Name: Friendly Beach
Address: Lowalcas Cove Tanna Island,, Tanna Island, Tanna Island, Tanna Island, 0, Vanuatu
Rating: 9

Smoke-free property

Garden

Patio

General

Non-smoking rooms

Shower/Bathtub

Shower

Mosquito net

Rooms

Laundry

Services and amenities

Restaurant

Meals

Airport transportation (complimentary)

Transfer

English

French

Languages Spoken

Tour assistance

Tourist services

Library

Hiking

Recreation

No parking

Parking

Private beach

Next to the beach

Pool and beach

Snorkelling

Sports

Massage

Beauty and wellness

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Location

At the hotel

Room amenities

Tanna Airport

Friendly Beach

Tanna Island

child-bed

child-bed-fee

external-private-bathroom

private-bathroom

shared-bathroom

10-beds

11-beds

12-beds

13-beds

14-beds

15-beds

16-beds

17-beds

18-beds

19-beds

2-beds

20-beds

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24-beds

25-beds

26-beds

27-beds

28-beds

29-beds

3-beds

30-beds

31-beds

32-beds

33-beds

34-beds

35-beds

36-beds

37-beds

38-beds

39-beds

4-beds

40-beds

5-beds

6-beds

7-beds

8-beds

9-beds

king-bed

queen-bed

limited-time

lounge

treatment

no-window

bay-view

bosphorus-view

canal-view

city-view

courtyard-view

garden-view

golf-view

harbour-view

inland-view

lake-view

land-view

mountain-view

ocean-front

ocean-view

oceanside

panoramic-view

park-view

partial-ocean-view

partial-sea-view

partial-view

pool-view

river-view

sea-front

sea-view

street-view

sunrise-view

sunset-view

water-view

with-view

annex

basement

main-building

1-bedroom

2-bedrooms

3-bedrooms

4-bedrooms

5-bedrooms

6-bedrooms

not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

breakfast-for-1

breakfast-for-2

pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

Very friendly and helpful manager Evelyn and lovely staff, at a beautiful black sand beach but a very remote location down a long rough track. We picked this place as we believed it was close to the volcano, but it was actually still 45 minutes away from the volcano entrance (on another bumpy road). It is another half hour further on an even worse road to Port Resolution, so at almost an hour to get to the volcano and 1 1/2 hours to the airport and Port Resolution, you certainly can’t say this is a convenient location for seeing the island. The beach was rough with large waves and strong currents and not good for swimming when we were there, no watercraft or bicycles to use, so we really were a captive audience. Tours or a driver cost minimum 8000 Vatu+ for any outing. The bungalows were well screened with mosquito netting on the bed (but no coils or bug spray provided) and only had generator power in the evenings. The bathroom was beachy with coral flooring and a rainwater shower, but quite dark. We loved the hut and veranda and island feel.  However, conditions were primitive with only the generator for a few hours each evening, and no fans or any cooling except for the sea. We would be raving about Friendly if the cost was about half of what we paid. In hindsight, however, for the high cost of these bungalows, we feel that staying on the West Coast would have been much more comfortable and convenient.



Rough ride

Stayed four nights at friendly beach and it felt like we where guests in someones home rather than in a resort. Rooms are made in a traditional style and therefore basic compared to a normal resort, no internet, no tv, electricity six hours in the evening. But the experience of staying here is genuine and the staff all do the outmost to make you feel at home. Falling asleep to the sound of waves hitting the beach outside your room is really relaxing. You do not have a menu to choose from for meals, they cook one dish only, like it would be when visiting a friend. The staff are also helpful in booking tours to the vulcano and other places. Highly recommend friendly beach for a genuine Tanna experience.

