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— Isabelle and Marc: “As we approached Ratua passing one island after another, time seemed to stand still with unspoiled nature and tribal communities still living in their ancestral ways. We just fell in love with it.”
Interview By: Welcome Beyond
— Please tell me how you discovered the beautiful paradise of Ratua?
Isabelle and Marc: “About six years ago we decided to sail around the world. After one year in the Atlantic we arrived in New Caledonia and a friend of ours told us about a jewel-like island in the Vanuatu archipelago whose location was kept secret. As we approached Ratua passing one island after another, time seemed to stand still with unspoiled nature and local tribal communities still living in their ancestral ways. We just fell in love with it.”
— Ratua aerial view
— And then you decided straight away to buy the island?
Isabelle and Marc: “Yes, we decided to adopt the island. It actually belongs to the community and after a few meetings with the village elders, they entrusted their treasure to our care.
At the beginning we wanted to have this island just for us and our friends. But when we started to develop the island we thought it would really be a shame not to share this wonderful place with other people. Another important motivation to open a hotel was that we could invest 100% of the profits in our foundation to help the local community.”
At the beginning we wanted to have this island just for us and our friends. But when we started to develop the island we thought it would really be a shame not to share this wonderful place with other people. Another important motivation to open a hotel was that we could invest 100% of the profits in our foundation to help the local community.”
— Ratua yacht club
— What type of projects do you support through the foundation?
Isabelle and Marc: “Each year we select a number of projects that we want to invest in. A lot of the money we invest goes into the local schools to create a better learning environment for the children, but we also support cultural projects and the development of the local craft industry by providing micro credits.”
—
— Your philosophy can be summed up as ethical and ecological tourism. Can you please tell us a bit more about that.
Isabelle and Marc: “Everything that we use at Ratua belongs to the island or the islands around. We have our own organic kitchen garden, we work with local villages to breed their stock with animals on the island to provide beef, chicken and pork for the kitchen. We have local fishermen who come by the island every morning and we have planted more than 1.000 fruit trees. We try to use only our own food and what the community can give us.
The buildings are all constructed by wood using ecological building methods. We don’t have any air conditioning or television on the island. Our goal is to be completely self-sufficient and carbon neutral.”
The buildings are all constructed by wood using ecological building methods. We don’t have any air conditioning or television on the island. Our goal is to be completely self-sufficient and carbon neutral.”
— Ratua Private Island Villa
— You just mentioned the buildings on the island. Please tell me a bit about the accommodation and facilities.
Isabelle and Marc: “At Ratua Private Island, there are three villages on the island and a total of 15 villas. The villas are individual houses that we found in Indonesia and which are up to 200 years old. We brought them to Ratua and carefully reconstructed them in the three villages.
The villas in South Village and West Village can all be booked individually. Those in Fish Village are better for groups of people who know each other. There is also a private kitchen and dining area in Fish Village. For the other two villages the social meeting point is the Yacht Club with an open overwater dining room, a bar and a lounge. And there is also our Boathouse with all our boating, fishing and snorkeling gear that is available for our guests.”
The villas in South Village and West Village can all be booked individually. Those in Fish Village are better for groups of people who know each other. There is also a private kitchen and dining area in Fish Village. For the other two villages the social meeting point is the Yacht Club with an open overwater dining room, a bar and a lounge. And there is also our Boathouse with all our boating, fishing and snorkeling gear that is available for our guests.”
— Ratua spa
— Just being on the island is probably relaxation enough, but you do also have a spa?
Isabelle and Marc: “Yes, we have an amazing overwater spa, which I believe is one of the most beautiful places on the island. There are two treatment rooms and a lounge area with amazing views over the water. We offer a variety of massages, body scrubs, facials, manicures and pedicures using only locally sourced organic products.”
—
Isabelle and Marc's favourites:
Ratua Private Island
Transportation
Eat & Drink
Activities
SightsInterview By: Welcome Beyond
— Besides enjoying to be stranded on a private island, what activities are there to keep your guests busy?
Isabelle and Marc: “Our guests can explore the island by foot, electric buggy or horseback on one of the around 20 horses which run wild on Ratua. We offer several different tours on the island and outside the island. One tour which is very popular with our guests is a visit of Aore Island. To get to the island you need to cross the lagoon and as the water is fairly deep you have to swim across with the horse. It is an amazing experience.”
