Hideaway Island Marine Reserve
Hideaway Island Marine Reserve
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Top ways to experience Hideaway Island Marine Reserve and nearby attractions
The area
Best nearby
Restaurants
4 within 5 kms
Attractions
12 within 10 kms
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- MauramageeSydney, Australia104 contributionsA great snorkeling venue, really family friendly but wouldn’t stay there..A great easy snorkelling activity. Great for families, free water taxi there included in the admission fee. Snorkelling is amazing especially if you go further out. It was my kids (8 & 11) first “immersive” snorkeling experience and was perfect! Highly recommend!Visited April 2023Travelled with familyWritten April 12, 2023
- Grant GBrisbane, Australia29 contributionsLooking a bit tiredDay tripped to the island, 1000 vatu entry, free ferry service to get over, just hang out on the jetty and someone will come get you. (Tip: Avoid the scammy coconut men who will try to solicit you there.) Good snorkelling, lots of people, average to bad food, poorly tended beach and facilities have done their dash. Everything is a bit tired and worn out from the deck chairs to the jetty and the bar. Worth it for a day trip that won't kill your budget though.Visited July 2023Travelled with familyWritten July 30, 2023
- Will KDunedin, New Zealand3 contributionsA must do for beginner snorkel. As so easy to get the reef experience.Amazing place was the last stop on our tour so we got to spend extra time here. If you like a simple easy snorkel without having to go to far or you are a beginner this is the place. A 5 min boat ride to get there and then beautiful coral beach. Simply wade in to water and swim over the reef. Simple beachside cafe/bar to refresh. Was one of highlights of the trip.Visited August 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten August 13, 2023
- Rutland SGold Coast, Australia18 contributionsOver commercialised and dull reefOld and tired with mostly dull reef. Clearly over commercialised and not the place to go if you want to experience snorkeling on high quality reef. Entry fees and hire fees for snorkeling gear all high and felt like it was all about squeezing the dollars out of the tourists.Visited August 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten September 20, 2023
- Heinz ZSydney, Australia10 contributionsDecent snorkelling with your own gear, BYO reef shoes but don't trust the official images.On to Hideaway Island for some snorkelling and walking around the island perimeter. Entrance fee is now 2000 VATs per adult, which is about AUD 25. Snorkel gear and fins is 1500 on top, so better bring your own stuff, including reef shoes, as the beach is all rough corals. No need to book a tour or taxi like others mentioned, just flag down any bus in town and ask the driver if he takes you to Hideaway Island for 300 VATs per person and most likely he or the next one will say yes. Locals pay 150 or less, by the way. If you ask how much it is to go to a specific place, the standard response is often 1000VAT. It’s always better to offer them a more realistic price upfront and maybe haggle a bit. Don’t expect the underwater post office to look like it does on the official pics. It’s rather neglected now and there is certainly no one waiting for you, the mailbox is still there, though, and hopefully will get emptied every now and then, if someone buys a special water proof postcard at the kiosk beforehand. The reef has been severely damaged earlier this year and only a few fish are left. For beginners it’s ok and the two floating platforms are much fun for the kids, too. For dinner we had some decent but non-crunchy bruschettas and a superb coconut chicken curry with wine at the island restaurant. Prices are average, which means unaffordable for the locals at AUD 30 and up for mains but ok for western tourists as long as you keep in mind that your money helps them repair and recover from two cyclones this year alone. As it was Friday we went back on the mainland for the fire show at the Beach Bar which was quite impressive and lasted for about an hour. A good dozen men and women put up a fast and exciting show with a decent choreography to modern music and a few stunts as well.Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten October 9, 2023
- Diane MSydney, Australia142 contributionsHideaway Island is worth a visitWorth the experience but unfortunately the snorkeling wasn't that great compared to other places. If you go here - reef shoes are a must! The water's edge is made up of dead coral and sea shells. We had a nice meal here and managed to enjoy quite a few hours in the peaceful surroundings.Visited October 2023Travelled with friendsWritten November 6, 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
1,913 reviews
Excellent
906
Very good
653
Average
256
Poor
64
Terrible
34
Dion N
2 contributions
Jan 2024 • Family
No live coral, dead. Nice array of tropical fish. Friendly staff but expensive for snorkelling hire. Watch for dead coral, don’t go barefoot on beach. There are better places to visit. Not recommended for snorkelling.
Written January 18, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lisa
Greater Sydney, Australia3 contributions
Jan 2024 • Family
Richie from Hideaway island :
was sooo helpful - my money had been stolen just before at the waterfalls and Richie could not do enough to help me - even though we were only visiting hideaway for a couple of hours he spent the whole time trying to report the incident - sooo helpful!!!!
was sooo helpful - my money had been stolen just before at the waterfalls and Richie could not do enough to help me - even though we were only visiting hideaway for a couple of hours he spent the whole time trying to report the incident - sooo helpful!!!!
