Home > Moorings Hotel ReviewUpdated: January 8, 2021
Moorings Hotel – Affordable, waterfront, and edge-of-town setting.
First, the good news: Moorings is considerably cheaper than other hotels nearby, and the location – facing the harbor and within a ten-minute stroll of downtown – is excellent. But the rooms are small, with barely enough space for two people and their luggage, so perhaps, more suitable for solo travelers. They are, however, modern and comfortable, with louver windows catching the breeze. Choose the ones facing the pool or better, the sea, because those alongside the corridors would be noisy. Pluses include a convivial bar, with a library, barbecue, and movie nights, and free hire of kayaks and snorkeling gear. A delightful seaside path heads to the town center, and the country’s only mall, with a cinema and classy boutiques, is close by.
Moorings Hotel – The Basics
Moorings Hotel – Amenities
- Pool: The pool is a decent size, facing the sea and alongside one block of rooms.
- Spa & Fitness Center: Not expected or provided at this sort of low-key resort.
Moorings Hotel – Food and Drink
- Restaurant & Bar: The narrow block ensures that the Moorings Bar & Grill doesn’t overlook the water, but the menu is surprisingly diverse. With daily specials offered, it’s also ideal for trying some traditional food. The extra-long bar offers happy hours and a variety of drinks, and there’s a snooker table and dartboard.
Moorings Hotel – Rooms
- Room Types: Standard King Room • Poolside King Room • Family Room • Harbourside King Room
Moorings Hotel – What’s Nearby?
Best Nearby Restaurants & Bars
- Tilly’s Restaurant – Chic bistro offering superb harbor views. Focuses on fresh local produce and offers an extensive wine list. In Chantilly’s hotel, virtually next to Moorings.
Nearby Market or Grocery
- Tana Russet Plaza – Vanuatu’s version of a mall is just 200m up the road. With boutiques, travel agencies, a supermarket, and a cinema.
Local Transport
Moorings Hotel – What’s Nearby?
It doesn’t look that appealing from the outside, but Moorings is a likable cluster of bungalows alongside the harbor.
The hotel is just off the main road that leads into Port Vila.
The patch of rocky beach 50m away is part of the tropical-style Banyan Beach Bar.
The Harbourside King Rooms offer optimal sea views.
Rooms are clustered tightly together, with many overlooking the pool.
Some on the ground floor offer a more pleasant outlook.
A few rooms alongside the wooden deck face the sea.
The wooden deck, which is accessible to all guests, offers fine views across the harbor.
An added attraction is the free rental of kayaks.
The Moorings Bar & Grill offers a pleasant open-air setting.
The bar is convivial, with a pool table and DVD library.
The wooden bar counter is especially long and part of a traditional nakamal hut.
The pool is a decent size, but rooms facing it would probably suffer from noise if the pool was busy.
Rooms are modern and comfortable, but compact.
Each room has a small but adequate patio/balcony.
Rooms are colorful, although the art may not be to everyone’s taste.
The best rooms are the Harbourside King Rooms on the top (second) floor.
Balconies attached to the rooms facing the sea offer superb views, but not much privacy.
Virtually alongside Moorings, the Banyan Beach Bar offers a tiny rocky beach and shady setting for drinks and meals.
The Banyan Beach Bar provides seating on the sand and a playground.
In Chantilly’s hotel next to Moorings, Tilly’s Restaurant is stylish, with seats inside still offering splendid harbor views.
Reefers is an expat haunt, although everyone is welcome, of course.
The path from Moorings to the center of Port Vila offers broad views across the harbor.
The 1.5 km-long path to the town center is sprinkled with traditional carvings.
Much of the central part of the capital is lined with a pleasant seaside path.
Port Vila offers enough places to shop, almost all along one main street.
Next to the produce market in the town center, some stalls sell souvenirs.
Just 200m up the main road, the Tana Russet Plaza is the only mall in the entire country.
