Poppy's on the Lagoon

2.5 stars if we could choose This resort has the facilities it needs to be a relaxing lovely holiday location. I recommend you dont go however due to 1. You cannot swim in the beautiful looking lagoon due to pollution, 2. The only watersports in those advertised available are the kayaks, no jetskis or other, 3. The beds and pillows are like sleeping on rocks, 4. The restaurant only has one cook on every night regardless of guests meaning long waits, 5. Breakfast each day is exactly the same served on a tray to your room regardless of your advice, 6. The GM does not look after his staff and dropped them into a dispute with a local tour operator even though the resort offers the service. The local staff themselves were lovely and friendly. Quite a few of them did seem almost surprised when we approached them for any type of service.

This resort is no longer suitable for families and is nowhere near what the photos suggest, it is terribly run down. They do not clean or maintain their pools and throughout our 2 week stay one or all of the three pools was green from algae and dirty due to nobody cleaning the leaves or other muck from them regularly (I had to do that myself). The sun loungers were mostly rotten or broken and the lagoon, that they have a beach alongside, is so polluted from sewerage that tourists and residents are advised not to swim in it. As the attraction of this resort was to be close to Port Vila with the added benefit of being on the shores of the lagoon when we visited we had at least envisaged being able to have a relaxing time swimming in the pools and lagoon (as Port Vila was closed down and blockaded due to the recent earthquake) to escape the high temps and humidity. To make matters worse the food was not particularly good and overpriced in comparison to others we visited during our stay, as the facilities here were simply not usable. The continental breakfast was also pretty awful and the same things were served in small portions to you everyday with no choice. Considering many people will have cancelled trips to Vanuatu in January 2025 following the recent earthquake you would have thought the staff and resort would have tried to work a little harder to make our stay an amazing time despite the issues they clearly have (even cleaning the apartments or providing a vacuum for us to clean ourselves would be useful).

For value for money can’t be beat. We stayed 4 nights there in a 2 bedroomed suite ( chalet 2 I think?) and it was great - spacious rooms, nice verandah looking out on the pool. The GM, Sydney, runs a tight ship, gardens kept immaculate, rooms spotless and the staff couldn’t have been more helpful. I like the location because its on the quiet side of the peninsula but just a short taxi / bus ride to the city centre. And the swimming pools are a definite plus. Would definitely stay here again.

Poppys was fabulous. Would recommend for a family holiday. The grounds and gardens are beautiful. It is a 20 min walk into town but this gives you an opportunity to see Port Vila. Our villa was down near the family pool and was well appointed, clean and very comfortable. The only down side is that they do not explain that the lagoon is not swimmable (it is contaminated so not Poppys fault) you can kayak but no snorkeling or swimming. The staff are amazing, so helpful, friendly and truly wonderful. We actually left all my husbands cards he took out of his wallet (for safety) and the staff found them in the cupboard when we left, they kindly posted them to us in Brisbane for which we were very grateful.

Poppy’s is a perfect resort for a visit to Vanuatu. The staff couldn’t be more welcoming and helpful. The garden bungalows are great and have everything you need. It’s around a 15 minute walk to town but be aware of the very steep long driveway to walk up to reach the road. Kayaks are readily available to paddle on the lagoon. It’s a beautiful location.

Would not stay again. Stayed at many places in Port Vila, all have pro's & cons. We booked with breakfast included, the restaurant was closed & we were given bread, butter, cereal, jam at our door. Would have been nice just to tell the truth on the site that there was no sit down breakfast. The cold 'breakfast' that was given was terrible.The road out of the resort is just impossible, very very long & extremely steep so outside of young people you can forget walking to get food (which you will have to do) Place was very run down.