— Ratua communal area
— That sounds amazing. I bet the underwater world is also worth seeing?
Isabelle and Marc: “Yes, you can go explore the surrounding lagoons and reefs by snorkel. Or take a small boat to the blue holes, which are underground caverns that connect several amazing blue-water swimming holes.”
— Ratua lunch buffet
— Please tell me a bit about Vanuatu and what makes Ratua Private Island so different?
Isabelle and Marc: “Vanuatu is a strange place and not very well known for tourism. It is actually an archipelago of 83 islands with a unique blend of intact tribal communities, resorts, coconut fringed beaches, and geography ranging from accessible volcanoes and tropical rainforests, to waterfalls and pristine underwater environments.
Although Ratua is incredibly beautiful, the beach and the sun are not the most interesting reason to visit us. You have that in many places in the world. I think what is interesting is to see the other islands and to meet the people in the villages. Some of them are relatively primitive and the people are living in a very traditional way.”
Although Ratua is incredibly beautiful, the beach and the sun are not the most interesting reason to visit us. You have that in many places in the world. I think what is interesting is to see the other islands and to meet the people in the villages. Some of them are relatively primitive and the people are living in a very traditional way.”
—
— What has been most rewarding about running Ratua Private Island?
Isabelle and Marc: “The difference that we are making with the foundation. This is a big part of the hotel. When a guest is coming to stay with us, he knows that he is contributing directly to the local community. And sometimes we have the chance to visit some of the places we support with our guests. They see Ratua — a very high quality hotel — and they see what there is around us — the people in the villages and the projects that we support through the foundation.”
— Ratua Pig Villa
— When is the best time to come and how do you get to the island?
Isabelle and Marc: “Ratua Private Island has a subtropical climate, very hot between November and March and a bit cooler in June, July. But there is not that much of a difference, so all year round is perfect for a visit.
There are some direct international flights to Port Vila with Air Vanuatu, Quantas and Pacific Blue. From there it is one hour flight with light aircraft to Espiritu Santo’s Luganville Airport and another 30 minute motorboat journey to Ratua Island. We also have a private plane for flights from Port Vila to Ratua on special request.”
There are some direct international flights to Port Vila with Air Vanuatu, Quantas and Pacific Blue. From there it is one hour flight with light aircraft to Espiritu Santo’s Luganville Airport and another 30 minute motorboat journey to Ratua Island. We also have a private plane for flights from Port Vila to Ratua on special request.”
— Ratua Bay
— Thank you, Isabelle and Marc!
Prices are an indication only. The final quote will be the same low price as booking your vacation directly.
There are no fees to book. Please check directly with the owner for special arrangements or information not listed here.
Service
Catered
Accommodation type
Private island
Location
Island
Special requirements
Children welcome
Please enquire about pets
Not suitable for wheelchairs
Smoking allowed
Transport
Car not required
On street parking (free of charge)
No public transport
Prices are an indication only. The final quote will be the same low price as booking your vacation directly.
There are no fees to book. Please check directly with the owner for special arrangements or information not listed here.
Bedrooms
0 Single bedroom
1 Double bedroom
0 Twin bedroom
0 Room w. multiple beds
Additional:
0 Sofabed
0 Extra bed (on request)
0 Air mattress (on req.)
0 Baby cot/crib (on req.)
Bath/shower rooms
1 Bathroom (ensuite)
0 Bathroom (shared)
0 Shower room (ensuite)
0 Shower room (shared)
0 Toilet (ensuite)
Additional:
0 Toilet (shared)
Other rooms
-
0 Kitchen
0 Kitchenette
0 Cooking area
0 Living room
0 Dining room
0 Other rooms
Prices for 2 sharingperson
Lowest price
Highest price
Price per room, per night
$ 450
$ 465
Size: 30 square meters. 8 units available.
Surrounded by lush gardens, each villa is beautifully furnished with eclectic, vintage pieces, a separate ensuite bathroom with toiletries and bathrobes, bar refrigerator, in-room safe, ceiling fans, private terrace and sun lounges with private beach/water access.
Rates include Arrival & Departure Boat Transfer, Welcome Drinks, Breakfast Buffet, All Watersports Activities, Biking & Archery and 12.5% Goverment Tax.
