Gaming in Vanuatu: The Best Casino Hotels in Port Vila

Note, May 6, 2024: As of date, the resort has replaced the casino with a convention centre. We’ll be updating this space soon.

So, the day’s gone in fun and games on your Vanuatu holiday. But the evening is nigh, why not try your hand at the tables tonight? So, here are the four places in Port Vila where you can find the best resort-n-casinos in Vanuatu.

A few South Pacific destinations do have casinos to pep up the old holiday spirit. For example, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia – all have casinos and so does Vanuatu. Here, travellers will find proper gaming facilities in four big hotels and resorts, all located conveniently in Port Vila. It also doesn’t hurt that all of them are three-star and upwards deluxe hotels, great for families, groups and solo travellers.

So, without much ado, let’s jump in.

The Melanesian Port Vila

The Melanesian offers a budget-friendly, family-style hotel positioned perfectly between the airport, the capital and a majority of the tours and attractions on the island. It offers 75 rooms and suites, a nice pool next to the accommodations block and a choice of restaurants and well-stocked bars. Then, it has the Club 21 Casino. Open from 10am to 2am, the casino offers its patrons a choice of cascades, jackpots, automated roulette, poker machines and competently managed blackjack tables.

Distance from Airport

The Melanesian is set just seven minutes away by car from the airport.

Iririki Island Resort & Spa

A 4.5-star luxury resort, Iririki is set on its own island just a short ferry ride from the mainland. Great for families, honeymooners, couples, adventurers and experiential travellers, Iririki offers a cosmopolitan resort experience in the lap of pristine nature and adventure. Travellers can choose cozy Island Fares, which is what villas are called in the local lingo, waterfront-facing bungalows and apartments. The rooms and suites feature all mod-cons and amenities like air-conditioning, WiFi, spa bath, LED TVs, kitchenettes and premium linens. Then, it also has a choice of restaurants and bars to fulfil holidaymakers’ gastronomical cravings. But we deviate from the point.

Enter the Jewels Casino and Bar. It features four gaming floor tables, 20 of the latest slot machines with all the bells and whistles, two VIP private area tables and a sound-proofed private Slots Room. Games offered range from conventional and popular – like blackjack, poker, baccarat and roulette – to aspirational and unconventional like a double ended American Roulette table and a blackjack table set in shallow beach water. Hey, when in Rome Vanuatu, party like the Romans islanders!

Of course, there’s also an exclusive VIP lounge, an attentive staff, a karaoke bar and the resort gives away a free gaming token for every guest to set the dice rolling!

Distance from Airport

From the airport, the Iririki Island Resort is just a 15-minute cab-ride and then a five-minute hop by boat to the private island.

Grand Hotel and Casino

At seven stories, the Grand Hotel is the island’s tallest hotel building. It offers a beautiful waterfront setting with the Erakor lagoon stretching out as far as the eye can see, a jetty and a choice of 74 modern rooms and suites. Each of the accommodations come with a choice of either king-size beds or single beds, ensuite bathroom with separate shower and bath, sitting furniture, flatscreen TV with satellite cable, WiFi internet access and a balcony with outdoor furniture.

Branding itself as the centre of entertainment, the Grand Hotel offers travellers a humongous 136 slot machines, over 16 gaming tables and a private VIP gaming lounge located in its vaulted Hemisphere Lounge. Phew!

After hours of fun, travellers can relax with their winnings at the main Crystals Restaurant, or at the two other bars in the property.

Distance from Airport

The Grand Hotel is set just 15 minutes away from the airport, on the Lini Highway.

Palms Casino, Port Vila

Although the Palms Casino is in the same building complex as the Holiday Inn Resort, Vanuatu, it is a separate establishment. One of the oldest casinos starting back in 1990, it is a perennial favourite with locals as well as international travellers. The Palms Casino offers travellers blackjack, roulette, poker and baccarat, as well as 60 slot machines as well as modern Draw Card Poker machines. Even better, the slots have three linked jackpots which shower bumper rewards on the lucky traveller!

Distance from Airport

The Palms Casino (and the Holiday Inn, Port Vila by that extension!) is under 7 kilometres from the airport. Just a 15-minute cab ride away, really.

Vanuatu Holidays: Unlimited Fun, Day or Night!

As we said, there are plenty of options for gaming in the South Pacific. So has Vanuatu. There are plenty of reasons to visit this lovely country, in fact check out all the blogs we’ve penned on Vanuatu. This … is just the icing on the ice-cream cake.