 The island of Santo is the largest landmass in the Republic of Vanuatu. It was the site of one of he largest American bases during W.W.II. Across the narrow straight that forms the protected harbor is the island of Aore. Aore is home to the
Aore Resort. Aore Resort is an intimate tropical paradise. All of the room are detached or semi-detached unit with hard wood floors and furniture.
After the meal island night is capped off with a string band playing Vanuatu and rock classic songs. The string band is a Vanuatu tradition. They have competitions between the islands. Another Vanuatu tradition is a an after dinner Kava. Howard from New Zealand gives it a try. He is head of police in Auckland and he was recovering from protecting the world's leaders including our beloved Bill at the APEC conference. After the fiasco WTO meeting in Seattle I think we have to give Howard a hand. He was a very interesting man and the world would be better place if all cops were like him. The resort has moorings for a reasonable fee and we enjoyed our stay there. We got to know Chris Hutchins, the plantation owner that owns the surrounding land. We purchased a home from him. He took us around the area and we were amazed by the amount of WWII relics and also the beauty of the land. Chris raises cattle and harvests copra (coconuts) and cocoa beans. He showed us the drying process for the cocoa beans. If you ask for a look at the properties for sale he or his partner, Christine Enright (easy to remember their names) will gladly show you around. For reservations at the resort you may contact them at: Aore Resort Phone (678) 36705 Fax (678) 36703 email to: aore@vanuatu.com.vu From the US Phone 011 678 36705 or Fax 011 678 36703 |
The main lodge contains the restaurant, bar and shop. The restaurant offers theme buffet dinners a couple of times a week. The highlight is Island night when they offer local fare and entertainment in the form of custom dancing. The performance we saw was tame by the standards of the shows in the outlying villages. It did provide a good perspective of Ni-Vanuatu dance and ceremonial practices.
The food was great and we ate at almost every buffet they offered. They never ran out. The meal was capped with a choice of deserts that were a real treat for us yachties.