We are sometimes asked whether it is best to go ‘all-inclusive’ or purchase a meal plan when booking accommodation and the answer is, “depends”.

Some resorts offer meal plans (half-board, full-board or all-inclusive) and they can be good value but they may also be restrictive with a surcharge for certain restaurants or certain dishes. And if your accommodation includes a full breakfast, you may eat a bigger brekkie than you normally would at home and only want a snack for lunch. In Vanuatu and the Cook Islands there are lots of dining options outside the resorts that are easy to get to but in Fiji and Samoa all-inclusive can be worth considering because you may not actually leave your chosen resort.

Weigh up whether you will be leaving your resort for day tours, excursions, shopping or sightseeing/exploring. If you find yourself away from your resort at a designated meal time, you could be, in effect, paying for that meal twice if you pick up something on the go. Vanuatu is one destination where day tours and getting about outside your resort is easy and there are many excellent restaurants and cafes in and around Port Vila that are worth visiting.

Some establishments offer part inclusive packages. For example, Erakor Island Resort in Vanuatu has a Paradise Romance package that works really well for a 7 night stay – it includes bubbly and flowers on arrival, massages, a champagne picnic on a private beach, a chef’s romance dinner on the beach or in the private overwater hut, two a la carte dinners, beach movies and all-you-can-eat pizza night and the Melanesian Feast & Fire Show – so seven breakfasts, five dinners and one lunch covered which still leaves guests a lot of time to get out and about.

Photo: Erakor Island Resort in Vanuatu

Most countries in the South Pacific produce a good local beer…

Of course you can buy imported ‘known’ brands throughout the Pacific but the local brews are less expensive and the quality may surprise.

The Fijian brew is Fiji Bitter, also known as ‘Fiji Baby’. It’s a nice, light ale that suits the tropics.

In Vanuatu the main local beer is Tusker and it is also very good. I believe the recipe originated at Swedish brewery Pripps. ‘Bia Blong Yumi’ means ‘the beer for us’. There are also a couple of boutique breweries.

In Samoa, Vailima beer is light, refreshing, tasty and reminiscent of good German ale (and there is a strong German history in Samoa).

In the Cook Islands, Cooks Lager is the local brew and it is made in the back room of the Bond Liquor Store, opposite the Punanga Nui Markets in Avarua. If you are passing and the brewmaster is in, he will show you around if you ask politely.

Cheers!

‘Kirikiti’ is the Samoan version of cricket and the rules are more like a backyard game even if it is Samoa’s national sport. It can be lively enough to make a T20 bash look like a test at Lords.

Kirikiti’s rules are pretty much made up on the day – the number of players on a team may depend on who turns up (could be up to 40 – as long as both sides have the same number) and scoring may also depend on the day (why not have over the fence is six and out?!). Everyone in the village gets involved, whether it be playing, watching, cheering or cooking up a feast. The game is played with a handmade rubber ball and the bat is three-sided, which means that something aimed at gully could go flying over mid-on.

It can be an exciting game to play or watch with lots of teasing and sledging and there is one rule that is adhered to – the home side automatically loses if they don’t provide enough food! And it can be worth keeping in mind that many Samoans don’t eat until they are full – they eat until they are tired…

Photo: CookIslands.org.uk