Rates are exclusive of beverages, Horseriding, Internet, Land Transfers & laundry.
2-night minimum stay.
Ratua Private Island
Auf einer einsamen Privatinsel in der Südsee haben zwei französiche Weltumsegler ein Paradies mit 15 Holzvillen und frei laufenden Pferden geschaffen. Don’t miss: Segeln, Reiten, Fischen — und zur Entspannung eine Massage im Spa-Bereich in einer Hütte auf Stelzen im Meer.
— Gala Wedding, GermanyGala Wedding, Germany, November 2011
Vanuatu hideaway by way of Bali
There are plenty of activities. We cycle around the island with guide Michel pointing out the brand new purpose-built village for the permanent staff and Ratua's eco-sustainable efforts. These include huge water tanks, a massive vegetable garden, a luxury chook house, coconut-fed pigs and beef cattle...
Island life can be tiring. But, thoughtfully, Ratua has massages at Sunny's Spa to help you get through tough days in paradise. I choose lavender oil over lime, grapefruit, geranium or bergamot. The spa is housed in the prettiest of the villas, sitting on stilts, surrounded on all sides by the sea.
Also on stilts above the water is the dining room (is it still a room if it doesn't have walls?). The setting is romantic and the food is good, including local poulet fish with spinach and taro, and Santo beef in an Asian marinade with noodles, accompanied by French wine from our host's vineyard.
Island life can be tiring. But, thoughtfully, Ratua has massages at Sunny's Spa to help you get through tough days in paradise. I choose lavender oil over lime, grapefruit, geranium or bergamot. The spa is housed in the prettiest of the villas, sitting on stilts, surrounded on all sides by the sea.
Also on stilts above the water is the dining room (is it still a room if it doesn't have walls?). The setting is romantic and the food is good, including local poulet fish with spinach and taro, and Santo beef in an Asian marinade with noodles, accompanied by French wine from our host's vineyard.
— The AustralianThe Australian, September 2011
Ratua Island, Vanuatu
This 146-acre private island resort is an away-from-it-all hideout. The former coconut plantation was created by a wealthy Frenchman who sees the 15-villa complex, facing a quiet shady beach, as a way to preserve a natural treasure while supporting surrounding communities. The villas are lovely, if simply furnished, 200-year-old Indonesian and Sumatran farmhouses then rebuilt on Ratua — a concept to give pause but that in reality goes well with the island’s lush landscape. Similarly, while most of the food is produced on the island or purchased locally, the goal of a minimum carbon footprint has been relaxed in the matter of wine — the resort is, after all, a Gallic inspiration — with a glass of the best French or California going well after an afternoon of horseback riding, canoeing, or snorkeling.
— Conde Nast Traveler, Hot List 2010Conde Nast Traveler, Hot List 2010, May 2010
Paradise found
Heaven is where you can walk in the sand without leaving your (carbon) footprint. Welcome to Ratua Privat Island.
Ratua is the vision of one Frenchman — and a few of his close friends — to develop a private, sustainable retreat that will benefit the local communities... Ratua is a postcard of teak chalets surrounded by wild, dense greenery. The 60-hectare island is predominantly inhabited on one half, where there are three 'villages' with a total of ten dwellings. The actual structures are 200 year old Sumatran houses... It's been three days since I've checked my emails, or watched TV, and I've never felt better. Luxury with a conscience — priceless.
Ratua is the vision of one Frenchman — and a few of his close friends — to develop a private, sustainable retreat that will benefit the local communities... Ratua is a postcard of teak chalets surrounded by wild, dense greenery. The 60-hectare island is predominantly inhabited on one half, where there are three 'villages' with a total of ten dwellings. The actual structures are 200 year old Sumatran houses... It's been three days since I've checked my emails, or watched TV, and I've never felt better. Luxury with a conscience — priceless.
— Vogue, Entertaining + Travel, AustraliaVogue, Entertaining + Travel, Australia, October 2009
Best rates
You pay the same rate as booking with the property directly. There are no booking fees or extra costs to you. That’s guaranteed!
Direct owner contact
Use the ‘Contact’ button on the left to get information about availability and rates from the owner directly — and also receive the link to the property website with further details.
Our helpline
If you need help, call us on +49 163 737 2509 (Mo-Fr, 10am-10pm CET)
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