Kooyu Villas and Santo Pyor, Vanuatu by Helene Ravlich

Sitting at a waterfront table at the Nambawan Café in Port Vila, Vanuatu, I gazed out to sea and coveted the sight before me. Blue skies, even deeper blue sea, and the tallest, most elegant sailing ship I’d ever laid eyes on. Worth a cool USD $100 million, it was the floating home of the equally tall and elegant Ms. Diane Von Furstenburg, who declared to the Twitterverse that the nearby island of Malekula was “the most beautiful place I have ever seen!”

I had recently settled into home for the week, Kooyu Villas, situated in an area of Efate Island named Paradise Cove. A true slice of paradise, you know you’ve arrived when one side of the road erupts into a brightly coloured tapestry of peach, pink and orange bougainvillea and the tranquil sound of the waves comes wafting over the trees. The open Balinese-style villas are just a few metres from the road, with some of the best snorkeling on the island at your doorstep and a fire pit that has seen its fair share of BBQ’s, kava drinking sessions and fine conversation. Owned by New Zealand couple Adam and Mandy, the villas are built with the new generation, independent traveler in mind. Each has its own saltwater pool and spacious deck on which to sunbathe or take a private yoga lesson, is abundant in eco luxe principles – including the to-die-for SANS range of pure, active skin and haircare in the bathrooms – and comes with an outdoor courtyard purpose built for a massage from Alice, the visiting therapist.

The quickest way to get into Port Vila from Kooyu is via Adam’s speedboat, which let’s you take in some incredible views of the neighbouring beach side homes, leading to a ridiculous amount of domestic envy. The long way is in a trusty ex-army jeep, which is an absolute necessity to navigate the rather “interesting” conditions on the coral road. When you’re on island tempo it is definitely bearable though, and is the reason why still-unspoiled cove ain’t the Gold Coast. You’ll soon learn to wind down the window, smile and wave – and look out for the Pikininis, the gorgeous village kids playing on the roads.

A must do when you’re in the centre of Port Vila is a visit to the Santo Pyor Parfumerie, the brainchild of New Zealander beauty dynamo Lucy Marr. A sensory explosion hits me when I visit the beautifully appointed store, which can be found in the Cafe du Village Complex with the equally gorgeous Betsy at the helm. Vanuatu was pretty much built on the growth and trade of sandalwood, and their exquisite range of body oils and fragrances is awash in tradition and history. The wild island of Espiritu Santo is home to one of the most rare and treasured species of sandalwood, known to locals as “pyor”. Highly prized for its rich aromatic properties, sandalwood is recognised and used by Europe’s top purfume houses to provide depth and character to fragrance, and as a natural fixative to preserve and prolong scent. In the 1840’s, Vanuatu’s sandalwood was discovered by Western voyagers who came in search of the exotic essence. Today, Espiritu Santo is a boutique supplier thanks to local community harvesting and sustainable practises. To honour this exquisite essence and its local history, the creators of Santo Pyor have crafted a sophisticated collection of pure fine grade scents and body oils utilising exotic wild harvested ingredients to produce the purest line of fragrance - made from Santo Pyor, with love.

The range uses wild superior sandalwood heartwood, hand harvested by local communities from their Kastom (indigenous) land that is organic and sustainable. The purity of the sandalwood is monitored by sandalwood graders, ensuring only the highest quality oils are created, and Santo Pyor also work directly with their suppliers to ensure each product is free from pesticide and insecticide. All ingredients are pure, unadulterated and natural, meaning Santo Pyor fragrances do not contain any of the harmful elements commonly found in perfume, such as formaldehyde, phthalates, petroleum or artificial colours and fragrance compounds. They use renewable energies to cultivate and process their materials and all ingredients are sustainably harvested, produced and bought at Fair Trade prices. And last but by no means least, after exhaustive research and consultation with environmental scientists, they have chosen to use PET and glass for their packaging. PET is a modern, safe and non-leaching form of plastic, and is the most widely used and therefore recyclable plastic, ensuring nothing ends up in landfill. The Santo Pyor brand is set to go far, taking the beauty and purity of Vanuatu to the world whilst staying true to its principles. They don’t make beauty discoveries like this every day, and I feel honoured to have been there at the beginning.

Kooyu Villas, www.kooyuvillas.com
Santo Pyor, www.santopyor.com