staying on Molono Island
Close-by, but a World Away
For some, the thought of staying on a remote island might sound like too much privacy. At Deeper Love Resort, the staff are just a three minute boat ride away and they are on call and accessible by phone or radio 24/7. That's why here, you can have both total privacy and attentive staff- not living with you on Molono, yet still closer than the front desk at some mega-resorts. With neighboring islands just a few hundred meters away, the Bay of Islands (as it was once known) feels like a suite of private bungalows, giving a sense of security and community while respecting one another's privacy at all times. Molono is so close to the mainland, you could snorkel the reef right to Matevulu on a calm day. At Deeper Love Resort, you really do get the best of both worlds.
No Snakes, Rats, or Venomous Bugs
As the locals like to say, everything in Vanuatu is friendly, just like the people. Birds, crabs, lizards and geckos abound on Molono, but we have no crocodiles, snakes, or venomous creatures of any kind. The ocean, of course, is the ocean, but you would be hard pressed to find a safer part of the sea. Waters here are so safe that butterflyfish use our corals as nurseries for their babies, which you will see on every snorkel.
staying on Molono Island
S-PREP - Assisted Rat Eradication
Nearly every tropical island in the world has a thriving rat population. Since the 1700s, ships have inadvertently transported rats to one island after the other. Before that time, many birds used these islands as safe nesting habitat. Now, ground-nesting and tree-nesting birds' nests are vulnerable to rat predation.
That's why when we acquired Molono our first priority was ridding it of rats. With online assistance from S-PREP, we put together a team of local laborers and learned how to eradicate rats from a small island without damaging the ecosystem. Now one of a handful of rat-free tropical islands in the world, we have already noticed that the local birds (like the palm lorikeet pictured above) are returning to Molono in greater numbers.
Of course, rats can swim, storms bring driftwood, and boats continue to visit so continual diligence is required to keep new populations from establishing. The island has abundant papaya and banana trees, which attract local parrots, but also make life beautiful for any rat which manages to land on our shores. Our landscape and management teams are constantly on the lookout for new arrivals, ready to spring into action to protect the vulnerable bird species which once again call Molono home.
Snorkeler's Paradise
The people of Vanuatu take conservation seriously. Still, subsistence living and a growing population are putting stress on reefs worldwide, and Santo is no exception. Recently, Turtle Bay has been designated a Marine Sanctuary to protect the many species who use this area as nurseries.
At first, snorkeling in a fish nursery might look less thrilling than other open-water reefs you may have seen. Here, it's about the little things- literally! The babies. Visit just about any coral head in Turtle Bay and wait... after about twenty seconds you'll see Humbugs, Neon Damselfish, Butterflyfish, Blue Chromis, or some other species appear. Hold still, and the brood of young offspring will cautiously emerge.
With a little patience, snorkeling Molono's Lagoon Reef is every bit as rewarding as snorkeling the Open-Water reef on the East side of the island.