Barrier Beach Resort

Vanuatu , Santo
Santo, Barrier Beach Saraotou
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50 reviews shown

10/10

Exceptional

17 Feb 2026

Chad

This was by far our favorite place during our South Pacific travels. The accommodations were spacious, clean, private, and beautiful. The staff was outstanding, and the restaurant and bar consistently over-delivered on quality and service. We couldn't have been happier. Ten out of ten.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

23 Nov 2025

Jane

This resort was great! The rooms are clean, the staff are amazing and the neighboring houses along the beach were very friendly. It’s like having friends on the beach front! We snorkled from the beach to the two reefs that are a stone’s throw away from the resort. The corals were the best I’ve seen so far. The owner, Robert was very pleasant. I will definitely stay here again if our residential ship finds its way in Vanuatu in the future.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

22 Nov 2025

Shital

Amazing place. Don’t even think twice just book it. Hotel this beautiful nestled in beautiful coast of Santo, calm water, soft sandy beach and amazing luxury resort. We stayed in one of the plunge pool room with beach view, enjoyed every second. Only downside is food but you can eat outside the resort. Non motorized water sports were huge plus. You can’t go wrong with this place. All staff were super helpful and friendly. Average spa facility but good masseuse. Highly recommend this place.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

10 Sep 2025

Christopher

This place is amazing. I have stayed in many places, all over the world. I haven’t found a carefulness for the guests like it.

The property is clean, modern, and beautiful. It does a great job of not taking you out of nature and relaxation. The staff, Marcel, Florida, Rose, Emmi, Catherine etc all work so hard to make sure you’re having a good time.

Now to the areas around the property- the water is amazing. The snorkeling amazing, dugongs, clownfish, corals, turtles, crabs all just awesome. Snorkel everywhere you can.

The food was great and the daily specials brought good variety.

I hope the fishing stuff I left is catching!

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

04 Aug 2025

Joshua

I really wanted to love this resort but my partner got very ill eating spring rolls on the first night. On the menu it had GF next to it and nothing else did. In this day and age I'm surprised a resort run by expats would allow such limited options for coeliacs, and only have GF on the one item that is definitely not gluten free. It's a serious autoimmune disease and any damage can potentially lead to other more serious health issues. They even thought it was gluten free until two nights later when they said it wasn't. The response from staff didn’t seem satisfactory and even when she showed them the diagram she prepared in Bislama there was little concern and the menu still showed GF against spring roles when we left 7 days later, but only on the dinner menu. Lunch menu didn’t show this. She basically ran out of options as nearly everything contained gluten and two of the nights one of the curries was unavailable. She had to have dry chicken one night as the sauce contained gluten. Considerng the cost of our stay and the reviews we read about the quality of the food we didn't have the same experience. We should have confirmed with the resort beforehand. Great location. Great snorkeling. One suggestion which all resorts should do is to make patrons aware of what NOT to do when using resort kyaks out on the reef such as putting your ore down on the coral as we noticed. I looked in the booklet and no mention of protecting the reefs. Just our thoughts.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

13 Jun 2025

Nicki

Great stay, friendly helpful staff

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

31 May 2025

Andrew

Very relaxing place to holiday, staff we're super friendly and the food was excellent

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

25 Apr 2024

Yvonne

Wonderful and friendly staff. Genuinely impressed with the care taken and effort made to ensure our stay was amazing

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

21 Apr 2024

Nansi

Barrier Beach Resort is absolutely magical. It sits on a pristine, teal blue lagoon, with beautiful coral gardens, perfect for snorkeling, kayaking and SUPing. The staff is first class ((Sophia, Rose, Marcel and Tony were amazing) and the food superb. Every table at the restaurant has an outstanding view of the lagoon. Our ocean front room was lovely with a spectacular view of the water. We were lucky to spend 20 days here, and we will be back. The hosts Sabine and Wayne were truly caring, accommodating and vibrant. They are super friendly and very welcoming. BBR is definitely a shining star in Vanuatu.

