Island escape ... the timber interior of the villas.
Louise Southerden enjoys the rustic luxury of a French billionaire's eco-friendly retreat.
'Would you like another lobster?" whispers Claire, our ni-Vanuatu waitress, at an open-air lunch under the trees, her French accent making the offer sound quite seductive. I pause between sips of Taittinger champagne just long enough to say "Yes, please" and reflect on other sweet-sounding sentences I have heard since arriving, my favourite being one uttered by the barman at pre-dinner drinks: "Would you like your coconut fresh or made into a pina colada?"
Ratua Private Island, on the tiny islet of Ratu, just off the southern coast of Espiritu Santo in northern Vanuatu, is the archetypal tropical paradise - with a twist.
It began as a twinkle in the eye of a philanthropic, nature-loving French billionaire (who prefers to remain anonymous) as he sailed across the Pacific in 2005. When he stumbled on Ratu he instantly saw its potential and applied to local elders to adopt the island. A few years later, Ratua Private Island came into being as a secluded, environmentally sustainable "island for rent" for up to 28 guests at a time.
The resort proved too lovely not to share, however, and since its official opening earlier this month couples and small groups can book individual villas at certain times during the year.
Either way, Ratua feels private without being exclusive. It's a barefoot kind of place, low-key, natural and unassuming. There's no reception desk, no keys to the rooms, no locks on the doors. Guests are encouraged to pick fruit and vegetables from the organic garden and use the kitchen to make a snack or something more substantial - with or without the help of the chef. Meals are served in the Yacht Club - the bar, lounge and dining room that is the social hub of Ratua - or at a long wooden table on the beach, with the sand between your toes and, at high tide, warm tropical water lapping at your ankles.
The villas are the epitome of rustic luxury: 200-year-old teak cottages sourced from Java and Sumatra and opulently fitted out and furnished in Bali. In keeping with Ratua's "zero plastic" policy, almost everything, inside and out, is made of local or recycled wood: from the boardwalks, the roof shingles and the rough-hewn planks on the walls and floors (even in the bathrooms) to the stylish cabinets concealing full-sized fridges and the handcrafted window shutters and latches.
There are wooden ceiling fans, too, instead of air-conditioning because of Ratua's intention to be carbon neutral and self-sufficient. Australian and Canadian university students are employed full-time to find ways to minimise the resort's environmental impact. Ratua uses eco-friendly cleaning products, rainwater and bore water. Even its boats run partially on coconut oil. The only other modes of transport are mountain bikes, electric golf buggies and 15 horses (which can be caught and saddled by one of the island's wranglers). By the end of the year, the entire island will be solar-powered.
Forget the 100-kilometre diet; you can just about exist on a 100-metre diet on Ratua. There's beef, pork, chicken, milk and eggs from the island's free-range livestock; coconuts from the palm plantation; fruit from 1000 trees planted by resort staff; and unlimited seafood supplied by local anglers. Even the wines are local, in a way: many of the 8000-plus bottles in Ratua's purpose-built cellar are from the owner's vineyard in France.
There is one incongruity: Ratua's strong Indonesian flavour, which seems to isolate it from its location in Vanuatu. Not only are the villas Indonesian, they're named after animals not found in Vanuatu (such as cobras, tigers, crocodiles, deer and Komodo dragons). There are Indonesian outrigger canoes, Indonesian horse-drawn buggies, coffee-table books on Balinese living - even the two massage therapists at the new overwater spa are Balinese. But there are plans to align Ratua more closely with ni-Vanuatu culture by treating guests to, for instance, in-house kava ceremonies and performances by local musicians.
Ratua also has close ties with communities on neighbouring islands: all the resort's profits go back to those communities, funding projects as varied as the construction of village hospitals, schools and a fledgling craft industry. Guests are invited to take part in the "one bag, one book" program (by bringing English and French books for local children) and to make a donation, in lieu of tipping (which is taboo in Vanuatu anyway), to the Ratua Foundation.
Ultimately, a stay on Ratua Private Island is all about freedom. Most mornings we wake up, throw open the wooden doors and gaze upon a limpid sea from the comfort of our king-size bed. We wander down the timber steps and into the aquamarine water for an early morning swim or some snorkelling, our only companions the tropical fish and, if we're lucky, a turtle or dugong. Then we rinse off under the outdoor shower, throw some clothes on over our swimmers and paddle a canoe to breakfast, where we lazily plan a boat trip, a horse ride, more snorkelling - or nothing at all.
Louise Southerden travelled courtesy of Ratua Private Island and Vanuatu Tourism Office.
FAST FACTS
Getting there
Air Vanuatu flies to Espiritu Santo direct from Brisbane and from Sydney and Melbourne via Port Vila. Ratua is a 30-minute boat ride from Espiritu Santo airport.
Staying there
Ratua Private Island can accommodate up to 28 people (children welcome) for $20,000 a night. There's a special offer for individual villas of $1000 per night, based on double occupancy and not including alcohol. The usual rate is $1450 a night and includes all meals, wine, spirits and champagne, organic spa treatments and activities such as horse riding, mountain biking, canoeing, sailing, snorkelling, fishing and day-trips to swimming holes, caves and markets on neighbouring islands. Yoga BC, a Hatha-based yoga school at Sydney's Andrew "Boy" Charlton pool, will be offering luxury yoga retreats at Ratua this year. See ratua.com.au, ratuafoundation.com and yogabc.net.
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