Written January 12, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Diane M
Sydney, Australia142 contributions
Oct 2023 • Friends
Worth the experience but unfortunately the snorkeling wasn't that great compared to other places. If you go here - reef shoes are a must! The water's edge is made up of dead coral and sea shells. We had a nice meal here and managed to enjoy quite a few hours in the peaceful surroundings.
Written November 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michael K
Hobart, Australia55 contributions
Oct 2023 • Friends
Great easy snorkelling lots small fish and coral starting to rebuild following cyclones . we did a couple of trips out here during our stay. Make sure you have reef shoes as the crushed coral on the beach is very hard on your bare feet :)
Written October 14, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Heinz Z
Sydney, Australia10 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
On to Hideaway Island for some snorkelling and walking around the island perimeter. Entrance fee is now 2000 VATs per adult, which is about AUD 25. Snorkel gear and fins is 1500 on top, so better bring your own stuff, including reef shoes, as the beach is all rough corals.
No need to book a tour or taxi like others mentioned, just flag down any bus in town and ask the driver if he takes you to Hideaway Island for 300 VATs per person and most likely he or the next one will say yes. Locals pay 150 or less, by the way.
If you ask how much it is to go to a specific place, the standard response is often 1000VAT. It’s always better to offer them a more realistic price upfront and maybe haggle a bit.
Don’t expect the underwater post office to look like it does on the official pics. It’s rather neglected now and there is certainly no one waiting for you, the mailbox is still there, though, and hopefully will get emptied every now and then, if someone buys a special water proof postcard at the kiosk beforehand.
The reef has been severely damaged earlier this year and only a few fish are left. For beginners it’s ok and the two floating platforms are much fun for the kids, too.
For dinner we had some decent but non-crunchy bruschettas and a superb coconut chicken curry with wine at the island restaurant. Prices are average, which means unaffordable for the locals at AUD 30 and up for mains but ok for western tourists as long as you keep in mind that your money helps them repair and recover from two cyclones this year alone.
As it was Friday we went back on the mainland for the fire show at the Beach Bar which was quite impressive and lasted for about an hour. A good dozen men and women put up a fast and exciting show with a decent choreography to modern music and a few stunts as well.
Written October 10, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rutland S
Gold Coast, Australia18 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
Old and tired with mostly dull reef. Clearly over commercialised and not the place to go if you want to experience snorkeling on high quality reef.
Entry fees and hire fees for snorkeling gear all high and felt like it was all about squeezing the dollars out of the tourists.
Entry fees and hire fees for snorkeling gear all high and felt like it was all about squeezing the dollars out of the tourists.
Written September 20, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Paul Jacob J
Brussels, Belgium24 contributions
Jul 2023 • Friends
We took a free ferry over to the island and we had to pay 1250Vats, and the only reason was to access the underwater post office. For snorkel goggles + breathing tube was another 700-1000Vats'ish + for flippers was extra money, and on top of that- if you wanted to write a letter to someone and then snorkel in to drop it in the post box, was an extra 600Vats, basically for you to be able to go there to send a letter, you're looking at 2500Vats or more per person. Although the food was cheaper than on the mainland, and the quality of food was amazing (was not expecting that). That's not a place I'd go back. The fishes there were amazing, with all the colorfull ones, but if you do decide coming here- take your own snorkel gear.
Written August 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Will K
Dunedin, New Zealand3 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
Amazing place was the last stop on our tour so we got to spend extra time here. If you like a simple easy snorkel without having to go to far or you are a beginner this is the place. A 5 min boat ride to get there and then beautiful coral beach. Simply wade in to water and swim over the reef. Simple beachside cafe/bar to refresh. Was one of highlights of the trip.
Written August 13, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Grant G
Brisbane, Australia29 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
Day tripped to the island, 1000 vatu entry, free ferry service to get over, just hang out on the jetty and someone will come get you. (Tip: Avoid the scammy coconut men who will try to solicit you there.)
Good snorkelling, lots of people, average to bad food, poorly tended beach and facilities have done their dash. Everything is a bit tired and worn out from the deck chairs to the jetty and the bar. Worth it for a day trip that won't kill your budget though.
Good snorkelling, lots of people, average to bad food, poorly tended beach and facilities have done their dash. Everything is a bit tired and worn out from the deck chairs to the jetty and the bar. Worth it for a day trip that won't kill your budget though.
Written July 31, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hailsk2411
872 contributions
Jul 2023 • Solo
I really enjoyed this place and wished I had longer. I went first thing in the morning and no one was about! The staff were super friendly and I bought my postcards, went for my swim - sent my postcards and chilled out. The ferry is easy, just wait on the dock!
