlin Club. They have a lot of delectable small nibbles that are perfect for a pre-dinner snack with friends - or A friend. There was a pleasant buzz of conversation, music not too loud or too soft.
That first time, we decided to settle in and we stayed for dinner. I had a well-prepared steak of local organic beef. Adeline loves seafood, and she raved over her garlic prawn salad. Vanuatu prides itself on it's cuisine, and the French part of its heritage shows as much as the innovative Pacific Island influence in the tropical things the chefs come up with.
Surprisingly, there is actually a Hospitality school in Port Vila, which is a town of only 50,000 people. They train some wonderful chefs. And in "normal" times a lot of chefs are needed.
Now I am not recommending The Blue Marlin Club over all others - we have a whole list of resorts and restaurants that we have come to enjoy. If you'd like to hear about more of them, reply and I will add more emails telling you about other places we like.
But today being Friday, I thought you'd like getting a feel for the delights of Port Vila dining.
Something you too can do regularly once you are a Vanuatu Citizen or Permanent Resident...
Book a consultation to find out if Vanuatu is really right for your situation: https∶//in.vu/cal
Lance in (delicious meals) Vanuatu