Friendly indeed

My husband and I stayed 4 nights and has a wonderful stay. We were the only guests for most of that time and therefore had the place to ourselves, sharing the beach occasionally with the local boys snorkelling on the reef. The accommodation was stylish and comfortable whilst being in the traditional style and the staff were super friendly helping us feel right at home. We loved the strong connection with the local village. All the staff - including the manager, the cooks, the waitresses, the cleaners, the masseuse, the gardener etc - all come from the local village, so you really feel like your stay is supporting the whole community. The food was wholesome and delicious with fresh, local produce and a different dish for every meal. The volcano tour is a must - absolutely spectacular once in a lifetime stuff. If you're feeling very energetic (VERY!) you can arrange to walk from Friendly Beach to the volcano and up the ash plain to the top of the crater. We did and it was very rewarding, but be warned that climbing the ash / sand is extremely tiring! We hike a lot and it was definitely the hardest thing we've done and we did the "short" route!

A wonderful stay in a beautiful and secluded spot

My husband and I loved our two night stay at Friendly Beach and we wish it could have been longer. The bungalows were very authentic, nicely presented and comfortable. We enjoyed looking out at the beach and being lulled to sleep by the waves. The hosts went out of their way to make our stay pleasant and organised our later than expected pick up from the airport and our trip to Mt Yasur. We also enjoyed visiting the village up the hill from Friendly Beach. It gave us a real insight into life on Tanna. The meals were simple but filling. We are aware that this may not be everyone’s choice of accommodation but if you want a more authentic experience I’d give it a try.

Unique Experience 

We loved the peaceful location, large bungalows with room for all 4 of us, and the staff were very warm and hospitable, but we found a few things disappointing/tricky for a family stay (we have two teenagers).

Once at the resort, you are a captive audience, with no other food choices. Meals were very basic, which we didn't mind as we assume this supports local village produce, but we were spending nearly $200AUD a day to feed 2 adults/2 children very simple lunches and dinners, such as chicken with rice, chicken with mashed potatoes, etc. Far more than we paid at large hotels on the mainland, and staying 3 nights/4 days made for a hefty food bill at the end of our stay. We were able to do one 'half order' some nights for dinner ($15, rather than $30 for a meal), but this only worked when our pickier eater was less hungry. Sandwiches were on offer at lunch for a few dollars less, but fillings/spreads were unusual and our kids couldn't eat them.

There were no snacks available to purchase, and so wait times between meals was a HUGE problem for us all, especially our teenage children. We had read of this issue on previous reviews, but our supply of muesli bars quickly ran out and our kids were often hungry waiting for meal time. Factor in a teenage boy, and having nothing to snack on was a big problem. We'd have been happy to pay for snacks, but there were none to buy.

Meal items were set, and with children, this proved difficult at times. Alternative choices were offered, such as french fries, but we didn't find this ideal, so we stuck to chicken and rice. Set meal times were a challenge with kids too, especially with only a 1-hour window (tricky at breakfast with teenagers!)

We didn't mind the lack of electricity during the day, as there was plenty of light, but the shower was almost impossible to use. It was as though it couldn't allow both hot and cold water through at once, so it was always scorching or cold... after fiddling with it for 10 mins or so, the hot water would run out and so we'd try again the following day.

We liked that hot water was provided for tea/coffee, the Milo was lovely for the kids, and there was Australian wine on offer at a reasonable price. Evelyn was lovely, and staff in general very friendly. Pick up from the airport was easy, and the tour to the volcano was great, although the jeep was a set fee, with no child price. I imagine this would be the same for all the island's jeep tours though. Be sure to bring a warm jumper to the twilight tour... we didn't know this and struggled with the cold up on the volcano.

Overall, we enjoyed our stay, but would not choose this resort again.

Not ideal for a family

The local people are very welcoming & the trip to Mt Yasur was most impressive. The nearby villages are only a short walk from Friendly Beach and are interesting to visit. Meals at Friendly Beach are prepared and served with every effort made by staff.  They are however expensive and management is totally inflexible with charges. The basic set dinner menu was 2800VT (approx A$35). A charge of 1800VT (approx A$23) for a scoop of rice and 6 beans (due to dietary restrictions) was ludicrous.

Welcoming local people

My husband and I stay here for 4 days/3 nights. What a gem. Accommodation was very roomy, clean and what a view. Meals here were large and filling, also delicious. Staff friendly and attentive. We really enjoyed our stay and wish we stayed longer.

Friendly Beach

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