Destination: Port Vila, Vanuatu
Time: Jan 08 - Feb 08
Stay: Le Meridien Port Vila Resort (Superior Room)
Tours: Adventures in Paradise

Blue Holidays is only one of the many different holiday booking websites available. Some of the others I trialled were: Last Minute, Escape Travel, Qantas Holidays, Jet Star, and Flight Centre. I settled on Blue Holidays because it provided for accommodation, flights, meals, and tours all on the one site.

Ease of use
I have used several flight booking websites before, and they all feature the same core design structure. BlueHolidays was no different. One of the frustrating features is the timeout period. I used a public computer, and I was timed out about 3 times before I finally managed to complete my booking. So planning your booking is essential, otherwise you will find yourself repeating the process several times.

The booking can be accessed through the email, but a major negative is the inability to access it offline. Perhaps a downloadable PDF file is better option. Furthermore, I was disappointed not be able to check in online prior to my flight. Online check ins are only available for domestic travel.

Options
The best aspect of the site is that it provided several package options with complete pricing schedules. This was my first attraction to the site. It fitted my needs, which was complete pricing without any hidden extras. I scoured the site many times, and checked out pretty much every package to suit my needs. Some of the other sites I trialled often quoted only accommodation, flight, or tour fares. This made budgeting very difficult.

I also booked my tours in Vanuatu using the website but more about it below. A must read.

Pricing
From my investigation, the pricing (flights and accommodation) is quite competitive. However, this meant I could not expect luxuries like complimentary entertainment services, or newspapers on board the aircraft. Of course, in true Virgin Blue spirit - all meals were on a pay per serve basis. This suited me because of the short flight, but anything more than 4 hours of flying will have a negative effect on people’s already heightened boredom during international travel.

Tours
I spent about $950 (for two people) on tours in Vanuatu. Yes, I booked plenty of tours. I would NOT RECOMMEND booking any tours using BlueHolidays. What I found was that tours were half the price I paid, when booked in Vanuatu. Booking tours is as easy as using the Guest Relations service in your hotel, or making a quick trip to the tour company’s town office.

The tour company I used was Adventures in Paradise.

Customer service
I called BlueHolidays a few times to clarify some nitty gritties of my booking. The waiting time on average was only a few minutes, which surprised me. I am guessing the operators are based in South East Asia judging from their accents, but I had no trouble getting proper responses to my queries. I also found their email service excellent, with response times on average 24 hours. But be sure to quote your booking number during any correspondence.

Inside tips
* Do not book tours using the site. Frankly, its a rip off.
* Plan your booking before using the website, to prevent yourself from timing out.

Suggestions
* Increase the time out period for bookings or allow people to save their booking options
* Allow a PDF file to be downloaded at the end of the booking, so it can be accessed off line.
* Reconsider your tour booking fees, they are excessive!
* Strongly consider allowing online check in for international flights

Rating - 7/10 (Better than average)
My experience with BlueHolidays has been positive overall. But the massive profits they make from tour bookings is a serious negative, and I would encourage BlueHolidays to rethink their greedy strategy.