Business_and_leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

09 Nov 2023

juan

beautiful location ,great staff and lovely accomodation

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Jun 2023

Murray

We loved our stay at Barrier Beach Resort. The Staff are super attentive, always cheerful & informative. The accommodation pacific style, comfortable, clean & spacious. Our room was beach side- terrific views & ocean sounds through louvers & fully mosquito screened. Very generous bathroom with all the facilities you'd expect from a resort. Restaurant was beach side - great bar drinks, happy hour, food scrumptious & good variety - servicing staff so attentive, nothing was to much. Activities readily available & organised by the office.. I would mention a bunch of names of people that really touched our souls & made our stay super special but I don't want to offend anyone because it takes a team to run such a well oiled machine. Gardens were beautifully manicured. We were excited to see they were working on a new space for guest to enjoy gathering, read, play boardgames and lounge. I hope we can come back at a later date to make use of it. :-D Thank you to our hosts Wayne & Sabine for checking in with us on a daily basis to see how our day had been. WE LOVED IT.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

15 May 2023

Gail

A beautiful idyllic quiet resort , well presented ,wonderful staff ,excellent restuarant with bar and menu choices .We stayed in Fare 8 in the excutive beach front suite which was just ideal for us. Rob ,Wayne and staff were very friendly and welcoming .They organised transport options to see the Famous Nanda and RiRi blue pools as well as arranging taxi for my husband to do his Scuba diving down at the Coolidge . Wonderful spa treatments for the ultimate relaxation . Overall we could not fault anything because we had a wonderful tropical getaway. Perfect for our 30th Wedding Anniversary . We thoroughly would recommend staying at the Barrier beach resort.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

05 Apr 2023

Brianna

The food at barrier beach was AMAZING! Definitely one of the highlights of our trip. The resort is beautiful and has such a nice vibe about it.
Emmy was lovely and such a help in organizing us day tours, horse riding, etc. :-) thank you!!

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

09 Feb 2023

John Andrew

We stayed on the fare on the beach with the plunge pool and it is the perfect getaway for couples. Rob and his team set up private dinning on the beach to celebrate our wedding anniversary.
Extremely well kept property and exceptional service from all staff.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

20 Jan 2023

francois

Restful week in a beautiful place

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

12 Nov 2022

Mary-Ann

The resort is nestled amongst beautiful natural settings. Accompanied by outstanding competent and friendly staff.

This little piece of paradise will cater to holidaymakers of all types. If you want a quiet retreat it fulfills or if you are seeking adventure it is in a central location to many adventure activities.

Memories will be made.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

09 Oct 2019

Pat

Pleasant setting; good facilities, bar fridge could be updated.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Oct 2019

Verified traveler

The location is stunning - very relaxing.
Staff all very helpful.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

15 Sep 2019

Verified traveler

I loved this place it was absolutely heaven! I love that all the water activities were free and you could just go grab a kayak snorkel gear or SUP board anytime and the free bikes I just loved. The staff were also extremely friendly everyone calling you by name it was just really special :) also if for some reason on your trip you need wifi it is very good and works really well ...had to hand in a uni assignment while I was there and I was worried about being able to do it but sure enough the wifi was was really good

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

06 Aug 2019

Verified traveler

A beautiful location and very sympathetic to the natural environment. The hosts and staff at those resort are attentive to every need and add make one feel totally \"at home\". The resort rooms step on to the sand so it is an amazing experience. Santo is a naturally beautiful island and the Barrier Beach Resort is a wonderful place to base your trip here

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

02 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

I'm not typically compelled to write reviews but Julie & her team are something else. My wife and I went here on our honeymoon and their team was so amazing holding my hand through a myriad errors (thanks Expedia for those btw..). Communication was second to none with these guys and it's the sort of place you would happily put a rubber stamp of approval on with your name on it to friends and family... in fact, we're starting to plan the next trip now... Go here if you want serenity, beautiful beaches (I dont think the photos really do this place justice, its better when you get there), lovely service, good food, helpful local advice and an all round awesome island resort break. thank you guys.

10/10

Exceptional

01 Jul 2019

Jade

Amazing Place!

