Unless you island hop by yacht, Port Vila on Efate island is the entry point into Vanuatu. It has the international airport on it, a relic of world war two, providing a challenge to pilots as it is in a basin surrounded by four hills. There is often wild talk of a new airport being built to open up Vanuatu to more mass market tourism, I hope this remains only talk.

Port Vila is already the ‘big smoke’ to those on the outer islands, although incredibly relaxed and laid back when compared to Sydney. All business, and most of Efate’s population live in Vila. One road circles the island, which when I first traveled there required a 4WD and incredible patience, and shock absorbers, to travel on it. The road is now surfaced thanks to the US Millennium challenge, and well worth a day trip around. But almost all of the action is still in the islands capital.

If you are there on a Friday night head up to the Grand Hotel. Go to the top floor and wander into the bar and partake of their happy hour. If you are lucky, and particularly if there has been a storm, as had just happened when this picture was taken, you may well see a stunning sunset. If not, even ordinary Port Vila sunsets are well worth watching, as you sip your drink on the balcony, or dip your toes in the warm pacific ocean.