Deco Stop Lodge

Deco Stop Lodge sits in Luganville, Espiritu Santo, and has been the standard mid-range accommodation choice for dive travelers visiting this island for many years. The lodge's name is a deliberate reference to the decompression stop — the mandatory safety pause during ascent from depth — which signals its primary market without ambiguity. Luganville is the closest town to the SS President Coolidge, a WWII American troopship deliberately sunk in 1942 to avoid capture, which now rests upright in 20–70 metres of water off the town's waterfront and is considered one of the world's finest accessible wreck dives.

The lodge offers comfortable standard rooms with en-suite facilities, air conditioning, and garden or pool outlook. The construction style is practical rather than resort-polished — adequate for the dive-focused clientele whose primary waking hours are spent underwater rather than at the property. Rooms are kept in good repair and the communal areas are functional and comfortable.

The restaurant serves international and Pacific food across all meal periods. Breakfast packages suit the early departure patterns of dive schedules. Portions are generous and prices are reasonable by Vanuatu standards. The bar is a reliable evening gathering point where dive log comparisons are a regular feature of conversation.

An integrated dive shop handles equipment rental, dive briefings, air fills, and multi-day packages, with particular expertise on the Coolidge's layouts, designated entry points, and the wreck's key landmarks including The Lady and the guns of Turret Three. The shop caters to divers from Open Water level upward, with advanced sections of the wreck reserved for more experienced guests. A swimming pool provides relaxation between dives and suits non-diving companions. The lodge can also arrange Santo's other notable day trips: Champagne Beach to the north, the Blue Hole freshwater swimming sites, and the Riri River tour.