Private beach, beach towels, scuba diving, snorkeling
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Reviews of White Grass Ocean Resort

3.5 out of 5
White Grass Ocean Resort
White Grass, P.O. Box 5, Tanna Island, Tanna

Reviews

8.8

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 45 out of 81 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 27 out of 81 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 6 out of 81 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 81 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 2 out of 81 reviews" "

8.8/10

Cleanliness

8.8/10

Staff & service

8.6/10

Amenities

8.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

8/10 Good

Rhiannon

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Lovely place with great sunsets. Nice food. Snorkelling trip great (not complimentary as on website but paid for 2 snorkelling sites with a guide, still well worth doing). Need a 24 hour reception (large earthquake 7.1 while we were there and no one to ask about safety/what to do which didn’t feel super safe). Also maybe not the best place for a long beach stay - only 3 sun loungers on the resort, but good for a short stay whilst seeing things on the island.
Response from Marketing Manager on Dec 13, 2023
Thanks Rhiannon, it is wonderful to read that you enjoyed some beautiful Tanna sunsets and had a great snorkelling experience. Snorkel hire is complementary for guests. The Snorkel Safari is a paid tour. We will review our website to ensure this isn't ambiguous, thanks for the constructive feedback.Our General Manager is onsite 24 hours per day, plus we have onsite security overnight. We do not staff our reception 24 hours, as being an 18 room resort, there is typically no demand for reception between 8pm and 7am. Unlike Tropical Cyclones, we do not receive any forward warning of earthquake activity. The earthquake was over 100km south of Tanna, and management monitored the advice for the small increase in chance of tsunami - which was cancelled three hours following earthquake. There was no indication to wake guests. Guest safety is paramount and we are sorry to hear you felt concerned during and following the earthquake. We will review this and ensure that Management have increased communication with guests, regardless of the hour, should a similar event occur. We actually have 9 sun loungers, 2 beside the pool, 2 at the beach fare, and 5 across 2 different look-out points, plus a number of hammocks. We may need to re-arrange so that we have more poolside!We really appreciate you taking the time to provide both positive and constructive feedback - all of which we have taken on board.We hope to welcome you to Tanna again one day!Warm RegardsLyndal

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice resort with friendly staff
We had a good stay at the resort. The pick up from airport was an easy process and the staff are all very friendly and welcoming. During our stay, Air Vanuatu cancelled our flight back to Port Vila and we were “stranded” on the island for 2 days, the staff went above and beyond to email Air Vanuatu to get more info for us and helped us re-arrange travel and accommodation. Overall, the resort is clean with good Wifi near the reception. The Wifi can be a bit patchy if you’re in the bungalows further away from reception but that’s alright since we are on a holiday anyways. The resort can arrange the tours for you including Mt Yasur volcano, Blue Cave, Kastom Village Tour, etc. Recommended if you’re visiting Tanna.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023
Response from Marketing Manager on Dec 13, 2023
Thanks for your fabulous feedback! Yes, our WIFI strength does vary, being on a remote island. Our signal strength is usually consistent in the Restaurant, Bar and Guest Lounge. It is lovely to hear you were able to switch off and activate holiday mode!We will share with our team your lovely feedback and let them know that they were warmly remembered as being friendly and welcoming.Thanks for taking the time to share your lovely review. We really do appreciate it.Warm RegardsLyndal

8/10 Good

Heleen

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Jon

Liked: Staff & service
Stayed 5 nights in Aug 2023

8/10 Good

Ananda

Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2022

10/10 Excellent

Matthew

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2022

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
nice and well maintained. Not that many activities so wouldn't recommend more than 2 days, 3 max. Food options could be expanded
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2019

10/10 Excellent

pennyc, Launceston

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The views were awesome, lovely quiet spot. Airport transfers included. Friendly, helpful staff.
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Good location and tidy comfortable units. Restaurant especially good - ambience as well as interesting menu options well cooked and served.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2019

10/10 Excellent

christopher

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2019
Response from Sabine & Wayne on Jun 18, 2019
Thanks Christopher - hope you enjoyed your stay!

