Turtle Bay Lodge

Great family holiday with young children (2 & 5 yrs). Very safe, very friendly, very relaxed, very easy. Turtle Bay Lodge is central to the key sites, and plenty to do at or from the resort like sea kayaking around the bay, snorkelling around the bay, kayaking to nearby blue holes, hiring buggies or quads to go exploring, scuba.... Bear in mind that Santo is hardly touched by the western world, that is its strength but can be seen as its weakness too (ie food can be bland or limited options, you are on island time, not everything works as you'd expect etc) - all part of the experience!

Turtle Bay Lodge is a must to add to your travel bucket list. From booking to our final departure, the communication from Vicky, Mick and their staff was spot on. They were incredibly helpful and informative about activities and tours prior to our visit, which helped us plan our week. Arriving in Santo, Vicky was there at the airport to greet her guests. She was smiling and friendly, and quickly organised us onto our buses to whisk us off to the resort. Her commentary on route, helped us orientate ourselves with the island. Once at the lodge in Turtle Bay, the friendly staff helped us inside and welcomed us with a cold drink. Angie, office and reception manager, gave us a quick briefing and then with Vicky and Mick directed staff to help us to our rooms with our bags. We opted to stay in a deluxe marquee. There are five of these. The marquees, all bay facing, are fabulous and all have air-conditioning. They are a short walk, about 1 minute from reception. If any of you have been 'glamping' this is what they are like. On the outside balcony you will find a sun lounger and two chairs with a small stool table. Mosquito coils are provided and you will need these. I also took mosquito repellent. Inside the spacious marquee is a beautiful four poster bed with mosquito net. We never used this; it wasn't necessary. There is plenty of lighting in the marquee and on the balcony. There are four windows which you can open during the day to allow fresh air. The marquees are never stuffy. Behind the bed is some storage and hanging space, mini fridge, tea and coffee making facilities. This was great. In a room behind is the toilet and wash basin. The bathroom is roomy with a long bench to lay your things out. They also supplied a hair dyer. The part I loved the most was beyond the back door of the marquee was the outside shower. It was glorious! The restaurant at the lodge is wonderful, with an excellent choice of food. I am vegetarian and found there was plenty to eat. On New Year's Eve, they went out of their way to provide me a vegetarian option at the buffet. We completed two dives with Mick. He and his dive staff are superb. The dive sites were fantastic and full of life. I would highly recommend you dive with Mick. It is such an easy dive and he makes it a really pleasurable experience. You can also snorkel in the bay, paddle board and kayak to local blue water holes. The staff are lovely. Every day they were friendly and really attentive. Vicky and Mick are just the best hosts. Their style creates a warm and family type atmosphere at the lodge. We had a fabulous stay, would highly recommend to everyone and will definitely return to Turtle Bay Lodge in the future.

My wife and I had a wonderful stay at Turtle Bay Lodge. We felt at home, the staff was like family and very accommodating when our flight back to Efate was cancelled at the airport. The management was very helpful and welcoming when we had to stay some extra days to sort our flights back home. The food of the restaurant is fresh and delicious, the setting of the resort in Turtle Bay is a dream and very protected. A short swim out to the reef rewards you with a superb snorkeling experience. We could have stayed forever and would love to return one day.