I use red lava rock for nearly all my potted orchids (Phrag is in LECA and the Vanilla is in soil/sand mix). I pair it with basket/net pots.
Red lava rock is nice because no matter how much/often it rains when the orchids are outside, you never need to worry about the roots rotting. It never compacts over time like bark does. When it is hot, I can water away and not worry that the medium is rotting. I don't need to keep spending money to replace the medium and, instead, can spend it on buying more orchids.
Some things I have learned with the rock is that you need to flush it well (I have other plants and the soils also need flushed, too) to remove excess fertilizer that builds up. It helps to add a bit of Calcium to the plants (Cal-mag) if your water doesn't have enough (or if you get quite a bit of rain). When re-potting, be careful to stake the plant very well and not move the pot for a few months until the roots are well-established (the rock is sharp and if you move the pot, they can cut new, delicate roots).
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