Stayed in a beachfront villa for 5 nights. Perfect location! Step straight out the door onto your own private deck with a beautiful view of the ocean. Restaurant food was excellent quality, staff super friendly and helpful. Would recommend to purchase alcohol and snacks to keep in your fridge as the food is on the pricier side.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

27 Jun 2019

Katrina

Barrier Beach Resort was AMAZING -

We absolutely loved our 6 night stay at Barrier Beach Resort!! Julie, Calvin and all the staff (including Christine, Emmy, Rocky) are all so lovely and accommodating. The resort is large and sits on a private beach, which was absolutely stunning (never seen such turquoise water in real life). Snorkelling was amazing (so many fish! including Nemo clown fishes), standup paddle boards and kayaks were plentiful. They provide ample snorkel gear and beach towels to use, so no need to bring your own. We stayed in Fare 14 with the plunge pool. The room was really spacious, the bed super comfortable, and has everything you need. Wifi was very good in the room and throughout the resort. I booked in for a one hour massage at the on-site day spa and Jessica was amazing! The restaurant has good variety and rotating daily specials which was nice. Food does take a while to come out (everything made to order), but that is pretty standard across every place in Santo. We had an early flight to catch upon check out, and they really looked after us by providing breakfast for us to keep in our room the night before, which was thoughtful.
The only minor thing I could have done with was a line to dry our swimwear on our patio. They have a large rack in the bathroom but things dry slower inside than outside.
Otherwise no faults at all, Barrier Beach Resort was amazing and we had to most relaxing and fun time there. It was totally worth the money to stay here and be pampered!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

27 Apr 2019

Verified traveler

Incredible stay. The scenery is amazing and the staff anticipate your every need. Would recommend to anyone.

Leisure

8/10

Excellent

06 Mar 2019

Verified traveler

The Location is amazing. The beach is very pretty and right infront of the beachfront fares. Food and staff are excellent.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Feb 2019

Garry

Wonderful in the extreme

This has now set the benchmark for the best place we have stayed. Everything about this resort shouts quality. The location, quality food, super friendly helpful staff, quality bedding. The managers Julie and kalvin are great hosts and nothing is overlooked. There are very few places that can achieve this degree of luxury and quality.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

25 Jan 2019

Jasmaine-Maree

This was mine and my partners first holiday together, and our first time in Vanuatu. Initially we were really nervous as this was also our first holiday we organised ourselves. The staff were so accommodating. We arrived past middnight due to delayed flights and Julie ensured we were still going to be picked up by the complimentary shuttle bus- and our driver was extremely friendly and helpful. Upon arrival at some crazy hour of the morning, we were greeted by Julie and Calvin who showed us to our rooms and briefly informed us of where everything was. Of course we slept in the next morning but to our surprise we found the complimentary breakfast still available (best cocktails at resort restaurant, nice food) All of the staff were very friendly and every morning greeted us with a smile and friendly conversation. Catherine was extremely helpful in organising tours for us to and from our resort, booking taxis, and ensuring we knew our way around the resort and what was outside of the resort for us to explore- there were free bicycles to use to ride to places near by like the Riri bluehole and the Oceanic restaurant. Julie and Calvin offered a room upgrade as the air conditioning wasn't working in the first Villa. The upgrade was amazing with everything that was offered from the other Villa but larger space and open view of the water- it was so perfect my partner proposed on the beach at the resort! :) We loved our stay and the people of Vanuatu. Highly recommended. Will be back

10/10

Exceptional

25 Jan 2019

Verified traveler

It was mine and my partners first holiday together and first holiday without help to organise, we were a blindly nervous however the staff at Barrier Beach resort were so accommodating! Our flights were delayed, having us arrive way past midnight. Julie ensured we still had transport from the airport to the resort and as we arrived into the early hours of that morning, Julie and Calvin were there to greet us and take us to our rooms. Of course we slept in the next morning but to our surprise, the complimentary breakfast was still available. We met such wonderful staff who were very welcoming

10/10

Exceptional

30 Dec 2018

Verified traveler

Perfect relaxation spot with everything you need on site! Great service and awesome hosts! Restaurant is a bit pricey for Vanuatu standards, but when you are so secluded from everything, you can't be too picky with food.

10/10

Exceptional

17 Sep 2018

anneke

Relaxing beachfront boutique resort

We stayed for 8 nights and wished we did not have to leave! Calvin and Julie make great effort to get to know their guests and check in every day to ensure everything is as you had hoped for. Staff are super friendly, remember your name and your previous orders. Food was delicious, home cooked fresh bread and muffins, fresh tropical fruit plate and juices in the morning while you look out from the restaurant to the azure blue waters of Vanuatu. Excellent house reef for snorkeling. They arrange trips for you without any hassle. We stayed in Vila five which is 1 step away from the water at high tide. If you like the sound of waves and a breeze then Vila 5 is your place to go, if you are a light sleeper and prefer silence then choose a garden Vila. We could not have wished for a better holiday ! Highly recommended for couples

10/10

Exceptional

05 Aug 2018

Tim

Luxurious yet basic

10/10

Exceptional

09 Apr 2018

Kevin

Really nice resort, right at the beach.