10/10 Excellent

Rob, Forster

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
If staying on Tanna, and you want a resort with facilities, this is the best area to be. Currently run by an Aussie, White Grass offers all meals and you have private facilities in your bure. All up a great experience, they employ all locals who are very friendly and you get that side of the experience as well.
Stayed 3 nights in May 2019
Response from Tracey on Jun 5, 2019
Thank you Rob for your kind words. We hope you, your family and friends will visit us in the future and enjoy all that White Grass Ocean Resort & Spa has to offer. We are here everyday for your enjoyment !

6/10 Okay

Karen, Sydney

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Beware of expensive ripoff day trips!!!
The Resort itself is beautifully located right on a coral water front with a small sandy beach next door. The grounds are kept very tidy. They offer scuba diving. Wifi is in main area only and slow. The management are very cold and unapproachable. Beware of the day trips on the white board at reception that are not otherwise advertised on flyer or website. We were taken for a run around to collect Kava and coconuts by our driver with a very bare mean lunch and 2 bottles of water to last for a hot 9 hour day on the road. When we got back I went to the manager who got red-faced and was incredibly loud and rude towards me for what had happened, saying he wasn't there in the morning to supervise....!!? When I returned after I gave him space to cool down, he agreed to a half day discount, which was barley satisfying for a full wasted day of our 2 night stay and priced in Australian Dollars was super expensive. Discussing behavior that left a nasty taste in our mouth. We met traveller's at the airport who stayed right next door and had a bbq made on the beach and went to a village and met local's saw the traditional island living and had a terrific day on the same day for a much lower price.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2019

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveler

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
OVERPRICED AND DIRTY
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2018
Response from Sabine & Wayne on Jan 18, 2019
Sorry to hear that you did not enjoy your stay. We recommend that you address this with the resort managers next time directly if you feel that the room is not cleaned to your satisfaction.

10/10 Excellent

Robert

I had a great time here - a fabulous team who were all very friendly. Just a beautiful place in a beautiful part of the world. And the volcano tour is incredible. :-)
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2018
Response from Sabine & Wayne on Dec 11, 2018
Thank you Robert! We are very happy that you enjoyed your stay!

10/10 Excellent

JipandLulu, Oz

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Gorgeous resort - friendly staff, great location
This fabulous-looking resort is located a convenient few minutes by road from Tanna airport, which made transfers in and out of Tanna really simple. Sabine, the general manager was on hand to welcome us (a nice touch) upon arrival and we were given a very nice fruit drink to relax with while the check-in was organised. The bar and restaurant building is situated near a cliff with excellent views of the ocean and stunning sunsets. The resort is nice and intimate - about 15 rooms, all isolated within their own portion of a large, beautiful and well-kept garden that stretches across the entire grounds. We were fortunate enough to stay in room 5, which is about 30 metres from the resort pool and has a great view of the ocean beyond. The room was comfy with a king bed, fridge, mosquito coils (sorely needed, as there are LOTS of mozzies after dark) and good water pressure/temperature in the shower - the hot water only lasted for one day before maintenance had to refill the gas tank, but after that it was fine. We even had a cute little gecko hanging around the roof outside. We found the resort to be in a perfect location for the various Tanna activities we planned - Mt Yasur, Blue Cave, Lounakiel Waterfall, Kava & Magic - but if you're only here for the volcano or other East Tanna experiences then you may wish to consider bungalows closer to that side. Special mention to Sabine and booking staff, who gave us brochures and kept us informed of everything we needed months in advance.
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2018
Response from Sabine & Wayne on Oct 23, 2018
Thank you for your kind words about the resort and telling others. We enjoyed your company and hope to see you return cheers Sabine and staff

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
We loved the setting of the resort. The staff were always helpful. We had a really relaxing stay.
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2018
Response from Sabine & Wayne on Sep 4, 2018
Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We are very happy that you enjoyed your time with us!