Written July 21, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi, I am interested in going on a day trip to Hideaway Island and I was wondering if it was worth it if I didn’t have reed shoes? Is it still possible to snorkel? Thanks!
WoollamiaTweety
Woollamia, Australia107 contributions
Yes, You don't really need Reef shoes there. The main "beach" is weathered coral and ok to walk on.
ann_and_grant
aussie4 contributions
Hi yes were are taking son 9 and daughter 13 and have herd it may not be safe .And is it best to book outings from cruises or safe to get taxi .And any suggestions fun thing to do.Thanks
Tania W
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia25 contributions
Personal security for tourists is absoltuely safe. Jsut don't forget to leave your mobile on the bus - this is the most frequent cause of people losing items.
MrPurser
Melbourne, Australia181 contributions
I think you have confused Hideaway with the turtle sanctuary - the photos posted are of that.
TonyBBrisbane
Brisbane, Australia40 contributions
if i added any photos which i cant remember doing it was of hideaway island
Rhiannon K
Perth, Australia14 contributions
If we made it to hideaway island by ourselves, is there somewhere safe to leave our bags if we go snorkelling together?
Karin C
Sydney, Australia127 contributions
We left our stuff stowed under the beach loungers, and didnt have any issues.
We went on a non-cruise day, so it wasnt very crowded, and went on our own using the local buses - cost 500 vatu each way per person (~AUD5), and we arranged a time for the driver to pick us up in the afternoon.
LaraLiu
Four Mile Creek, Australia29 contributions
Myself & two boys (14 & 9) will be arriving by P/Dawn to Port Vila at the end of Feb 2018 - the Half day North Efate Snorkelling Adventure states it's $100 pp - have heard that it's relatively easy to find your own way by going to the road & getting a free taxi there yourself; are they really free? I'm not good at directions nor can I speak French; so v nervous about it. We want to be coming away with the most wonderful experiences but want to not pay for a tour if it's just as easy to find our own way - or is it best to pay/book a tour if your novice at it all? We want to post a card at the underwater post office - is it easy to find where to purchase these, if not with a tour?
Also really want to go to the Blue Lagoon on the same day is this possible? and do the Big Zipline Track - we unfortunately only have a day visit; so your opinions on what is doable/recommended would be gold. Thk-u.
shots219
Nelson, New Zealand35 contributions
Hi. Hideaway Island is well worth the visit. The snorkeling there was the best we experienced in Vanuatu. Lots of fish and easily accessible pretty close to the beach. The taxis certainly aren't free but they are very reasonable. The Blue Lagoon is ok, nothing spectacular, and is situated a fair drive from Port Vila. Make sure you do the cascades which are close to Hideaway. Well worth a visit. Hope this helps.
EMMA P
6 contributions
Hi, my husband and I are experienced scuba divers, how much is a dive trip? Also, can one hire dive gear and go for a shore dive? Thanks!
Darrell P
Brisbane, Australia264 contributions
you can hire dive gear at the resort.. if you take your own they insist on sending a dive guide wit you and this is well worth it as they showed us things we otherwise wouldn't see... this is also relatively inexpensive , I am not sure how much hiring would cost, cheers Darrell
Kathy L
Melbourne, FL
We will be arriving by cruise ship on Oct16. I use a small colapsable handicapped scooter. Would I be able to get my scooter on a bus from the cruise ship ? Would I be able to take it on the little boat to Hideaway Island?
Daniel A
Adelaide, Australia15 contributions
You might be able to do it. The locals are very friendly & will help you were they can but overall the country is unfortunately not very accessible to individuals with disabilities. Best to book an official tour who may be able to cater to your needs.
hi, i am going to Vila on the March 10 cruise and there is this sanctuary as a full day trip, but i have heard that hideaway island is also very cool place to snorkel and visit. if we take our own bus to visit both on the day is that possible? if so how much would it cost?
aussiedan7
17 contributions
Shouldn't cost you more than 1000 Vatu per person one way for a bus or you're definitely paying foreigner prices. It costed me 300 Vatu to get from the middle of port Vila to hideaway via bus.
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Claim your listingHideaway Island Marine Reserve - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)
Frequently Asked Questions about Hideaway Island Marine Reserve
- Hotels near Hideaway Island Marine Reserve:
- (0.01 km) Hideaway Island Resort & Marine Sanctuary
- (0.67 km) Vanuatu Beachfront Apartments
- (1.99 km) Island Magic Resort
- (7.56 km) Paradise Cove Resort
- (5.94 km) Fatumaru Lodge
- Restaurants near Hideaway Island Marine Reserve:
- (0.67 km) The Beach Bar
- (7.57 km) Paradise Cove Restaurant
- (9.39 km) Cafe Vila Restaurant & Bar
- (8.43 km) Stonegrill Restaurant
- (3.79 km) K2 Cafe