Santo Pekoa International Airport: where to stay, areas and…

Pekoa, Espiritu Santo's airport, is 10-15 minutes by taxi from Luganville: no public buses, but almost all properties organise a transfer on request. The real choice here isn't between airport and city, because Luganville is small and close to the runway either way, but between staying in town or crossing the Segond Channel by boat to sleep on Aore Island, right across from the port.

Luganville

City centre · 10-15 minutes by taxi from Pekoa; the hotels in the area are also a few minutes on foot from the centre.

Best for: Those who want to stay on dry land, a few minutes from both the airport and Luganville's market and waterfront.

Pros

Market, waterfront and shops of Luganville reachable on foot
A convenient base for the dive sites of the SS President Coolidge wreck, among the most famous in the Pacific

Cons

No private beach in town: for that you need to move outside Luganville
Hotel choice limited to a handful of family-run properties

Recommended hotels in this area

Deco Stop Lodge: On a hill on the outskirts of Luganville, 10 minutes on foot from the centre and close to the hospital; a pool with a wooden deck and a reference point for those diving on the Coolidge wreck.
Hotel Santo Vanuatu: In the heart of Luganville since 1975, family-run, 10 minutes from the airport and a few steps from the market and the waterfront; a relaxed retro atmosphere.

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Aore Island

Neighbourhood · 10 minutes by taxi from Pekoa to the Luganville wharf, then about 15 minutes by boat across the Segond Channel (2 km); the ferries for residents run a couple of times a day, the resorts organise their own transfers.

Best for: Those who want a private beach while staying a few minutes by boat from Luganville, accepting the ferry schedule.

Pros

Private beach and snorkelling on the reef right in front of the bungalow
An isolated atmosphere a few minutes by boat from the shops of Luganville

Cons

Every trip toward Luganville requires the boat, you can't improvise on foot
Some recent reviews mention catering services not always running and frequent wind on the coast

Recommended hotels in this area

Aore Breeze: Beachfront bungalows on Aore Island, reachable by boat from the Luganville wharf; snorkelling on the coral reef right in front of the property.

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