10/10 Excellent

Donna, Sydney Australia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Panoramic views of the ocean
We had a wonderful 3 nights at this hotel. We were pleasantly surprised. Very private boutique resort ideal for a couple to relax and enjoy various activities. We experienced Mt Yasur Volcano and the Blue Cave plus snorkeling around the resort. All were amazing and well organised by the resort
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2018
Response from Sabine & Wayne on Aug 8, 2018
Thank you Donna for your review! We are very pleased that you enjoyed your stay and especially the famous Mt Yasur volcano safari and the equally stunning Blue Cave! Thanks again!

10/10 Excellent

peter, australia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great way to experience Tanna. Not cheap, but great value for money
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2018

10/10 Excellent

Ken, Sydney

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
We had the time of our life.
Unforgettable....we were in paradise, great food,friendly staff and you will never want to go home....we had an amazing time.
Stayed 3 nights in May 2018
Response from Sabine on May 16, 2018
Hi Ken, Thank you so much for the great review. It is so nice to hear that you enjoyed your time at White Grass Ocean Resort & Spa!

10/10 Excellent

Sarah

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
This is the best place we have stayed in Vanuatu, all of the hotel staff are friendly and helpful and snorkelling is fantastic. The food, especially catch of the day, was delicious and the included breakfast was great value. The tours are fun and the volcano was spectacular. We would definitely recommend this resort.
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2018
Response from Sabine on May 8, 2018
Hi Sarah, thank you for your fantastic review. We are very happy that you enjoyed your stay including the food! Our chefs are very talented creating new dishes with the fresh seafood and organic produce sourced from the island. The volcano safari is a must see when you visit Tanna and one day is never enough to explore what is on offer! Thanks again!

10/10 Excellent

Bob, Minneapolis, MN

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great place to stay for a cyclone!
The resort provides transportation to and from the Tanna Airport. When we arrived at the resort office we were greeted by the friendly staff ( and manager Wayne) while being handed a glass of fresh squeezed fruit juice during the check in process. We arrived before noon and our ‘hut’ was ready for us and we were able move in. When I put word hut in quotes I did that becomes it was much more - a nice spacious room with power outlets (220 - NZ plugs) running hot and cold water for the bathroom, mini fridge, double bed with netting and ceiling fan. Sorry - no air conditioning, but you probably won’t miss it as the breezes are perfect. We stayed 2 nights and completely enjoyed ourselves. Besides the many side trips available there was also an excellent dive shop. We did 2 reef dives and a dive to the Blue Cave. The experienced dive masters were great to dive with and very helpful to us as we were a little rusty when it come to diving. The restaurant was very good with a very decent menu and there was also a bar with a great happy hour daily. Everyone of the resort staff were friendly and helpful. Wayne was especially helpful for us when Cyclone Hola was nearing and our scheduled flight was cancelled - he worked his connections and got us seats in the last flight out even as his staff was preparing for high winds and rough seas. Wayne and the rest of the staff went out of their way to make sure that our vacation was the best possible experience at their resort - and they succee
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2018

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful resort in wilderness
Everything was good, unique bungalow warm and helpful staff. But everything here are expensive than other resort. I could understand because you find nowhere to eat no convenience store except in this resort.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful setting with access to amazing snorkelling just across the reef, a range of tour options and great food ( expensive - standard for Tanna). Service was very professional and friendly. Easy 5 min drive to airport.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2018

6/10 Okay

karina, Australia

Disliked: Cleanliness
Hotel is nice for a short stay
Hotel is probably the nicest on Tanna, but for the price, should be cleaner. Our main issue was the food, as there are no other options nearby, and it was very expensive (and not great quality). Menu looked great, but the meals that arrived were disappointing.
Stayed 4 nights in Nov 2017

8/10 Good

Lydia, Melbourne

Liked: Staff & service
Sweet bungalow in beautiful garden setting
White Grass offers comfort in a beautiful setting. There is a small pool, beaches for swimming and snorkelling nearby. It's very quiet so very relaxing. We were lucky enough to see whales offshore a couple of times. Transport is a bit tricky so you might not get out much. The resort has a number of excursions on offer.
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2017