We stayed at Barrier Beach for 8 nights and were impressed right from the start. The temporary manager was waiting for us at the entrance, we were given a nice welcome drink and she explained everything about the resort and how our stay worked in detail.
Staff is really friendly and help you out with any questions, arranging taxis and tours. Absolutely great.
The rooms are very spacious and clean and tidy. We had a Beach Villa so ours was right on the beach, couldn't have asked for more.
Food in the restaurant was of very good quality as well.

All in all, we had a great stay at Barrier Beach.

10/10

Exceptional

10 Mar 2018

Verified traveler

A beautiful resort with beautiful people. Situated right on the crystal clear waters of Santos coast.

10/10

Exceptional

07 Jan 2018

Svante

Slice of paradise

We had such an awesome week here, it’s a little slice of paradise. Warmly recommend it to anyone looking for a relaxing stay with some snorkeling on the doorstep and world class diving a short drive away.
Renting a car is a good idea if you wanna have some freedom to look around on the east coast.
Recommended for singles or couples, no kids allowed I think.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

25 Sep 2017

Karen

HEAVEN!

This hotel is beautiful - friendly local staff, amazing location, beautiful facilities, great food, fantastic accommodation, very attentive management, could not fault this property and did not want to leave.
I cannot praise this property enough.
We stayed in a garden bure surrounding by rainforest and butterflies. So serene!
Complimentary airport transfer and complimentary use do snorkel/canoe/paddle board gear are both fantastic value for money inclusions.
We stepped 5m off shore and were snorkelling with angel and clown fish - spectacular! Best snorkelling we've ever seen overseas and beautiful aqua waters!
Thank you so much to Calvin and his team. I will be recommending to all my customers (as I am a travel agent) and would happily return here.
So happy with our choice of stay in Santo - I can see why this hotel is number one year after year =D

10/10

Exceptional

24 Aug 2017

Diana

Relax

Loved the personal attention received library in th room hammock location and linen tablecloths the details made this a special place.

10/10

Exceptional

11 Aug 2017

Jodie

Peaceful sanctuary in idyllic location

Our extremely relaxing 3 nights here were definitely the highlight of our weeklong holiday in Vanuatu. We had a villa on the beach and the view from the deck was stunning. The staff were friendly and efficient. Anne, who was standing in for the regular managers, was friendly, approachable, very helpful but unobtrusive. The location and very peaceful and quiet. Right at our front door was good snorkelling and a beautiful beach and reef to explore - we were usually the only people on the beach or in the water.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

09 Jul 2017

GJC

Great facility and hosts!

A terrific place to unwind and relax; nothing was too much of an effort to ask for the hosts Julie and Calvin...

Informal tours to local attractions

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

26 Apr 2017

Kerry

Piece of Paradise

This place is picture perfect. Only 3hrs direct flight from Brisbane where you have your own paradise. Beach is absolutely perfectly blue with your own coral reefs. Sand is soft & even better no seaweed or shells to contend with.
Adults only & its great when you have so many other lovely couples staying in the other 5 Fares ( units) that you can have dinners with or spend the day with.
The Barrier Beach has two wonderful caretakers Calvin & Julie who can accommodate to all your needs.
Our Fare had a plunge pool & was position amongst the gardens which was perfect.
My husband & other guests went fishing with Calvin for 4 hours while I enjoyed the serenity of the beautiful surroundings & an extra trip to Champagne Beach.
Thank you so much for a fantastic & spontaneous holiday adventure.
Goodbye Thailand, Bali, Fiji, Philippines etc... this paradise is close to home & has NOT been ruined by an influx of Tourists.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Apr 2017

Kerry

Piece of Paradise

This place is picture perfect. Only 3hrs direct flight from Brisbane where you have your own paradise. Beach is absolutely perfectly blue with your own coral reefs. Sand is soft & even better no seaweed or shells to contend with.
Adults only & its great when you have so many other lovely couples staying in the other 5 Fares ( units) that you can have dinners with ir spend the day with.
The Barrier Beach has two wonderful caretakers Calvin & Julie who can accommodate to all your needs.
Our Fare had a plunge pool & was position amongst the gardens which was perfect.
My husband & other guests went fishing with Calvin for 4 hours while I enjoyed the serenity of the beautiful surroundings.
Thank you so much for a fantastic & spontaneous holiday adventure.
Goodbye Thailand, Bali, Fiji, Philippines etc... this paradise is close to home & has been ruined by an influx of Tourists.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 Jan 2017

