Grand Hotel and Casino Vanuatu

Rooms and decor

Picture a hotel that closed for nearly a year and a half to gut and rebuild the whole building, then opened its doors again — that is Grand Hotel and Casino Vanuatu right now. After the magnitude 7.3 earthquake hit Port Vila in December 2024, the hotel decided to shut for 15 months and rebuild, keeping the main structure on the CBD harbour and replacing everything a guest actually touches. All 90 rooms were redesigned as full floor-to-ceiling glass with a private balcony — open the balcony door and there is the blue of Port Vila bay and Iririki Island floating across from it, with the sea breeze coming through all day. The look inside is a warm, clean modern-Pacific style, wood browns and cream whites that pick up the sea colour outside. Beds are soft, the linen is new, and the bathrooms are freshly tiled with rain showers — small details that are hard to find across many Vanuatu hotels but come standard here because the place has only just reopened. If you like the feel of a brand-new room with no wear on it yet, this should land well.

Food and amenities

The heart of a stay here is the harbourside setting and a set of in-building extras that is rare for the town. Start with the main restaurant, the Grand Dining Room, which brought in Melbourne chef Chris Bonello to run the menu — a chef with years in the Australian food scene. The kitchen serves modern Australian-Pacific plates built on local Vanuatu produce: fresh-caught tuna, crab, island-raised beef, and fruit and vegetables from gardens near town. The room is airy with windows onto the bay, and dinner here is becoming a talking point in a town where this level of restaurant is still limited. Next is the Harbour Bar on the waterfront, where you can sip a cocktail and watch boats come and go all day; for sunset behind Iririki Island, it is one of the better spots in Port Vila. What really sets this place apart from other hotels in town is the Grand Casino, open 24 hours inside the building, with table games and slots you can walk down to without leaving the hotel. Rounding it out is a newly built outdoor pool with a bay view — soak mid-afternoon and watch the boats pass, or sit with a drink poolside in the evening. Free Wi-Fi runs throughout and parking is free.

Location and getting there

Location is the strongest card here — Grand Hotel and Casino Vanuatu is the only 4-star sitting right on the harbour in the heart of Port Vila CBD. Step out of the lobby and you are at the waterfront; across the road is the ferry over to Iririki Island Resort, about a 5-minute ride in the boat — if you want to spend a day on the island resort's white-sand beach and public pool, crossing from here is the easiest in town. Walk about 5 minutes south and you reach Mama's Market, Vanuatu's well-known local fresh market, busiest in the morning, where you can try fresh tropical fruit, drink arabica coffee from the Tanna highlands, and pick up handmade goods from islanders. Restaurants, cafes and dive shops are all an easy walk from the hotel. Bauerfield International Airport (code VLI) is about a 15-minute drive away, and you can book a hotel transfer ahead. Simply put: if you want to wake up and explore Port Vila on foot, island-hop around town every day, and come back to a bay-view room without needing a car, this location scores a full ten.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide, because this is a hotel that has only just reopened after more than a year closed. The thing to set expectations on is service that is not fully settled yet — some staff are a new team learning the systems and rhythm in these first few months. The reviews trickling in note times when check-in ran longer than it should, or small requests were not answered as fast as a 4-star ought to. Understand that it is still in a transition period and pack a little patience and it reads better. The second thing to weigh is noise from the casino and bar, which are inside the hotel and open 24 hours — lower-floor rooms near that zone can pick up music or voices late at night, so if you sleep lightly ask for a high floor away from the casino when you book. Last is Vanuatu's own infrastructure, still less developed than the bigger Pacific destinations — Wi-Fi can drop at times, hot water in some rooms may stutter when the hotel is full, and dining options outside the hotel in the evening are fairly limited, so plan to eat dinner in the hotel or nearby. On price, around $117 a night is strong value for the only 4-star with this location in town. Do not expect hostel rates — the room standard and location are a clear step up.

Our take

From pulling together the details and the early reviews coming in during the reopening, Grand Hotel and Casino Vanuatu sells one thing well: a CBD harbourside location, bay-view rooms with a balcony in every one, brand-new-after-the-rebuild freshness, and an in-house casino and name-chef dining room — a combination that is very hard to find at this 4-star level in this town. If your Vanuatu trip is about exploring Port Vila on foot every day, taking the ferry to Iririki in the morning, sitting with a drink on the harbour in the evening, and finishing with dinner at chef Chris Bonello's Grand Dining Room, this is the most complete base in town. If you are expecting the polished, run-it-for-years service of a big Asian chain, the team here is still tuning up after reopening and that needs some patience. Overall we give it 8.2/10 — best for couples, solo travelers, and anyone who wants a brand-new 4-star in the heart of Port Vila where the location and the freshness of the building more than make up for the rest.