8/10 Good

Chris, Sydney

Liked: Cleanliness
Slice of Paradise
Lovely little resort in remote location. Activities exceptionally well organised. Charming rooms and great hot water shower for Tanna. Very good massage in spa by therapist. Food good but usually overcooked and avoid the rubbery eggs for breakfast. The toast and bread are fresh made and taste great. Restaurant staff will eventually come and take your order and then steadfastly avoid eye contact the rest of your meal and whip your plates in and out with barely an opportunity to ask for a drink or dessert. They are lovely people so may just be an issue of lack of training or cultural resistance. They will not think to ask about replacing empty drinks, if you want dessert or anything else during your meal or during the lengthy period waiting for it to arrivevetc and it can be very hard to attract their attention to make any such request which can prove rather frustrating. A dessert ordered by a couple will never occur to them to bring 2 spoons or to ask any ordinary common sense questions.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2017

10/10 Excellent

Family 4, Port Vila

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great Tanna resort
We had a fantastic stay at White Grass Ocean View resort. It was not cheap, but it seems nothing is cheap when trying to travel around Vanuatu and getting to the volcano when there are no rental cars or 'real' taxis. We were picked up at the airport, despite a delay with our flight, greeted at the entrance of the resort by the Manager and staff with welcome drinks. With then had a lovely breakfast before going to our bungalow which was ready many hours before our official check in time. The room was great (no air conditioning - which was great - the bungalow was ventilated and screened, so we could just enjoy the fresh air and sounds of the waves), clean, secure, and ocean view. There were plenty of activities to do - my children enjoying the petanque and board games the most. The pool was great but a bit cool which is expected at this time of year. The restaurant had some good options and a separate vegetarian menu for us, but they were happy to change other dishes to make them vegetarian for us. It was great to have plunger Tanna coffee in Tanna too. The resort organised the volcano tour for us - and this was fantastic - such an accessible volcano and such a great experience and all done very efficiently to get us back for dinner!
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2017
Response from Sabine on Aug 3, 2017
Dear recent guest, thank you very much for your lovely review and your stay at White Grass Ocean Resort. Our staff is working very hard to make overseas guest welcome. We hope that you have taken fond memories back from Tanna!

8/10 Good

GJC, Australia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
wonderful place to stay
We had a great time staying here; staff were knowledgeable and helpful. This allowed us to get the most out of out time in Tanna
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2017
Response from Sabine on Jul 20, 2017
Dear GJC, Thank you for taking the time to review. We are pleased that you enjoyed your stay with us and we are working on the eradication of the Mynar birds with our gardening staff!

8/10 Good

Mike

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
2 nights at whitegrass
The staff at whitegrass are very good. The people are friendly and we felt right at home. There is a dive shop on sight which was nice. It is probably over priced for what it is, twas the most expensive two dives i have done, dinner was quite costly, and the lodging normaly is priced rather high, but we got a great deal by booking on this site during the low season. That being said, it is the 'nicest' place on tanna, so perhaps they feel they can charge more of a premium. We are full spectrum travellers so ta speak, so sometimes the more fancy places prices seem even more out of line with the surrounding options. We did really enjoy our time here. Props to the dive shop and all the staff!

8/10 Good

Hayley, Gold Coast

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Beautiful gardens
Stayed in the ocean view bungalow for a few nights which overlooked the pool and ocean. Rooms were fairly basic but clean and comfortable. The resort has beautifully manicured tropical gardens. A large dining and bar area and reception desk are housed in a large building with ocean views. The staff are very helpful and the restaurant serves good meals. We did our Volcano tour from here and also did a trip to a local village and a waterfall and volcanic beach tour which were all great trips. Many other tours were also available from the resort.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Basic hotel / tiny rooms / 1970 decor
There are few hotels on Tanna and this one is meant to be the best. Pretty overpriced but you are on an isolated island. The rooms are tiny and fans provide little relief from the heat. Breakfast was good. Volcano tour is great the and drivers are amazing...Mt Yasur didn't dissapoint and snorkeling is good.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice place and people very nice. Go to the Volcano !!!

10/10 Excellent

Megan, Brisbane

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great place to stay
Great resort to stay while in Tanna. Very helpful and friendly staff, great breakfast, very relaxing. All tours booked were great. Cold shower was a little bit of a shock but other than that we loved it.