Cindy

Amazing

Enjoyed three incredible nights at Barrier Beach House and will definitely be back. The fares are stunning, as is the location. Many activities on site as well as easy access to tours and other Santo attractions. Julie and Calvin were fantastic hosts and every meal was delicious! Highly recommended!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

17 Sep 2016

Candace

Escape from Wellington winter to paradise

We travelled for the first time to Vanuatu from a typical Wellington winter, with hopes of warm weather and a nice beach. We certainly found that and more!

Spectacular location and a wonderful pair of hosts, Kelvin and Julie, could not have been more relaxed, attentive and lovely. Food was very good, prepared by a team of ni-Vanuatu women with breakfast, lunch and dinner at hand.

Be sure to borrow the bikes and head north on the paved road to Oyster Usland for lunch, and don't forget to wave back at every one you see along the way as its custom. Can't wait to head back!

10/10

Exceptional

10 Aug 2016

Emilia

A hidden paradise!

This was without a doubt the best holiday we've had in a long time! Julie and Calvin took care of us from the second we landed on Santo. It sure is a hidden paradise and we will definitely come back one day. The rooms are great and we loved waking up to the sound of the ocean every morning. The girls in the kitchen cooked us amazing dinners every night and it was always such a great way to end each day sitting on the deck overlooking the water. We've already recommended several of our friends to visit the same place since this was such a perfect holiday. Thank you Julie and Calvin for your amazing hospitality and for running such a beautiful little hotel.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Jul 2016

Verified traveler

Paradise

Very relaxed, good service, outstanding location. Right on the beach. Delicious food.

10/10

Exceptional

18 Jun 2016

Jane from NZ

Star in Santo

This is such a magical spot. Room, staff, food, beach and hosts pleasant and welcoming. A holiday here will be relaxing and fun.

10/10

Exceptional

11 Mar 2016

Giselle

Romantic getaway

Beautiful location, wonderful resort, excellent food, great snorkeling and much to explore, thank you Julie and Calvin and friendly staff for all your attention to making our stay relaxing, adventurous and romantic

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 Jan 2016

Tony

What a spectacularly beautiful location for a relaxing, enjoyable and charming place to stay.
We were there for 6 days & nights - we left to go to other places on Santo on just 2 of those days - the food, location and services meant we didn't need to (or want to) go anywhere else other than stay right there at Barrier Beach House!

10/10

Exceptional

02 Dec 2015

Paul & Kylie

Bliss!

My wife and I have just returned from six days at Barrier Beach Resort and can't recommend it highly enough. Laid back atmosphere and service with a smile! Nothing we experienced would merit a complaint. If you're after a hotel chain type resort then this is not for you - but if you want a quiet, relaxing, private holiday in a beautiful setting to just to relax and chill out, then we strongly urge you to try Barrier Beach. The food was excellent, the staff were friendly and available for any request. We loved the Garden Fare with aircon and plunge pool. Thank you Shane!

10/10

Exceptional

03 Nov 2015

Sarah

Perfect place for some R&R

We recently had a short stay at Barrier Beach House and thoroughly enjoyed it. We booked here as we were looking for a place that was central to some of the attractions we wished to visit including Million Dollar Point and Champagne Beach. When we arrived we were greeted by very friendly staff and a beautiful private little beach front. The owners visited daily and helped us organise some great day trips with the help of a local driver. At the end of each day we were able to relax on the beach, enjoy a meal as well as some delicious cocktails. Our only regret is not staying here longer!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

10 Oct 2015

Verified traveler

Amazing honeymoon stay

My husband and I stayed at barrier beach house for 4 nights on our honeymoon. It was wonderful in every way!! Fares were beautifully done, comfy and spotless, the private beach area is secluded and serene, and Shane was a wonderful host, full of great recommendations and ideas of what to do. Having free bikes, snorkels and kayaks at our disposal was so convenient as well. Finally - make sure to eat dinner here! Ivana and Sofia can cook up a storm, and their brownies are to die for. 5/5 stay!