Hideaway is a speck of coral sand and trees a couple of hundred metres off Mele beach, ringed by a reef that has been a marine sanctuary for decades. Fishing is banned, so the fish are plentiful and unafraid, and you can be snorkelling over coral within a minute of leaving your towel.
Its claim to fame is the underwater post office, opened in 2003: a mailbox on the seabed about three metres down, a short swim from the beach. Buy a waterproof postcard on the island, write it in pencil or the special pen, and post it under water — it really is delivered.
Top things to do: Hideaway Island
Post a card under water
The mailbox is in about three metres of water, marked by a buoy. Confident swimmers can duck-dive to it with a snorkel. At certain hours a staff member in dive gear “mans” the post office and cancels cards with an embossing stamp — ask at the resort for the day’s times.
Snorkel the sanctuary
Enter from the beach on the island’s seaward side. Expect hard corals, giant clams, parrotfish, butterflyfish and clouds of sergeant majors. Masks, snorkels and fins can be hired on the island.
Try a dive or a lazy lunch
The resort’s dive shop runs introductory and certified dives on the nearby reefs and wrecks. Otherwise there is a restaurant and bar under the trees, and sun loungers facing the bay.
How to get to Hideaway Island
- Bus or taxi to Mele beach: about 15–20 minutes from town. Ask for “Hideaway”. The landing is beside the beach bar at Mele.
- Ferry: a small free boat shuttles across in two or three minutes, more or less continuously through the day.
- On a tour: several half-day tours combine Hideaway with Mele Cascades.
Insider tips
- Day visitors pay an entry fee on arrival, which supports the sanctuary (around 1,250–1,500 vatu when last checked — confirm on the day).
- The beach is broken coral, not soft sand. Reef shoes make it much more comfortable.
- Do not feed, touch or stand on anything. Use reef-safe sunscreen, or better, a rash vest.
- At very low tide the reef flat is shallow; mid to high tide is best for snorkelling.
Tours that include Hideaway Island
These bookable experiences are the easiest way to see Hideaway Island:
Half-day tour from €62 Port Vila: Mele Cascades, Snorkelling and Fish Feeding Tour
The two best-known sights north of town in one outing: the climb through the terraced pools of Mele Cascades and a snorkel at Hideaway Island in Mele Bay, with stops at the local coffee roaster and chocolate maker on the way.
- Walk up through the pools to Mele Cascades
- Snorkel at Hideaway Island
- Coffee and chocolate factory stops
Afternoon & evening tour from €62 Port Vila: Tanna Coffee, Hideaway Island & Fire Show Tour
An outing in Mele Bay: the coffee roastery, time on Hideaway Island and a fire-dancing show with traditional music. New on GetYourGuide, so it has no reviews yet.
- Tanna Coffee roastery
- Beach time at Hideaway Island
- Melanesian fire-dance show