10/10 Excellent

Bryony, Auckland NZ

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Superb location, superb everything!
We stayed at the end of September 2015 and there was really no sign of any after effects of Cyclone Pam 5 months earlier, except that the gardens looked as if they were fairly newly planted - and beautifully so.Our ocean front fare was wonderful. The bed was enormous and very comfortable and the view through the palm trees to the ocean was so relaxing. We were greeted by the lovely Magalie who was super helpful with sorting out a slight problem with a tour we had booked for that afternoon. The food was all fresh produce from the island and absolutely delicious. All the staff were delightful and genuinely friendly and we were completely at ease and relaxed within minutes of arriving, and remained so the entire time we stayed, which wasn't long enough. We would have no hesitation in returning to this magical place.
The main building
Our fare
One of the Blue Holes
The pool and view

10/10 Excellent

Susan, Sydney

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful location and warm friendly staff
terrific especially snorkelling and the volcano Vg individual care of us as visitors

10/10 Excellent

Fred, Raglan NZ

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Tanna Vanuatu Island experience
Excellent Outsanding remember where you are and this is why I have said .

10/10 Excellent

Amelia, Australia - ACT - Canberra

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities

10/10 Excellent

Katalin, Munich,Germany

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
One night in paradise
In front of you the great ocean,waves,blue water,flowers in beautiful colours... On your table excellent menu.. And you are on an island which did not change much since ever.Where the nature is the Garden Eden,where people make fire themselves,where kids does not know lollies,wher you can walk at night on the crater rim of a glowing and erupting vulcano,the best screenplay I have ever seen..

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
What a great place to stay, people so friendly.
We had 3 nights there but, wish it had of been the bigger part of our holiday.

6/10 Okay

Karlee & Guy, Central Coast, NSW, Australia

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Room comfort
Remote
This resort is nice but that is in comparison to others on Tanna. Compared to similar priced resorts in Port Villa it can't compare. Tanna Island is very remote. The golf and other sports at the resort are a nice touch. Tours are over priced. Very limited dining options. Positioned close to water but make sure you bring your reef shoes!

10/10 Excellent

Samuel, Australia - NSW - Sydney

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Facilities: Good; Value: Affordable; Service: Go the extra mile; Cleanliness: Beautiful; Great tour to Mt Yasur

8/10 Good

Jaine, New Zealand

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Peaceful
We would never have gone to Tanna Island or this resort if it hadn't been for the fact that my niece was getting married there. It is a lovely personal resort with only 16 bures. All the staff and management were very accommodating and as this was the first wedding that Nicola & Francois had been involved with since they took over they did an extremely exceptional job. Unfortunately the weather was not the best so we were not able to take advantage of the snorkelling or any sea activities however we did go to the volcano and that is a must for anyone visiting this island. What an experience!

10/10 Excellent

B & J, Auckland NZ

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Top resort on the Island
Rooms were very clean. The food was fresh and enjoyable, the menu changed daily which was a surprise. The trips were well organised, we found it beneficial to compare prices. The trip to the volcano was around 3-4 hours and in our view would be arduous for children to come off the morning flight and complete this tour on the same day. The volcano was spectacular. Nice walks, no beach but good snorkeling. Well worth staying for two to three days.

10/10 Excellent

Kathlyn, Australia - VIC - Melbourne

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities

10/10 Excellent

scott, townsville australia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful resort, with lovely gardens
Great place to stay if visiting tanna. Gardens are lovely and great ocean views. Staff are great and the resort is kept in great condition. Tours organised through the resort are great and the volcano tour is a must. Food is also pretty good quality with the menu changing everyday. Would definitely recommend white grass to anyone staying in tanna.

8/10 Good

Susan, Australia - NSW - Regional NSW

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Facilities: Unpretentious; Value: Affordable; Service: Friendly; Cleanliness: Pleasant; Out standing natural environment

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful place to stay
We were greeted so warmly and nothing was too much trouble. The restaurant was first class, the rooms spacious, clean and all within the most beautifully landscaped gardens over looking the ocean. It was quiet and peacefull with lots to do if you wanted to.

8/10 Good

Chuck

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort