Slice open the vanilla pod and scrape out the pulp. Heat the coconut milk together with the sugar, vanilla pulp and vanilla pod in a small pot and simmer while stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Remove the vanilla pod and let the coconut milk cool to room temperature.
Whip the cream until stiff and mix with the coconut mass. Pour the mixture into a metal or plastic bowl and freeze in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Remove from the cooler and stir the frozen mixture well in a mixing bowl with a hand blender. Put the ice cream back into the cooler and stir again after another hour.
Continue in this way until after 5 hours the mixture is completely frozen and nice and creamy.
To serve, pour a large scoop of ice cream into each coconut shell. Garnish with wafer-thin slices of fresh coconut or with coconut flakes.