What To Expect

What‘s Included

Reviews

• Huge disappointment

  Curiosity30767307614,Mar 11, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  3.00

  Extremely disappointed as we made the tour while the company was out of business. The reservation was not recorded and when we arrived we were mistaken for customers wanting to buy chocolate. After several people we finally learned that our visit had not been scheduled and that the company did not produce that day. Very disappointed because the person took us for a walk but behind closed doors. We had the tasting and finished. Tour visit and tasting very fast. But we were taken to the shop. I am disappointed and would have liked to know that I was paying to see a business closed.

• ⛔️ Total disappointment 🚷

  syaknky,Mar 1, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  2.00

  We were looking forward to the visit of the chocolate factory (in French) that had been booked the day before on the Internet (2400V for 2 adults). There was only one time slot on booking: 8am Monday to Saturday, no visit on Sunday. When we got there, nobody on the horizon, the shop was closed, no machine was working. We planned to drink coffee on site but it was closed that day 👀 Someone came and asked us to book for the tour, they didn't seem to know it was planned. She then informed us that the contact person in French was not present. We started the tour with a presentation of the stationary machines, seen from a distance through a window (we didn't expect this). Then we sat on a bench and she explained for about 5 minutes how to extract and process cocoa beans, their provenance etc. Finally we tasted different squares of chocolate for about 5 minutes. We had no water and it was quite unpleasant to eat them in line, a bit in a hurry (although they were very good). The souvenir shop is good, we can find pandanus braid bags, cosmetics, chocolate, pepper, sculptures etc.. we bought chocolate bars packed and sold in bulk (presented in a cold window). We're evenly spread. In short: the tour is too short and not worth the price; if you don't understand English, it can be complicated if there is no translator on site; don't expect to see the machines or chocolate making directly in front of you because there is none. We have the impression that the visit was botched.

• Chocolate tour

  Monique B,Dec 7, 2025

  - Review from Viator

  1.00

  Chocolate factory tour the guide didn’t know we had booked I was stressing to get there on time and it was just a talk about how chocolate is made saw the machines but not in action and didn’t see the chocolate actually be made wasn’t what I expected

• Chocolate lovers must do

  DaleBaileyHolidays,Oct 15, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  4.00

  Great little tour showing how the chocolate is made and where it comes from. Great tasting different types but couldn’t do any more tasting after the 16 we tried. Take water.

  

  

  

• Not much of a tour, nice chocolate tasting

  Gail D,Jul 3, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  3.00

  I took the bus out to Aelan chocolate factory. It’s not too hard to find but the entrance is not obvious so I walked by it twice before knowing where to enter. The tour is 1000 vt and is pretty basic. You sit on a bench outside where they roast the cocao beans so the aroma is womderf. The guide tells you about the chocolate making process. She gave me a dried cocoa bean to taste and a roasted cocoa bean afterwards. Then she lifted up plastic flap so I could see the roaster and the grinder. Then it was time for the tasting. I strongly recommend bringing some kind of palate cleanser with you. I had water which was ok but tea or coffee probably would have been better. After you taste all the varieties of chocolate, you can shop in their store. The chocolate bar prices are significantly higher than at Au Bon Marche Nambatu or the airport shop in the international departure lounge. They sell roasted cocoa beans, cocao powder and nibs along with vanilla beans, pepper, and coffee. If you like chocolate and want to know what you’re buying, the tasting is worth the 1000 vt. If you want to know how chocolate is made, there are probably better tours out there.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

• Chocolate tasting box ticked. But that’s it.

  janey pat71,Mar 18, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  3.00

  We arrived expecting to have a tour of the facility. Instead we sat on a bench and a lady spoke to us for 5 minutes over the cacophony of a crushing machine. We could make out about each 4th or 5th word and got the gist of what was happening. That was the tour. Then we went to the tasting area where things got fun. Another staff member went through each chocolate, the various tasting notes and how each island had different characteristics. We tested about 12 chocolate varieties in all, ending in their famous kava variety. From there we were left to our own devices and found our own way to the shop where we could buy chocolate to take home with us. To be honest, calling it a tour is stretching it a bit. It’s a chocolate tasting with a lecture on the side. The staff were lovely and knowledgeable about the chocolate but that was about it. The different varieties were interesting and you could definitely tell the difference between the chocolate from each island but it felt quite rushed. Also, if you don’t like dark chocolate, this is not the tour for you!! No milk chocolate here! It was interesting and we felt like we were supporting local business but we’ve ticked that box now.

• Waste of money

  Globetrot 44,Oct 18, 2024

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  1.00

  The place is small and the tour is literally looking at machinery pieces through a window and plastic cocoa bean replicas. The tour guide was not very knowledgable, rushed through the tastings and clearly did not care about it at all. The place is small and honestly quite disappointing.

• Very interesting

  marcb84,Nov 9, 2023

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Excellent visit, with a bilingual English-French guide. We tasted 8 types of chocolate, first depending on the geographical origin of the beans from 3 other islands of Vanuatu, then chocolates with kava, coffee, ginger, chili,... Very interesting experience

• Check tour times before going; can catch local bus from Vila

  arekkusub,Jul 30, 2023

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  4.00

  Post-twin cyclones there is no cafe or handicrafts at the moment, just the simple tour, but it's nice to learn more about the operation overall, and the chocolate tasting is very satisfying if you're into testing your palate and identifying the island-by-island differences.

• If you have nothing better to do ...

  SteveandDD,Jun 12, 2023

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  3.00

  We chose not to do a tour but took ourselves there. It is a small enterprise, basically a group of shipping containers with a verandah and cable table. I'm not sure if the tours are being held as it was quite disorganised, there was a small group of people there at the time. We purchased two large blocks of chocolate to help them on their way. More conveniently, the Aelan Cafe downtown would be a better option.

  
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