Couples rejoice: at this resort, just a 45-minute drive from Port Vila, you won’t find any kids’ clubs or guests under 16. Instead, there are gorgeous villas built for two, plentiful spots for private dining and an absolute beachfront position that invites leisurely activities such as snorkelling and stand-up paddleboarding. For the full experience, choose one of The Havannah’s two Deluxe Waterfront Villas: each has a deck that extends out over the glimmering sea and a seven-metre infinity pool for blissful wallowing. There’s also an outdoor shower and bathtub, and a separate dining area where a private chef will cook and serve up the day’s catch. Inside the split-level villas, the décor is island chic – expect neutral hues, timber furnishings and crisp white sheets on king-sized beds.

The thatched oceanside farés of Iririki Island Resort – a three-minute ferry ride from Port Vila – really set the scene for a restorative break. Think four-poster, king-sized beds, wood-accented bathrooms and living areas leading onto a spacious balcony that’s ideal lazing territory. Despite the small-island feel, dining options range from the romantic Azure Restaurant to the child-friendly Sunset Pool, Bar & Grill. Those who want to get on intimate terms with the day spa or multi-tiered swimming pool will feel perfectly content but there are adventures for active types, too. Bikes, kayaks and snorkelling gear are free for guests, while staff will rise to the challenge of a beach volleyball match. A games room and playground will keep children occupied (as will the Kids Club).

The guest villas of the Robinson Crusoe-esque island of Ratua, a short drive and 35-minute boat ride from Espiritu Santo’s airport, are incredible. Shipped from Indonesia, these 200-year-old teak structures have views of the bay and are surrounded by verdant jungle. You won’t find cars at this laid-back luxury resort – guests walk, cycle, ride, or gallop across the beach on horseback – and the food is organic, with livestock raised on the island and produce grown onsite or within a 10-kilometre radius. There are also regular beach barbecues, private picnics, a Yacht Club comprising a restaurant and a bar where fresh coconuts are put to good use.

Secluded Eratap Beach Resort is about 25 minutes’ drive south-east of Port Vila, Vanuatu’s capital, but seems a million miles away. Despite its remote feel, creature comforts abound: the 14 villas are anchored by huge beds and timber furnishings, plus there’s wi-fi and all-important air conditioning. Beachfront villas give guests the option to shower inside or out or, to further slow the pace, soak in beautiful bathtubs that look out to the lagoon beyond. (Honeymoon suites, meanwhile, offer private plunge pools and thatched lounge pavilions.) The beachside restaurant is delightfully flexible, to suit your mood – dine barefoot on the beach, the terrace or even the deck of your villa.

You’d be hard-pressed to find beach houses more beautiful than those at Tamanu on the Beach, a Hamptons-style stay nestled on the south coast of Efate. Set in gardens fragrant with frangipanis and shaded by palms, the chalk-white cabanas house the guest’s quarters as well as the hotel’s restaurant, where guests can dine on fresh tropical fruit for breakfast or bacon-wrapped prawns with coconut sambal for dinner. There are plenty of activities for all ages at this family-friendly stay – from weekly fire shows to guided market tours, live music and more – and the Kokonas Kids Club welcomes little ones aged three to 12 years. The resort’s pièce de résistance? The full-service Tamanu Day Spa, named after the native tamanu nut tree, whose oil is prized for its ability to revitalise the skin. The spa menu is extensive but the signature Rejuvenating Tamanu Body Butter Massage – using a decadent elixir of tamanu oil, cocoa butter, coconut oil and papaya – is positively dreamy.

In the heart of Port Vila, this 80-room resort sits just steps from Erakor Lagoon and a short walk to Iririki Island. Thanks to Ramada’s amenities, however, venturing outside the grounds won’t be necessary. Guests can soak up the South Pacific sun while lounging on the private beach or in the pool – cocktail in hand from the well-stocked swim-up bar – or using the snorkels and kayaks available onsite. The resort’s overwater restaurant, Akiriki is a highlight: expect local fish grilled to your liking, island-style vegetable curry served with fragrant coconut rice and crispy kumala chips, the speciality parilla — charcoal grilled fish and meats — and classic pastas. Need more speed? The 24-hour concierge can arrange everything from zip-lining to parasailing and scuba diving, as well as cultural tours of town.

From a bird’s-eye view, it would be difficult to spot the natangora (thatched) bungalows dotted along the water’s edge of Aore, just 10 minutes from Espiritu Santo by ferry. That’s the beauty of Aore Island Resort – its 18 bungalows are seamlessly woven through the landscape of lush foliage and soaring coconut palms, strung with hammocks. Down at the Beach Bar, woodfired pizza and icy-cold drinks are sure to keep guests glued to their loungers, while The Nakamal, an authentic Melanesian eatery – also by the water – serves everything from fresh seafood to fruit-spiked curry dishes. The off-grid location is a boon for marine adventurers, who are just a short boat ride from world-class diving and snorkelling sites, including the renowned wreck of the SS President Coolidge (200 metres long by 25 metres wide). If you’re staying ashore, there are daily classes on weaving, making fresh coconut milk and uncovering stories passed down for generations through sand drawing.

Kayaking, snorkelling, stand-up paddleboarding. It’s no surprise that the best activities at M Resort & Spa, in west Efate, revolve around the glisteningly clear water – after all, it’s perched on the edge of an incredible reef where turtles, dugongs and dolphins are known to frolic. The property is less hotel and more beachside village, with the whitewashed villas featuring fully equipped kitchens for self-catering as well as that all-important balcony right on the sand. If you’re (understandably) planning to be off the chef's tools for meals, don’t fret – the property also has On the Rocks, a relaxed eatery focused on fresh seafood and local flavours, such as the signature fish curry and pork with a zingy papaya salad.

Just 30 guests at any one time are treated to the beauty of Mele Bay’s Paradise Cove Resort – elevating the intimacy of this sleepy stay, which is less than 10 kilometres south of Port Vila. Here, passing a person while kayaking the crystalline water or cycling the shore’s edge on a complimentary bike isn’t a given. Even the Melanesian-Mediterranean restaurant – where some tables are planted in the sand – signals relaxation, with the soundtrack of gently lapping waves setting the scene for the ultimate in romantic dining. If it’s just the two of you, opt to dine on the lantern-lit pier, where the view is sparkling water as far as the eye can see.

The largest island in the Vanuatu archipelago, Espiritu Santo boasts blindingly blue swimming holes, verdant jungle and the upscale Barrier Beach Resort, situated in the island’s south-east. Here, there’s glorious little separating guests from the natural surrounds so expect wraparound balconies that welcome water views straight into beachfront farés and suites. 

For a property with so few villas (only 10), there’s an abundance of places to recline at The Moso Vanuatu in northern Efate. Guests will find rooms with generous day beds, reading chairs, indoor and outdoor bathtubs, as well as private pools to dissolve into. There’s also the soft sand surrounding the property and Namoso Passage, where overwater hammocks swing in the warm breeze. Later, relax into a chair at the onsite Bistro & Bar, where a cocktail (Coriander and Ginger Martini, perhaps?) and a sunset conclude a day well spent in repose.

It’s hard to tell where the infinity pool ends and the ocean begins at Breakas Beach Resort. The 22-metre stunner could be the hotel’s best feature, if not for its absolute waterfront position on the Pacific, about five kilometres south of Port Vila. Aside from several places to take a dip, the resort ticks all the other tropical-island must-haves: spacious farés topped with traditional thatching (hiding plump beds with romantic draping, no less), outdoor open-air showers and a day spa offering indulgent massages.