Fifteen years after their first visit with young kids in tow, Kylie Mitchell-Smith returns to Vanuatu’s Ratua Private Island for a couples-only stay, swapping the family pavilion for a secluded beachfront villa on a working farm island where the locals still remember your name.
We often travel to faraway places, forgetting we have an island paradise right next door in the South Pacific. In under three hours from Brisbane, you can fly direct with Solomon Airlines to Espiritu Santo, a lesser-known island in Vanuatu, an hour’s flight north of Port Vila.
We’re heading to Ratua Private Island, a 30-minute private boat transfer from Santo Airport. We visited this dreamy destination some 15 years ago with our young family in tow, and it’s a paradise we vowed to return to.
This time it’s a couples-only romantic stay, in one of the more secluded beachfront villas. Previously we stayed in Fish Village, a garden pavilion ideal for families, with quaint villas and an outdoor lounge overhanging the reef, perfect for snorkelling.
Ratua is unique in design for two reasons: first, a 200-year-old Javanese-Ubud style village was shipped there a couple of decades ago and reimagined; second, it’s a sustainable island set on 146 secluded acres, complete with a working farm and airstrip.
We arrive to the sound of the island’s villagers singing in harmony, accompanied by ukulele, setting the tone for our stay. Shoes are optional as we take our welcome mocktail and head to the Yacht Club, ideally positioned by the sea. The Yacht Club is where it all happens, from the organic farm menu to the charming lounge and games area, to the sunset bar and fire pit, where traditional dancers perform on the beach.
Ratua is all about making you feel part of the village surrounds; its laid-back luxury carries a sense of seclusion and space. We walk to our beach villa, collecting our snorkelling gear and paddleboards along the way, as the retreat offers an all-inclusive water sports stay. For a little extra, we book horse riding in the sea, a sunset cruise, a blue hole day trip and deluxe treatments at the overhanging ocean spa.
The village staff are kind and friendly, remembering us from 15 years ago and taking personalised service to new heights. A lot has happened on Ratua in the years since, from the original French pioneer owner selling to a New Zealand couple, who weathered a global pandemic and a mighty cyclone — say no more.
Today’s owner, French technology entrepreneur Jean-Yves Sireau, now based in Malaysia, is determined to reinvigorate the island, claiming there’s no place in the world like it. He also owns Kwakea, an adventure island further north, but more on that another day.
We walk the island’s entirety in under 30 minutes, stopping to feed the horses along the way. In the middle sit the villagers’ housing, the organic garden, a chicken pen home to hundreds of egg-laying hens, and goats, cows and sheep that roam freely.
The resort’s menu changes daily and champions fresh produce straight from the source, grown, raised or caught within a 50-kilometre radius. Seafood such as yellowfin tuna, reef snapper and slipper lobster is caught by local fishermen and delivered daily. The menu is peppered with island spices, and coconut, papaya and citrus fruits grow in abundance, featuring across every course.
Ratua Private Island Resort offers barefoot luxury at its best, where sunny days slide seamlessly into balmy nights. There’s a sense of peace on the island; the calming ocean drifts you into a meditative state, and locals say you’ve been “ratua’d.” Paradise close to home, where nothing is too much trouble and everything is provided for, in an understated way.
Fly direct from Brisbane to Santo in under three hours, where a private boat awaits to take you straight to Ratua. (Solomon Airlines flights operate weekly; check current days and fares directly with the airline before booking.)
Hot tip: book a driver from Ratua for a day trip to Santo on your way back to the airport. Stop at the many blue holes, canoe down the river, or take a deep-sea dive, followed by fresh fish and chips at Turtle Bay Lodge.
