Trees and Fishes Private Retreat

The boat trips were a highlight. The boats were well set up, and we caught plenty of fresh fish that made the food fantastic. Our captain, "Sammy," knows a lot about fishing and the local waterways, and really worked to help us get good fish. There were ten of us, five couples, visiting Vanuatu for the first time for my 60th birthday fishing trip. The resort was beautiful and looked after all our needs. On land, Janine, Kevin, lizzy and the rest of the crew were outstanding and couldn't do enough for us. They even made me a birthday cake. A big thumbs up from us, and we'll definitely be back.

Staff were friendly, helpful and cordial, and check-in and checkout were efficient. They keep this small place lively. At check-in, we were asked to fill in credit card details, including the CVV, on a form. We chose not to write that down and tapped the card at the end of the night for that day's expenses. We stayed in the Garden villa. The room was good, with a small balcony facing the route to the pool and lobby, so we kept the blind closed. There was a refrigerator and coffee machine, plus water, coffee, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and soap. No room key was provided, as they said it was safe. We had no problems, though I kept thinking about the room being open. It's a small property with lovely places to sit by the water for meals. We had Nasi Goreng, a fish taco wrap, cucumber and sashimi, and the food was good. The shower head needs fixing: the holes don't distribute the water evenly, it takes ages to rinse shampoo and soap, and the water doesn't drain well.

The food was on point throughout our honeymoon, and whenever we asked for something, they sorted it out, with options on Vanuatu time. From the minute we got off the plane until we boarded again, we were looked after. The welcome on site was incredible. We had that view over breakfast, lunch and dinner, and we'll have it printed on canvas above our fireplace. If you haven't been, you have to hit trees and fishes in Vanuatu. We'll definitely be back.

Housekeeping was great, and Kevin gave us outstanding service. Most of the other staff were great too. Still, Trees and Fishes felt overpriced for what it offered, especially the internet. The snorkeling right by the pontoon was nice and a good attraction for kids, and there are plenty of trees, but we didn't find much else. It seemed most guests stayed one night, while longer stays were often for fishing trips at sea. The internet was frequently off, and nobody seemed to know the passwords for another connection. Once the owners came back from holiday, the internet started working and staff seemed nicer. We ended up going to the restaurant next door to use its Starlink, which worked well for the area. The owners were away while we were there. The woman acting as manager spoke to us with contempt and disdain, and her attitude made us feel intimidated about asking for anything. We also got the impression other staff were afraid to give us better service because of her. Breakfast was served without telling us what it would be, asking how we wanted our eggs, or checking whether there was anything we couldn't eat. We got only a few kinds of fruit, and asking for more felt like we were asking for a favor. We were told they couldn't buy much in case people cancelled their stay. Sometimes we were told there was no coconut, then saw someone order one minutes later. The food was alright, though I'd avoid the runny eggs. Tuna and sweet potato came up often, and we never knew what dinner would be. If there was something you didn't eat, too bad. There's a full day menu, but the kitchen would close. The woman cooking was great. Our room was very dark from floor to ceiling, making it hard to find our things, and the wooden walls had lots of gaps. The old air conditioner didn't work properly, and you couldn't see what you were setting on the remote. There was air conditioning in only one room. When the guests next door checked in, the power started dropping. We were told there were ocean views, but with no glass doors, we had to choose between opening up the room and making it hot and full of mosquitoes to see the ocean, or keeping it shut and trying to cool off. There was a smart locker, but nobody gave us a code. We were told to leave the window open so the door could be opened through it.