Baby Moon in Vanuatu

We're home from our "babymoon". Apparently that's what they are called these days - the holidays that parents take before they are overcome with sleeplessness and everything else associated with a new baby. I wonder, is it still called a babymoon if you take a toddler?

I didn't hate being pregnant as much this week - in fact there were times that I felt almost normal!

We spent our short (4 night 6 day) babymoon in Vanuatu. This was despite our initial intent to go back to Fiji where we've had a good time previously. The reason for the change of plan was twofold. Hubby was concerned about the political instability and I decided that I didn't want my tourism money in any way assisting the economy of a dictatorship that has shunned democracy.

So it was Vanuatu here we come.

We decided to spend more than we'd planned and go in style and so began searching for resorts on the mainland (the outer Islands have a higher risk of malaria - not recommended for anyone, but particularly for pregnant women!). We wanted somewhere with a kids club and ended up with a choice between the highly recommended Le Lagon and Le Meridien Port Vila. A quick look at trip advisor (www.tripadvisor.com) had us convinced that Le Lagon was the place to go. We contacted the travel agent and were all set, only to discover that it was fully booked at the time we wanted to go. Not to be deterred we tried other dates, only to discover that it would have cost us double what we'd already decided was a very generous budget for a short holiday. Back to drawing board we did some more research on Le Meridien - some of the comments on the website were less than inviting but there were also some positive ones. We decided to risk it and booked Le Meridien.

Our departure date loomed, we borrowed my uncle's portable DVD player to assist with difficult times with Master 2, particularly on the plane flight.

The trip over was uneventful - the plane was only about half full and Master 2 was very well behaved. The DVD player was a godsend, and between that and some rice crackers the 2 1/2 hour flight really did fly!

We arrived at Le Meridien and I was a little concerned but it was all for nothing. Check-in was quick, our room was ready and though the agent hadn't passed on our request for a cot for Master 2, by the time we checked in and got down to the room it was set up and made up for us. It had been a long day for Master 2, so he was tucked in for an afternoon sleep while hubby and I sat on the patio outside our room and had a read.

We had a chance to explore the resort - while not new and modern, it had all the amenities we could ask for. 2 pools, a toddler pool, a playground, a kids club, 2 restaurants as well as a pool side bar and dining. Our room was fine, though sharing with Master 2 became interesting at bedtime at night. He kept doing the "Jack in the box" thing where he'd pop up from the cot to investigate even the slightest of noises. It took quite some discipline to ignore him.

The 4 days were filled with sleeping (us and Master 2, lots of it), reading, swimming (not heaps), eating (far too much), and keeping our toddler amused.

The staff at the resort were so good with kids. Each meal we enjoyed at the resort came with live music, from the 2 men at breakfast to the 1/2 dozen by the pool side bar, it kept Master 2 amused. He'd clap when they finished and say "more song". The staff learnt his name and would keep a keen eye on him as he made his escape from the Veranda restaurant mid way through a meal. They were indulgent and so obviously used to children that we didn't feel at all uncomfortable (as parents of toddlers so often do) even during his rattiest moments. Perhaps the proliferation of child (under 15) free resorts mean that those with little tolerance stay away.

We discovered a lovely restaurant in town called "Chill". It overlooks Port Vila harbour and has a kids menu that includes an activity mat, crayons and a take home souvenir cup - we went back twice for dinner. The food at the restaurant come more quickly than at the resort and again, the staff were incredible.

Our flight home was longer (thanks to headwind) and took almost 4 hours. It was hard going. It was an afternoon flight and Master 2 had such a tiny sleep as to be rendered insignificant in the morning before we left. He was tired and cranky and didn't want to be stuck (by a seat belt) on the aeroplane. Unfortunately the seat belts on a plane are much simpler for a toddler to learn to undo so there was no keeping him pinned to his seat. The DVD player was useful but was never going to keep him amused the entire trip. A couple of times he almost gave in to sleep but never quite got there. It was a very long trip.

Home sweet home. We had the most amazingly quick trip through at the airport. I would not have believed it if someone had told me I'd be at home one hour after landing. It was a small plane that wasn't full, and we were sitting at the back - so by the time we got off and threw out all the food we had in our bags and want to take through quarantine, there was no queue at immigration, our baggage was already on the carousel, no queue at customs and no queue for taxis. Truly amazing.

So that was the babymoon. Back to work on Monday. 13 weeks before I go on maternity leave... It's all happening!