I moved to Sandalwood Apartments from a fairly large 4 bedroom townhouse on Elluk Hillside. I thought I would miss the space but the apartment proved to be quite well sized and, for one person, perfectly adequate. In fact the apartments are ideal for a single person long term and I would think even a couple would not find them too claustrophobic. With two bedrooms you also have space for a visitor.

The price was right too, especially when gas, electric and water are included in the rent. You also get a limited choice of TV programmes free of charge and if you want more it is reasonably easy to arrange with supplier Telsat. Unfortunately increasing the number of programmes does not improve the quality of service but that is not Sandalwood’s fault that is down to Telsat!

You can also access free internet but it is rather slow. Again that is not the fault of Sandalwood it is the internet provider. I purchased a Digicel MiFi dongle for my work when touring to the Provinces. That worked quite well at Sandalwood as well if I wanted more bandwidth and faster download speeds.

Everything you need is provided, bedding, towels pots and pans, crockery and cutlery. There is also a microwave so self-catering is easy.  The girls come in once a week to clean and change the sheets which is ideal for a single person. You have a fridge freezer, albeit a little on the small size for say, a family but adequate again for a single or a couple. The apartment came with a washing machine and an iron and ironing board so no excuses for looking shabby either. Some apartments have a washing line outside the front door but there are other clothes lines in the garden areas.

The situation is quite peaceful but the traffic noise can be a nuisance sometimes. If you are a light sleeper your early morning might be disturbed by Le Lagon, Errakor Island and other resorts along the Pango Road taking their guests to catch the early 7 am flight to Oz. That is a problem you’ll find at a lot of other locations in Vila too.

My stay was from April to September and I did not have to turn the aircon on once. There is a very efficient through breeze to keep you cool. During the day I quite often left the front door open and that kept the whole apartment comfortable. There was a screen door as well as wooden front door so insects were not a problem. All the windows were screened as well.

The gardens are well kept and there is quite a bit of wildlife to see and hear as well as some beautiful plants.

There is a pool but really it is not for me . I seem to remember barbeque facilities there too but I never used them. I didn’t use the pool either because I was a Le Lagon member and for VT25,000 for 3 months you could use their pool, play golf and get 10% off meals. I made regular use of the golf course because all you had to do was walk over the road and you could tee off on the 3^rdtee. You could play the 13 holes (yes, that is correct 13 holes!) and finish off on the 2^ndgreen and nip back over the road to the apartments.

All in all I would not hesitate to recommend Sandalwood Apartments.

David Chetwynd